What sepsis is and why care staff matter

Sepsis is the harmful response that can occur when the body reacts to an infection and begins to damage its own tissues and organs. It is not an infection that can be caught from someone else; it is the body's damaging reaction to infection.

Infections that may progress to sepsis can start in the lungs, urinary tract, skin, wounds, abdomen, pelvis, surgical sites, pressure ulcers or around devices such as urinary catheters. Sometimes the source is not obvious at first.

Care staff are often the first warning system

Care staff may observe changes before a clinician sees the resident. You might notice a person is less able to walk to the dining room, newly confused, sleepier, more breathless, cold and clammy, shivering, refusing food and drink, passing less urine, or simply "not themselves". These observations matter because they are compared with the person's usual baseline.

Recognition is not diagnosis

Care staff are not expected to diagnose sepsis. Your role is to recognise possible infection and deterioration, take observations if you are trained and it is safe, escalate using local procedures, give clear information and continue monitoring until the resident receives appropriate clinical assessment.

Management controls

Your job is not to prove sepsis. Your job is to notice possible infection plus deterioration and get the right help quickly.