Healthcare staff in Hywel Dda Health Board took part in World Sepsis Day on Friday, September 13, to raise awareness of a treatable illness that accounts for more deaths in Britain every year than most cancers.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It can be caused by something as simple as a cut or insect bite, or an infection like pneumonia. It is also a risk following surgery, or for women who have just given birth.

Severe sepsis accounts for 37,000 deaths per year in the UK - the equivalent of a top-flight football stadium full of people - with an estimated 1,850 of those to be in Wales. It accounts for more deaths annually than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined and is the highest cause of maternal death in the UK.

To mark World Sepsis Day, staff in Hywel Dda Health Board helped to raise awareness of sepsis with their colleagues through information stands throughout the four main hospitals and sharing information and materials with colleagues in community hospitals.

"Sepsis needs to be recognised or treated promptly. Otherwise it can cause very severe illness and even lead to multiple organ failure and death," says Dr. Philip Kloer, director of clinical services at Hywel Dda Health Board and member of the 1000 Lives Plus Faculty advising on prevention of sepsis.

"However, the worst effects of sepsis can be countered with simple treatments, provided it is identified quickly. The sooner treatment is started the lower the risk of death or severe post-sepsis debilitation.

"It is a common illness, so this World Sepsis Day, we are hoping to raise awareness of the effective treatments that can be deployed to make sure people don't die needlessly."

Work to stop sepsis is a key part of 1000 Lives Plus, the national programme to improve patient safety and quality of care, and is supported by all health boards and trusts.

Key developments in Hywel Dda Health Board to target sepsis include:

Hospital staff using the National Early Warning Score (known as NEWS), which is a simple system that enables staff to assess whether patients are developing sepsis.

Staff are using sepsis screening tools which help identify sepsis in patients at very early stages, meaning life saving treatment can be given much earlier.

Patients are being treated with the 'sepsis six' care bundle which consists of three quick tests for sepsis and three simple treatments that are proven to combat it.

Minister for Health and Social Services Mark Drakeford said: "I am supporting World Sepsis Day as an opportunity for us to join colleagues around Wales and across the globe in ensuring the tools we have to combat sepsis are used with every patient, everywhere and every time.

"I am pleased with the major progress made by clinical staff in Wales, supported by the 1000 Lives Plus programme, in introducing new ways of working to detect and reduce sepsis.

"Reducing mortality from sepsis is a priority and the hard work of everyone in developing the sepsis screening tools and sepsis six care bundles is making a difference to the care we provide to patients across Wales."

For further information, visit http://www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/WSD2013">www.1000livesplus.wales.nhs.uk/WSD2013. Additional information about World Sepsis Day is available at http://www.world-sepsis-day.org">www.world-sepsis-day.org.