Concern over 100 King's Mill blood poisoning deaths
INSPECTORS have criticised the number of deaths caused by blood poisoning at a Notts hospital.
One hundred patients died from sepsis – a bacterial infection of the blood – at King's Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, over nine months last year.
The Care Quality Commission said the figures were high and raised concern.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said it was aware of the problems and had created an action plan with the CQC to make improvements.
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In a report prepared for the hospital's board of directors, executive director of nursing and quality Susan Bowler said: "Following detailed work by the associate medical director for patient safety, we have identified that the treatment of these patients is deficient."
She added that, for example, an audit had confirmed patients were not identified early enough and that there were "significant delays" in applying sepsis care and delays in the administration of antibiotics.
A full case review of the 100 consecutive deaths is currently being carried out. It will be reported to the trust in February.
Action to improve the mortality rate for septicaemia has already been taken, in line with national guidelines.
All doctors involved in the management of acutely ill adult patients will also have attended special sepsis training sessions by the end of February and all relevant nursing staff by the end of 2013.
The trust is also planning a "clinical summit" on sepsis to find the best way of dealing with it
Dr Nabeel Ali, trust executive medical director, said staff were being given specific training and "sepsis boxes" had been introduced, making equipment needed to treat patients easily accessible.
He said: "We aspire to be one of the best hospitals in the country and are confident we provide the very best care for all of our patients.
"Before the CQC contacted us we were aware of a problem in our treatment of patients with sepsis. We carried out detailed work to identify areas where the treatment could be improved, and put in place an action plan."
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