NHS England has confirmed that sepsis will be one of the first three conditions for which a Modern Service Framework (MSF) will be developed, setting out an ambitious 10-year plan to improve care and outcomes.
The UK Sepsis Trust and Craig Mackinlay, Baron Mackinlay of Richborough – who Co-Chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sepsis – welcome this landmark effort to transform outcomes for the 245,000 people affected by sepsis in the UK each year. The framework signals long-term investment, system-wide consistency and renewed national focus on improving sepsis outcomes.
What is a Modern Service Framework?
Modern Service Frameworks are being introduced to support long-term planning, sustainable investment and consistent delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, digital-by-default care. Developed in partnership with clinicians, people with lived experience and system partners, MSFs will focus on conditions where rapid and significant improvements in quality and productivity are achievable.
Alongside cardiovascular disease and mental health, sepsis has been included in the first tranche of MSFs, with further frameworks for dementia and frailty to follow. NHS England has confirmed that task-and-finish groups are being established, with codesign at the heart of the process.
The commitment to system-wide improvement spans the entire patient pathway – from community recognition to inpatient care and post-discharge support. UKST’s Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ron Daniels BEM, has been appointed to the NHS Steering Committee overseeing the development of the Sepsis MSF.
What does this mean for sepsis care?
The Sepsis MSF has the potential to deliver the focus and joined-up planning that sepsis has long required. Early intervention remains the most powerful way to prevent avoidable deaths, yet variation in practice persists across the UK. A unified national framework for England offers the prospect of real, measurable change.
The NHS Steering Committee for the Sepsis MSF is currently developing an ambitious, prevention-focused strategy spanning community settings, ambulance services, emergency departments, hospitals and post-sepsis care. This programme is expected to be presented to the National Quality Board by the end of February 2026, with a view to publication in Spring 2026.
Dr Ron Daniels BEM, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “The inclusion of sepsis in the very first wave of Modern Service Frameworks is an important moment for patient safety. For too long, progress in sepsis care has been held back by fragmented approaches and inconsistent practice. This framework offers something fundamentally different: long-term focus, system-wide collaboration and the opportunity to deliver real, enduring change for the 245,000 people affected by sepsis each year.
“I’m delighted to serve on the NHS Steering Committee developing the Sepsis MSF, and am confident that, working alongside people with lived experience, clinicians and system partners, we can create a pathway that prevents avoidable deaths and improves recovery for every person touched by sepsis.”
Craig Mackinlay, Baron Mackinlay of Richborough, said: “I’m greatly encouraged to learn of the recent progress on the development of a Modern Service Framework for sepsis. I hope that the MSF will proceed as planned and that sufficient resource will be identified to maximise this important opportunity to transform outcomes for patients and families affected by sepsis.”
