Treat sepsis within an hour, says NICE

GPs, paramedics and emergency department staff should check people with suspected sepsis for specific signs of severe illness, NICE has recommended.

These signs include a mottled or ashen appearance; blueness of the skin, lips or tongue; non-blanching rash; altered mental state or inability to wake or stay awake, no urine passed in 18 hours; increased heart rate and increased respiratory rate.

Anyone with suspected sepsis and any one of these symptoms should go immediately to A&E and be given antibiotics and intravenous fluids within an hour of sepsis being identified.