Andy shares this latest news. Ed
Staff from Isle of Wight NHS Trust are one of the finalists for this year’s Good Morning Britain Health Star Awards.
The Island’s ‘Pre-pip’ programme delivers high dose antibiotics in the community to patients who are diagnosed with the killer condition sepsis. Sepsis is a rare but serious complication of an infection. Without quick treatment, sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death.
Health Star Awards
Set up to reward people who have gone the extra mile to help someone’s health or save a life, the Health Star awards, now in their second year, take place in the Rosewood Hotel in London on Monday 24th April. Highlights from the event, including some special performances, will air on GMB the following morning Tuesday 25th April from 6am.
Health services on the Isle of Wight have delivered lifesaving treatment, which previously had only been delivered in hospital, to patients in the community since 2013. The Trust’s ‘PrePip’ project enables specially trained Paramedics to deliver, under strict guidelines, intravenous high dose antibiotics to patients who have suspected sepsis.
In 2013 this was the first example of such treatment, in the community delivered by an ambulance service, in the ‘northern hemisphere’. In operation now for five years the programme saves lives every week.
Dr John Pike (pictured left being filmed for the awards) from the Emergency Department at St. Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight, said:
“We knew that treating suspected Sepsis much earlier would save patient’s lives and prevents admissions to intensive care – a third of patients admitted to intensive care have sepsis. Our integrated services here on the Island – all part of Isle of Wight NHS Trust – make it possible for us to develop and implement new initiatives quickly.
“Previously patients had to wait until they arrived at hospital to receive these special antibiotics intravenously. For every hours delay in diagnosis and treatment the risk of death from sepsis increased substantially.”
Life-threatening illness
Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by the body overreacting to an infection. The body’s immune system goes into overdrive, setting off a series of reactions that can lead to widespread inflammation (swelling) and blood clotting. Sepsis can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death especially if not recognised early and treated promptly. Worldwide, sepsis kills thousands of people every single day.
In the United Kingdom alone, it is estimated that around 37,000 patients die each year from sepsis. To put this into perspective, this means that more people die annually from sepsis than from lung cancer, or from bowel cancer and breast cancer combined.
Guidance developed by Trust
The Trust developed guidance for staff which enables the treatment to be delivered by Paramedics under Patient Group Directions (PGDs). All the Trust’s emergency vehicles are equipped with kits to deliver the treatment and all ambulance staff have training to recognise the symptoms of sepsis and how to treat it. This novel approach, integrating front-line ambulance staff into sepsis treatment buys previous time and has saved lives.
Isle of Wight Ambulance Service Clinical Support Officer Tholi Wood (pictured second from right) said:
“A call to the Trust’s integrated care hub on either 999 or 111 activates the service. The Integrated Care Hub dispatches a rapid response vehicle to enable the patient to be treated at home. This is followed up by an Emergency Ambulance to transfer the patient to hospital for further treatment and tests but the important early diagnosis and treatment is achieved reducing the longer term problems for the patient.”
You can see Tholi Wood talking about the Pre-Pip project in film made in 2015
Acting CEO: “Proud of the team”
Executive Medical Director and acting chief executive at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Dr Mark Pugh, said:
“This service, first developed on the Island, underlines the benefits of our integrated organisation. In 2013 it took just four months to develop and for the first patient to benefit. This innovative development has saved lives and I am proud of the team behind it. It’s great that their efforts have been recognised as finalists in the 2017 Good Morning Britain Health Star Awards.”
In the highlights programme, GMB viewers can watch the winners receiving 
their awards in the following categories – Hospital Health Star, Community Health Star, Lifesaver Health Star, Children’s Health Star and Team Health Star as well as the best moments and performances from the day.
Speaking about the awards, GMB presenter Susanna Reid said:
“It’s so important to recognise people in the health sector who go above and beyond their duty in helping us and the Health Star Awards puts these people centre stage.”
Viewers will also get to see the red carpet arrivals of GMB presenters Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway, Charlotte Hawkins, Ranvir Singh, Sean Fletcher and Dr Hilary Jones along with judges included Trisha Goddard and some special celebrity guests.
