What the new NICE sepsis guidelines mean for patients
Sepsis is a serious medical condition. If it is not recognised or treated quickly, it can cause life-changing injuries and so updates to national guidance matter.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recently released new sepsis guidelines aimed at helping doctors spot and treat sepsis more quickly. These changes are designed to ensure patients receive faster, and more personalised care. The key revisions are:
More tailored treatment for patients
The NICE guidelines now recommend that adults with suspected sepsis should receive smaller initial doses of intravenous (IV) fluids, allowing doctors to check how well a patient is responding and adjust treatment quickly.
This should mean the treatment is more responsive and it is hoped that it will prevent complications and improve outcomes.
Better support for people who struggle to communicate
Not everyone can describe their symptoms easily. It could be that they are a child, have a learning disability, are neurodivergent or English is not their first language. The new guidelines stress that these groups need extra attention and care during assessment to ensure key information is not missed.
Clearer, more focused guidance for different patient groups
NICE has split the sepsis guidance into three separate documents to improve clarity as follows:
- adults aged 16 and over
- children and young people
- people who are pregnant or recently pregnant.
Clinicians should be referring to the guidance specifically designed for the group they are treating. This should mean there is less room for confusion and ensure the individual patient receives the appropriate care.
A stronger emphasis on high‑risk patients
The new guidelines highlight that many people are at higher risk of sepsis and therefore need more urgent attention. This includes:
- individuals with communication difficulties as mentioned above
- children under one year of age
- adults over 75 years of age
- women who are pregnant or have recently been pregnant
- patients who have recently had surgery
- patients who have burns, blisters or skin infections.
More frequent reassessment
One of the major changes is the expectation that doctors reassess patients after every step of treatment, particularly after each IV infusion. This will help ensure that patients’ progress is monitored and any deterioration is picked up and treated appropriately.
The updated NICE guidelines, together with the various sepsis awareness campaigns are all focused on protecting patients and trying to ensure sepsis is diagnosed and treated quickly, and before it results in significant injuries or death.
We hope the new guidelines will help clinicians spot sepsis symptoms early and improve outcomes. However, if you or a loved one has been affected by delayed sepsis treatment, please contact Emily Hartland, a member of our team of specialist sepsis lawyers, who can talk you through the guidelines and discuss whether you may have a claim.