Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to improve the accuracy of recording of cases of neonatal sepsis across England.
Neonatal units record positive neonatal blood culture tests and these are recorded as part of the Neonatal Quality Dashboard. Outliers are identified and investigated as part of the quarterly monitoring systems of NHS England specialised commissioning hubs.
The National Neonatal Audit Programme commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership includes reporting on the measuring of rates of infection on neonatal units and makes key recommendations for improvement.
In April 2017, NHS Digital also published new guidance on coding for sepsis. The new coding guidance is expected to lead to improved reporting of all cases of sepsis.