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The UK Sepsis Trust and the end-of-life charity Marie Curie have collaborated on a clinical tool that will help ensure vulnerable patients receive the best outcomes from sepsis.
The new clinical tool maps the Sepsis 6 Care Pathway for use in community settings and is designed for use by Marie Curie Nurses caring for people at home.
Marie Curie Nurses, Healthcare Assistants and doctors cared for more than 45,000 terminally ill people last year, including many who are living with cancer. People with a weakened immune system – such as terminally ill, and cancer patients who have recently undergone chemotherapy – are more at risk of contracting sepsis.
The Sepsis Trust UK CEO Ron Daniels said: “Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising when the body’s response to infection causes organ damage.
“It affects around 245,000 people in the UK every year, claiming 48,000 lives and people with cancer – particularly those who have recently undergone chemotherapy – are one of the groups most at risk. That’s why it was critically important for two leading charities – one providing services to people with terminal illness, and the other aiming to improve outcomes from sepsis – to come together and collaborate in the production of clinical tools and training to ensure the very best care be delivered to these vulnerable patients.”
Julie Pearce, Chief Nurse at the end-of-life charity, Marie Curie, said: “When someone has a terminal diagnosis they will be living with that diagnosis for a period of time and will experience symptoms which need to be managed.
“Our aim is to enable people to live well until the end of their life and to remain as comfortable and active as they can be. This means being able to spot when a person’s condition has deteriorated due to an infection which makes them feel very unwell.
“This new tool supports professionals to be aware of sepsis, to identify it and treat it. The result for people with any terminal illness, including cancer, is they will have more quality time with the people that are important to them right up until the end of life.”
The tool has been supported by the production of a poster which encourages the use of The Sepsis 6 Care Pathway in community settings.
