The past decade has seen several campaigns to raise awareness of sepsis, but serious failings are still occurring, reports Jacqui Wise
A damning report from the UK’s parliamentary and health service ombudsman published this week highlights sepsis deaths that he believes could have been prevented.1 Rob Behrens says that, despite a call to action 10 years ago by the then ombudsman in the report Time to Act ,2 the same serious failings remain evident, including delays in diagnosis and treatment, poor communication and record keeping, and missed opportunities for follow-up care.
Behrens’s report will add to the pressure for a swift introduction of “Martha’s rule” to give people the power to seek an urgent second opinion if a patient’s condition is deteriorating. The high profile media campaign for a legal right to a second opinion followed the death from sepsis of 13 year old Martha Mills in 2021 and has been backed by Behrens and by the health and social care secretary, Ste