World Sepsis Day 2024: Step Up To Sepsis this Steptember
Sepsis is a silent killer affecting 245,000 people in the UK each year, and taking 48,000 lives – that’s 5 deaths every hour.
Every year, sepsis takes the lives of thousands and leaves countless others facing long-term complications. It’s a condition that requires immediate attention and better care from our health system. Sepsis kills more people than breast, bowel, and prostate cancer combined – but it’s often treatable, if caught early.
That’s why this September, for sepsis awareness month, we’re asking you to step up in three powerful ways:
1. Tell the government to step up on sepsis care
Sign our petition urging the government to prioritise sepsis care within the NHS and improve diagnostics, patient pathways and signposting.
2. Take on the Step Up To Sepsis challenge
Take part in our fundraising challenge and help us raise vital funds to support the 245,000 people affected by sepsis every year in the UK.
3. Get Sepsis Savvy
Access our free educational resources to learn more about sepsis, recognise the signs, and understand how to act quickly to protect yourself and loved ones.
Tell the government: step up on sepsis care
We’re urging the government to re-prioritise sepsis, ensuring it is treated with the same urgency and resources as strokes and heart attacks. A new YouGov survey commissioned by UKST for 2024 has detected record public awareness levels – but awareness alone isn’t enough.
One family that knows this only too well is medically trained professionals Duaa Sidahmed and Mohammed Hassan, who lost their son Yousef to sepsis in February 2023, just after his first birthday, despite following our guidance to ‘Just Ask: Could it be Sepsis?’.
Mohammed said: “I was dismissed when I asked the doctor if it could be sepsis; so record public awareness levels are encouraging, but awareness only goes so far. Health professionals need to listen to families that raise their concerns and follow the sepsis care pathway, to prevent tragedies like the one our family has experienced.”
With better training, data collection and diagnostic tools, the NHS can make a real difference in outcomes for sepsis patients. Sign our Change.org petition to demand that the government reprioritises sepsis within the NHS and improves patient signposting for improved patient outcomes.
The petition will be a powerful tool for us to use when lobbying the new government to take sepsis seriously.
Relevant stats
DEATHS AN HOUR
In the UK, five people lose their lives to this condition every hour.
DEATHS EACH YEAR
In the UK, there are 48,000 sepsis related deaths each year.
PEOPLE AFFECTED
In the UK, 245,000 are affected by sepsis each year.
DEATHS GLOBALLY
Sepsis is responsible for 11 million deaths globally each year.
Take steps to save lives: join our fundraising challenge!
This Steptember, we’re challenging you to get moving to help fight sepsis. Whether you walk, run, or jog, every step you take can help raise vital funds to support those affected by sepsis across the UK.
How it works:
- Step 1: Get into a team, or set your personal step goal for the month. We suggest teams of five, to reflect the fact that five people die of sepsis every hour, or if you’d rather walk by yourself you could aim to do 8,167 steps a day – to achieve 245,000 by the end of September, which is the number of people affected by the condition each year in the UK.
- Step 2: Get moving! Track your steps daily and share your progress on social media using the hashtag #StepUpToSepsis.
- Step 3: Raise funds by asking friends, family, and colleagues to sponsor your steps. Every pound raised goes directly to supporting the UK Sepsis Trust and the vital work we do.
- Step 4: Ask your employer if they’ll consider creating a competition across your organisation, or even matched fund any money you raise.
By participating, you’re helping us provide education, support, and advocacy for the 245,000 people affected by sepsis in the UK each year. Together, we can improve outcomes and save lives.
If you aren’t able to or don’t want to take part in the Step Up challenge, you can still donate to support our work.
Your steps, your impact
Every step you take, every signature we collect, and every person who becomes Sepsis Savvy helps us in our mission to raise awareness, improve care, and save lives. With your support, we can ensure that every sepsis patient receives the timely, effective care they deserve.
Join us this Steptember and make a lasting impact. Together, we can step up and step forward to fight sepsis.
