What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to your chosen theme?

The Suspicion of Sepsis (SOS) Insights Dashboard was developed through a partnership between Imperial College Health Partners’ (ICHP) Patient Safety Collaborative, and other cross system agencies. QI in sepsis care lies on the availability of accurate and consistent data on scale and outcomes. Due to a combination of factors: changing definition of the condition; differences in coding practices between  clinicians and coders and the absence of a gold standard diagnostic test; literature shows that data on sepsis has been inaccurate and prone to fluctuation. As such, it was difficult to obtain or compare outcome data at hospital, regional, or national levels. The SOS Dashboard uses a novel approach based on a validated system published in the BMJ to provide accurate and consistent Hospital Episode Statistics data freely accessible online on mortality,  bed days, Length of Stay across the system. Hence entry into Building Improvement Capability across Boundaries Category.

What does your project aim to achieve?

The aim of the project is to test the use of the SOS Dashboard as the basis for improving outcomes in sepsis care. By providing QI support and small pump prime funding to an NHS Trust via a national bidding process, we will identify a suitable project aimed at improving outcomes in sepsis care. The bidding process will be judged  by a panel of national experts across different specialities including QI, sepsis, and Patient Public Involvement. Bidders will be encouraged to submit joint bids with the regional Patient Safety Collaborative and the relevant professional associations including the Society for Acute Medicine; Intensive Care Society; UK Sepsis Practitioners’ Forum; The Shelford Group. The winning bid will be provided with support to publish the work. The process will generate multiple QI projects nationally aimed at improving outcomes for sepsis patients.

How will the project be delivered?

By providing QI support and small pump prime funding to an NHS Trust via a national bidding process, we will identify a suitable project aimed at improving outcomes in sepsis care. The bidding process will be judged  by a panel of national experts across different specialities including QI, sepsis, and Patient Public Involvement. Bidders will be encouraged to submit joint bids with the regional Patient Safety Collaborative and the relevant professional associations including the Society for Acute Medicine; Intensive Care Society; UK Sepsis Practitioners’ Forum; The Shelford Group. The winning bid will be provided with support to publish the work. The process will generate multiple QI projects nationally aimed at improving outcomes for sepsis patients.

What and how is your project going to share learning throughout?

We will seek to publish the work and share case studies through the usual Q communication channels and blogs on our website as well as the various communication channels available to the AHSN and Patient Safety Collaborative Networks.