Virtual College announce free online training resources to tackle sepsis crisis

Sepsis claims 44,000 lives annually in the UK and costs the NHS an estimated £2.5 billion. It is a life threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis leads to shock, multiple organ failure and death especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.

Sepsis can be caused by a huge variety of different bugs, most cases being caused by common bacteria which we all come into contact with every day without them making us ill. Sometimes, though, the body responds abnormally to these infections, and causes sepsis.

New NHS guidelines, published this month, ‘Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management’, are aimed at promoting best practice amongst healthcare practitioners.

Virtual College’s online learning resources have been created in association with experts from the UK Sepsis Trust to provide an in-depth, comprehensive guide to the identification and treatment of sepsis which is consistent with the new NHS guidelines.

The UK Sepsis Trust was founded in 2012 by NHS consultant Dr Ron Daniels who is a Clinical Adviser (Sepsis) to NHS England and Chief Executive of the Global Sepsis Alliance.

“Our team seeks to save lives and improve outcomes for survivors of sepsis by instigating political change, educating healthcare professionals, raising public awareness and providing support for those affected by this devastating condition,“ explained Dr Daniels.

“These high quality resources reflect recent changes in national and international guidance and will equip health professionals with the knowledge to deliver excellence in sepsis care.”

The new resources will be made available by Virtual College free of charge within the next few months.

Judith Clarkson, Virtual College director, commented:”We have been creating online learning resources for the healthcare sector for over 10 years but I only became aware of the gravity of the sepsis issue at last year’s Patient Safety Congress.

”Working closely with the UK Sepsis Trust, we are now aware that early intervention saves lives, and can reduce the length of hospital stay and need for critical care admission. It is so important that we wanted to make this online learning available free of charge as soon as possible after the new NHS guidelines were published.”  

Further information is available at: www.virtual-college.co.uk