WAQ79432 (e) Tabled on 12/02/2020

Will the Minister provide the number of sepsis deaths recorded in Wales's hospitals in the last four years?

Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services | Answered on 19/02/2020

The table below shows the number of admissions in Wales where sepsis is mentioned in one of the 14 diagnosis fields.

Financial Year

Admissions

2015/16

        8,807

2016/17

        8,850

2017/18

      15,079

2018/19

      12,986

Source: Patient Episode Database for Wales (PEDW), NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS).

Two key factors contribute to the apparent increase in the number of recorded sepsis cases.

Prior to 2017/18, the specific codes for sepsis were not always consistently reported alongside the source infection (e.g. urinary tract infection).New guidance issued in April 2017 to improve reporting led to a substantial increase in the coding of sepsis from 2017/18 onwards.

A continued focus on awareness and early detection across all health boards has led to a greater number of sepsis cases being recorded.

The number of hospital deaths amongst Welsh residents where sepsis was the underlying cause recorded in the last four years is as follows:

2015: 222

2016: 207

2017: 167

2018: 180

These data are published by the Office for National Statistics. 2019 data are not yet available. These figures show the number of deaths where the condition was the underlying cause of death. This is based on information from the death certificate and is defined by WHO as the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death.