Sepsis guidelines not fully implemented across Saolta Group

Mr Maurice Power made his concerns known at the Group’s Executive Council Meeting on 30 May, the minutes of which were seen by the <strong>Medical Independent</strong> (<strong>MI</strong>) through Freedom of Information legislation.

Mr Power requested that a report on the subject be issued to hospital general managers for their immediate attention.

The National Sepsis Report 2017, which was recently published, showed the sepsis-associated hospital crude mortality rate was 20 per cent across the Hospital Group, a decrease of 4.5 per cent from 2016.

The report also showed there was an 8 per cent increase in the documentation of cases in the same year.

A total of three national compliance audits were conducted at all Saolta hospitals in 2017, which examined 175 cases.

In summary, audit results demonstrated improvements, including 68 per cent of cases diagnosed according to current guidelines and 45 per cent of patients given antimicrobials within one hour of diagnosis. Audit results were discussed with individual hospital sepsis committees and local action plans agreed and implemented.

At the Executive Council Meeting on 27 June, the Group’s Chief Director of Nursing Ms Jean Kelly submitted a progress report on implementing the sepsis guidelines.

Ms Kelly “emphasised the need for action plans on all sites to be updated and implemented” in order for the national guidelines to be progressed.

She was due to provide a further update at the Executive Council meeting in September. 

During the June meeting, a performance meeting with the Acute Hospital Directorate was also discussed.

“The focus on head-count continues,” according to the minutes. “At the last meeting, quality metrics, including poor performance of some hospitals in the Group in terms of endoscopy waiting times, was discussed. The Group has submitted returns to the National Director on our progress in the delivery of the Value Improvement savings target of €7 million.”