About the UKSPF
The role of the sepsis nurse was introduced by Dr Ron Daniels BEM, Chief Executive UKST and CEO of the GSA.
This role was then embedded into South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 2010. Jacqui Simpson was appointed and was the only serving sepsis nurse in the UK for the next two years. In 2012 Esme Blyth was appointed then followed by Paul Drew, Paula Evans and Sally Wood.
Paul was keen to network, the role was isolated and very new. He contacted Ron, Jacqui and the small team of sepsis nurses and they formed the UK Sepsis Nurse Forum. Michael Sukitt –Parr, head of patient safety for NHS England was very helpful in the set up and arrangement of the forum. Michael has now retired from his role but remains an honoree member of the UKSPF.
The first AGM was held in London in 2015 and was attended by 16 sepsis nurses across the UK. By 2016 there were 33 members who met at the second AGM. As the forum grew, a structure was needed and Jacqui was appointed as the first chair. Jacqui formed an executive committee to further develop the forum. Whilst in post the membership grew to 166, and the AGM was replaced with a conference attracting sponsorship and expert speakers. Sally won some money from a dragons den bid and support from Rocialle to fund the website.
The recruitment of sepsis nurses has continued to grow and there are now 186 members of the forum. The name changed to Recognise members from a non-nursing background to the UK Sepsis Practitioner Forum .
The UKSPF was developed as a platform to enable sepsis nurses to share information and experiences. We want to improve our practice and to support other practitioners who manage sepsis for their organisation. Ultimately we all share a passion for patient safety and a goal to improve outcomes and experiences for those affected by sepsis.
There a wealth of experience in the forum The work the members have shared is phenomenal. The strongest quality is networking and the availability of expert advice. Externally we are supported by the UKST and NHS England. One of the compelling qualities of the forum is there is no competitiveness – the ethos of each and every member is to maximise patient safety. Transparency from each member is paramount to take our services forward.
The UKSPF enrolled a regional lead to support the setup of regional directives to report in centrally.
