Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of NICE guidelines for the treatment of sepsis.

The Department has no plans to assess the adequacy of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of sepsis. NICE is an independent body, and its guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and developed by experts through consultation with stakeholders in line with NICE’s internationally respected processes.

NICE has processes in place to review its guidance to ensure that it reflects developments in the evidence base. NICE is currently updating its guideline on ‘Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management’. Details of the update can be found using the following link:

Project information | Suspected Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management (update) | Guidance | NICE