‘We have more to do’ – Sheffield Children’s Hospital makes sepsis detection a priority after James’ tragic death

Sheffield Children’s Hospital said its priority for this year and for 2025 is to better detect the potentially fatal condition sepsis.

It comes as a report on improving the quality of services provided by Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Trust is being discussed by Sheffield City Council’s health scrutiny sub-committee on June 6. The report says the improvement priorities for the trust in 2024-25 are to better develop awareness and recognition of sepsis.

They also say their priorities include improving bereavement services for families and continuing work on the Waiting Well project to support patients waiting for treatment.

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According to the NHS, sepsis is a “life-threatening reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts damaging the body’s own tissues and organs.”

In May 2022, one-year-old James Philliskirk died of sepsis after being taken by his family to the children’s hospital’s A&E department. He was twice misdiagnosed with chicken pox. and an inquiry in April 2023 determined that this was partly due to the hospital’s negligence.

A report into preventing future deaths was issued to Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust by Coroner Abigail Combes. As a result, a sepsis nurse was appointed by the hospital in January.

The report says: “The reason we have selected this priority is that recent findings from our audits and investigations into our serious incidents have shown us that we have more to do as a Trust in terms of awareness and recognition of sepsis.

“Nationally, reports from bodies such as the Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman and the Health Services Journal show that recognition of sepsis has not improved as much as expected and patients are not always diagnosed or treated quickly enough.”

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Part of this effort will include working with parents of children who have had sepsis to understand their experience and ensure their voices are heard. An analysis of all significant cases will also identify themes or trends to help staff take action earlier.

The trust also plans to recruit an administrative co-ordinator and a support nurse as part of a bereavement support team which will be integrated into the trust structure. The Bereavement Support Nurse will be responsible for providing education and training to key staff members and the Bereavement Administrative Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that family contact procedures have been completed and documented by staff.

The report says: “The reason we have selected this priority is that recent deaths, complex complaints and recommendations from investigations at the trust have shown that our bereavement care is not always in line with our Quality Promise.”

A process will be confirmed to ensure key staff refer families for further support to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, including bereavement counselling. The trust is also committed to “providing bereavement support that is culturally appropriate for each family and guided by those with lived experience”.

The trust says the Waiting Well project is a priority due to “increased waiting times/lists and the subsequent need to ensure patients and families feel supported and safe during this time”. It adds: “Recovering the waiting list is also a key priority for the NHS in 2024/25.”

The system, which specifically focuses on patients with a neurological disability, aims to “reduce the risk of harm to young people and their families and help them feel fully informed while they wait”.

Waiting Well support includes providing access to information and resources that will help improve overall health – such as improving oral health and exercise – as well as providing resources tailored to specific health conditions. Waiting Well also checks in on patients to see if their appointment or procedure is still needed and provides a contact avenue if the child’s condition has changed while waiting.

The trust says it will work closely with patients and families to better understand what support they would find useful while they wait to be seen. This includes additional support for neurodiverse patients and their families.