NEARLY 90 per cent of Great Western Hospital patients made a full recovery from the potentially fatal condition sepsis in the last three months of the year, new data reveals.

Between October and December 2016, the hospital’s sepsis team administered lifesaving treatment to 287 patients, with 87 per cent surviving the condition.

In comparison, figures for the whole of 2015 showed 80 per cent of patients survived sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where the immune system over-reacts to an infection and attacks its own organs and tissues. If not treated quickly it can lead to a drop in blood pressure, organ failure or even death Symptoms of sepsis can include feeling dizzy or faint, confusion or disorientation, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, severe muscle pain, severe breathlessness, less urine production than normal, loss of consciousness or cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin.

In March 2015, Great Western Hospital orthopaedic surgeon Dr Tony Fogg, 64, died from sepsis in Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

The trust launched a new Acute Sepsis and Kidney (ASK) team who provide expert advice and support on the condition.

Dr Amanda Pegden, an acute medical consultant who leads the new team, said: “This group of specialist doctors and nurses make sure people suffering from sepsis and other serious conditions, such as acute kidney injury, get the care they need and fast.

“Although sepsis is one of the biggest causes of death in the UK, the signs and symptoms can still go undetected.

“Fortunately, the team at GWH are experts at what they do and because of them more people than ever before are surviving.”

More than 77 per cent of patients in the last three months of 2016 benefited from the 'Sepsis Six' - a set of globally recognised medical interventions designed to put the brakes on sepsis before it really takes hold.

The Great Western Harmony Choir have even taken the unusual step of covering Petula Clark’s 1964 hit Downtown, replacing the lyrics with the steps of the Sepsis Six.

A music video, filmed on location at GWH, can be seen on the trust’s YouTube channel.

An estimated 150,000 people are struck down by sepsis each year, which results in 44,000 deaths, according to the UK Sepsis Trust.

Dr Ron Daniels, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust and global sepsis expert, said: “Great Western’s introduction of the ASK team is a critical step in the right direction for improving sepsis care and preventing the thousands of unnecessary deaths we see in the UK every year.

"It’s really treating sepsis as seriously as we treat major trauma, which is exactly what’s needed. I hope this sets an example for other hospitals to follow.”

“It’s encouraging to see evidence that measures such as these are effective, but robust investment and financial rewards from the government for delivering excellence in care will be necessary to facilitate similarly crucial services in other hospitals and trusts.”

For more information on sepsis visit gwh.nhs.uk