HEALTH Secretary Farnham MP Jeremy Hunt praised Frimley Park Hospital for helping to make the NHS the “safest healthcare system in the world”, on a special visit earlier this month.

Mr Hunt’s visit followed World Sepsis Day and was part of a campaign to ensure hospitals put in place clear guidelines and training to ensure that every member of their medical team is trained to spot the signs and symptoms of the ‘silent killer’ and treat them effectively.

In the UK, around 123,000 people of all ages develop sepsis every year, with potentially 30,000 avoidable deaths.

It is often referred to as the silent killer because the early symptoms – fever, lethargy and pallor – can be mistaken for other problems.

The key is to spot the problem early and administer antibiotics and fluids quickly to halt the infection in its tracks.

“Many hospitals have now put in place clear guidelines and training to ensure that every member of their medical team is trained to spot the signs and symptoms of sepsis and treat them effectively,” he said. “Practical measures like routinely checking patients arriving at accident and emergency departments for signs of sepsis are estimated to have saved almost a thousand lives in recent years.

“Do I think even more deaths could be prevented? The answer is, undoubtedly, yes. That’s why we are now setting out further measures to improve standards in hospitals, surgeries and other healthcare settings.

“It will mean more training resources, greater awareness and better recording and identification of sepsis cases across the NHS. Every part of the NHS will be expected to be on the highest alert to tackle this killer condition.

“Frimley Park Hospital has embraced recent patient safety initiatives such as Surviving Sepsis and Sign up to Safety, and it was a privilege to meet staff involved in this crucial work.

“Their 50 percent reduction in avoidable harm to patients over the last four years is a huge achievement – this type of accomplishment will us help make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world.”