Identifying sepsis is crucial for positive patient outcomes. This elearning is aimed at introducing what sepsis is, how to identify sepsis, and what can be the potential causes. It also explains who may be at a greater risk of sepsis.  

The elearning is aimed at any professional working with patients in primary care or community-based settings.  

The session covers when to consider sepsis, which patients are at greatest risk and how to use clinical judgement alongside full sets of observations to identify and manage the unwell patient. Case studies are used to support the learning. 

This session can be accessed HERE. 

This e-learning session introduces what sepsis is, how it affects children and how to recognise it in different age ranges. It also covers what the next steps are after identifying a child with possible sepsis. 

The elearning will benefit any professional who comes into contact with unwell children who may have sepsis outside of the hospital setting. This includes people working in GP surgeries, schools, and the ambulance services.  

The session covers what sepsis is, which infections can lead to sepsis and how they might present in a child and how to identify children at risk of sepsis and deteriorating children. You will also learn about paediatric early warning scores, what to do if you identify a child at risk of sepsis, and how to communicate this to hospital staff who will investigate, diagnose, and manage sepsis. 

This session can be accessed HERE. 

This session is aimed at anyone caring or supporting people with a learning disability.   

It aims to help you to recognise when the person you support may be becoming unwell with sepsis and to know what to do. You will also learn about why people with a learning disability are at risk of sepsis and what you can do to reduce those risks.  

This session can be accessed HERE. 

The Leadership in Primary Care session is designed for non-clinical and clinical leaders working in primary care and looks at the challenges in leadership roles, to ensure best practice, in identifying and managing acute deterioration and sepsis in primary care settings, including general practice. 

The old versions will remain accessible and will be removed in phases when new ones are replacing them. The old sessions are follows: 

The first session is aimed at all clinical staff that work in primary care, giving an overview of sepsis for all staff in primary care. The remaining sessions on diagnosing sepsis in children, during pregnancy, people with a learning disability, and the elderly. These sessions are aimed at everyone who works for the NHS, or in any health setting.  

The  original elearning modules, consists of the following five sessions: 

• Session 1 – Overview of Sepsis (to be removed 15th Dec) 
• Session 2 – Adult Sepsis (to be removed 15th Dec) 
• Session 3 – Childhood Sepsis (to be removed 15th Dec) 
• Session 4 – Complex Sepsis Issues and Future Development
• Session 5 – Sepsis, Care Homes and the Frail Elderly

You can find these sessions here: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/432415

NHS Choices: 

• Does your child have a serious illness? Aimed at parents (NHS Choices) 
• NHS Spotting sepsis in under 5’s 
• Looking after a sick child  

Recognition of early sepsis  

• UKST GP Paediatric Sepsis Decision Support Tool 

Recognition of early sepsis: assessment of sick children 

• SystemOne templates: Dr David Gould and Cricketfield practice
• KSS Clinical Pathways for Sick Children – elfh or SESCN 

• Bacterial meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia in children – online learning | RCPCH
• MRF: Meningitis Research Foundation: Meningococcal Disease and Bacterial Meningitis in Children and Young People 

This session is aimed at carers who support people with a learning disability.   

It aims to help you to recognise when the person you support may be becoming unwell with sepsis and to know what to do. You will also learn about why people with a learning disability are at risk of sepsis and what you can do to reduce those risks. 

People with learning disabilities are often at increased risk of a number of health issues. This elearning has been developed to provide carers with information to reduce the risk of health deterioration in the people they support. These sessions are recommended for anyone looking after a someone with a learning disability. 

The sessions are: 

• Constipation awareness
• Spotting signs of someone becoming poorly
• Annual health check
• Reasonable adjustments 

These sessions can be accessed here: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/caring-for-people-with-a-learning-disability/  

Sepsis for management and executive staff in acute care 

A learning resource for executive, non-executive and management level staff in trusts on sepsis, incorporating antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.

This training programme gives specific context for boards to understand the clinical priorities within healthcare and how boards and clinical leaders can work together to deliver of high-quality safe care.

The training consists of an elearning session to be taken independently, to be followed by a facilitated discussion with board members and clinical staff.

It encourages engagement and debate within a trust, to understand locally what appropriate care looks like and what a board should be doing to deal with specific issues within their trust to maintain good standards on the quick recognition, management and treatment of sepsis and in improving standards of antibiotic prescribing.

 Examples of learning sessions that healthcare workers in secondary care will find useful to address their training needs can be found below: 

• Assessment and Differential Diagnosis of Sepsis (03_17_01) E-learning for doctors and nurses in secondary care 
• Management of the Septic Patient (03_034) E-learning for doctors in secondary care, nursing and pharmacy staff in a critical care environment 

• Managing Sepsis (08_09) E-learning for Foundation programme doctors. 

Approving Quality Alliance (AQuA) in partnership with HEE has developed a series of case studies to support the education of sepsis and deterioration in adults. 

These case studies have been written in support of the theme ‘Celebrating achievements and good practice’. The collection is designed to provide healthcare staff with examples of initiatives to improve the recognition of, and response to, sepsis in a range of settings. These case studies promote a collaborative approach, to improve how quickly staff can recognise and treat people with sepsis. 

Each case study includes sections on key learning and reflection points, with a clear statement of what the team learned during the course of the improvement project. Measurement data is also provided to help learners identify improvement opportunities in the treatment of people with sepsis and monitor the impact of interventions. 

You can access all the case studies in one document – Patient Pathway & System Solutions on Sepsis – All case studies, or you can access specific areas – Primary Care, Secondary Care, Cross sectional network and Diagnostics. Screening tools and observation charts are provided, along with 3 films to support the training. 

This sessions can be accessed here: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/584632

The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) report published in May 2018 highlighted sepsis as a key contributor to premature mortality, with 11% of deaths being recorded as sepsis related. In response NHS England have undertaken work to improve the sharing of information on people with a learning disability, across health and care settings and have published an ‘action from learning’ report that provides examples of the local changes that have been made to services in response to common themes raised through LeDeR reviews across the country. 

A number of freely available resources have been developed for the system that includes: 

• a sepsis song to raise awareness and improve vigilance to the signs of sepsis amongst people with a learning disability. 
• a training film that supports health and care professionals, and carers, to spot the softer signs of deterioration in people with a learning disability. 
• a training film aimed at those who care for people with a learning disability who may not be able to communicate or verbalise how they are feeling. 
• a film aimed at people with a learning disability who may not be able to communicate or verbalise how they are feeling. 
• a podcast on recognising deterioration and sepsis amongst people with a learning disability, which may also be useful for carers. 

Practical resources for clinicians to share with patients and carers (as part of safety-netting) – home setting

NHS Choices:

• Patient UK  symptom checker 
• Health Help Now app (specific localities only) or for the App 
• BabyCheck (App) 
• Wessex Parent information: aimed at parents with children aged 6 months to 5 years 
• UKST Spotting sepsis in children leaflet: Sepsis Assessment and Management (SAM) 

Recognition of early sepsis 

• UKST – Sepsis card
• UKST Spotting sepsis in children leaflet – Sepsis Assessment and Management (SAM)
• MRF: Algorithms for Management of Meningococcal Disease and Bacterial Meningitis in Children and Young People 

Educational resources for healthcare workers – primary care

Consultation matters

• Re-ACT  Talks: The Effect of Criticism on Parents with Sick Children by Dr Sarah Neill
  

Recognition of early sepsis – assessment of sick children

• Re-ACT Talks: Deterioration: How to Spot the Sick Child by Dr Ffion Davis
  
• Spotting Sick Child toolkit
• NICE RAG assessment tool / traffic light system for identifying the risk of serious illness in children
• RCGP elearning feverish child
• UKST Spotting sepsis in children leaflet – Sepsis Assessment and Management (SAM)
• KSS Deanery – elfh elearning resource (clinical pathways for sick children)
• Human Reliability in Primary Care by Dr Dawda
• UKST G.P. Paediatric Sepsis Decision Support Tool
• UKST Prehospital Sepsis Screening and Action Tool

Safety-netting

• NICE – feverish child templates
• NICE algorithm for managing suspected sepsis in children aged under 5 years outside an acute hospital setting
• NICE risk stratification table for under 5 years with suspected sepsis
• NICE combined algorithms and risk stratification tables for those with suspected sepsis (includes for those under 5 years)
• UKST GP Paediatric Sepsis Decision Support Tool

Recognition of early sepsis

• Re-ACT Talks: Spotting Sepsis in the Sick Child by Dr Jeremy Tong
• Northern Paediatrics  – Northern Paedatric Sepsis

Sepsis pathways

• RCPCH elearning – meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia
• Spotting the Sick Child
• NICE algorithm for managing suspected sepsis in children aged under 5 years in an acute hospital setting
• NICE risk stratification table for under 5 years with suspected sepsis
• NICE combined algorithms and risk stratification tables for those with suspected sepsis (includes for those under 5 years)
• UKST ED/AMU Paediatric Sepsis Screening & Action Tool
• UKST Inpatient Paediatric Sepsis Screening & Action Tool