Hospital Trust in Top Spot For Life Saving Sepsis Treatment
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted in the best safety improvement team category at the 2017 Patient Safety Awards.
The national awards recognise outstanding improvements in patient safety practice within the NHS and independent healthcare organisations and will be held in Manchester on 4 July.
The entry, submitted by the Trust’s sepsis team which includes sepsis lead nurse Paula Evans, infection control nurse consultant Rosie Dixon and anti-microbial pharmacist Aneeka Chavda, was selected for their work screening 90 percent of patients for the potentially life-threatening condition and starting treatment within one hour.
Sepsis can be triggered by any type of infection. The body’s immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight the infection which can reduce the blood supply to vital organs such as the brain, heart and kidneys. It is essential to treat the condition with antibiotics as soon as possible.
Sepsis lead nurse Paula Evans said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this award. We are now one of the best performing hospital Trusts in the country for treating patients with sepsis. This life saving work is down to team work, educating staff and establishing efficient systems to identify and treat infections appropriately.”
The shortlisted finalists will now complete presentations and interviews to a judging panel made up of senior and influential figures from the health sector.
Stuart Artliff from Alfreton in Derbyshire was treated for sepsis at King’s Mill Hospital. He was diagnosed with Weil’s disease, which is carried by rats and other animals, possibly after taking part in a mud run last year.
He said: “I felt lousy for two weeks but my GPs couldn’t get to the bottom of it. After going downhill fast I ended up in the Emergency Department at King’s Mill Hospital and then three weeks in intensive care.
“If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of the nurse who first suspected I might be developing sepsis, I wouldn’t be here now. I owe her my life and can’t thank her and the other hospital staff enough for the fantastic care I received.”
Picture caption
Sepsis survivor Stuart Artliff with his family. Pictured left to right: wife Lisa Artliff, daughter Lily-mae Artliff, step-son Declan Patton with Stuart Artliff.