A medical emergency where hours matter. Learn the signs — and know that asking "could this be sepsis?" is a reasonable thing to say.
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Sepsis is the body's overwhelming response to an infection, in which the immune reaction begins damaging the body's own tissues and organs. It is a medical emergency in which hours matter.
It kills tens of thousands of people in the UK each year, and a substantial proportion of those deaths are considered preventable with earlier recognition and treatment.
This page exists for one reason: sepsis is frequently missed early, because it looks like an ordinary infection until suddenly it does not. There is no single test, the early signs are non-specific, and people are often sent home reassured before deteriorating hours later.
The most useful thing on this page is a sentence you can say out loud: "Could this be sepsis?"
It is not rude, it is not dramatic, and it is actively encouraged by the UK Sepsis Trust. It prompts a specific assessment, and clinicians are trained to take it seriously. If you are worried about yourself or someone else, ask the question.
Sepsis can develop from any infection — a chest infection, a urine infection, a wound, a skin infection, or after surgery. It does not always start with a fever, and in older people it often does not.
Mottling, pallor and blue tinge are much harder to see. Check the palms, soles, lips, tongue, gums and inside the eyelids, and rely more on breathing, alertness and how the person seems than on colour.
Any infection can lead to sepsis. The commonest starting points are the lungs, the urinary tract, the abdomen, and the skin or soft tissue — including wounds, bites, burns and cellulitis.
Sepsis is not contagious. The infection that caused it might be; the sepsis itself is your body's own response.
Sepsis is a clinical diagnosis based on suspecting infection plus signs of the body responding badly to it. Blood tests support it; nothing confirms it quickly enough to wait for.
Antibiotics within one hour of recognition, alongside oxygen, intravenous fluids, blood cultures, lactate measurement and monitoring of urine output. Finding and controlling the source — draining an abscess, removing an infected line — is as important as the antibiotics.
Early sepsis looks like an ordinary infection. There is often no fever in older people, no obvious source in a third of cases, and the initial observations can be near-normal. That is precisely why the emphasis is on repeated assessment and on taking deterioration seriously rather than on any single measurement.
Sepsis cannot be assessed or treated remotely, and we will not attempt it. If you suspect sepsis in yourself or someone else, call 999 or go straight to A&E. Do not book an appointment, do not wait for a call back, and do not use this or any other website to talk yourself out of it.
Treatment is time-critical. Antibiotics given within the first hour of recognition measurably improve survival. Every hour of delay matters.
If you contact us and anything about your description raises the possibility of sepsis, we will stop and tell you to call 999. That will happen quickly and without hedging, and the fee will be refunded.
Do not wait, do not ring a GP, do not wait for 111 to call back. If someone has an infection and any of the following, this is an ambulance call:
Adults: slurred speech or confusion; extreme shivering or muscle pain; passing no urine in a day; severe breathlessness; mottled, pale or blue skin; a sense of impending death.
Children: breathing very fast; a fit; mottled, bluish or pale skin; a rash that does not fade under pressure; very lethargic or hard to wake; abnormally cold to touch.
Babies: also not feeding, repeated vomiting, or no wet nappy for 12 hours.
When you call, say: "I am worried about sepsis." It is a recognised trigger phrase that prompts a specific set of questions, and using it is encouraged rather than presumptuous.
Go back. Immediately. Being assessed once and reassured does not mean sepsis has been excluded for the rest of the illness — it can develop over hours. Deterioration after being seen is a reason to return, not a reason to feel you are making a fuss.
If you have no spleen, are on chemotherapy, or are otherwise immunosuppressed, your threshold should be much lower. A fever alone may warrant emergency assessment, and you should have been given specific written instructions. If you have not, ask for them.
If you have had your spleen removed, are on chemotherapy, or take immunosuppressants, you should have a written plan. It should say what temperature or symptoms mean going straight to hospital, and who to call. Many people in these groups have never been given one — ask for it.
Carry a card or wear an alert stating your condition, so that a paramedic or emergency clinician knows immediately.
Post-sepsis syndrome affects a large proportion of survivors and is poorly recognised. Fatigue, breathlessness, muscle weakness, poor concentration and memory, disturbed sleep, hair loss, low mood, anxiety and flashbacks are all common, and can last months.
There is no private alternative for sepsis and there should not be one. Anyone selling you anything positioned as a substitute for calling 999 is not acting in your interest.
It is narrow, and we would rather be clear about that than manufacture one.
This page follows NICE NG51 on suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management, alongside UK Sepsis Trust public guidance.
The UK Sepsis Trust encourages patients, relatives and carers to ask "could this be sepsis?" The phrase is designed to prompt a structured assessment, and using it is appropriate rather than presumptuous.
Reviewed against NICE NG51 and UK Sepsis Trust guidance current at the date shown above.
Yes — you are actively encouraged to. The UK Sepsis Trust promotes exactly that phrase.
It prompts a specific assessment and clinicians are trained to respond to it. It is not rude and it is not overreacting.
Yes, and this catches people out. Older people and those with weakened immune systems often have a normal or even low temperature.
A normal thermometer reading does not exclude sepsis, which is why the other signs matter more.
Hours. Someone can be assessed and appear reasonably well, then deteriorate substantially the same day.
That is why deterioration after being sent home is a reason to go straight back, not a reason to feel you are being a nuisance.
Confusion or slurred speech in someone with an infection. Of all the signs, that combination is the one most worth acting on immediately.
In a child: fast breathing, mottled skin, or being difficult to wake.
No. Sepsis is your own body's response to infection.
The underlying infection may be contagious, but the sepsis itself is not passed to anyone.
Because survival falls measurably with each hour of delay in giving antibiotics. The target is within one hour of recognition.
That is the entire reason for calling 999 rather than waiting to be seen.
Post-sepsis syndrome, and it is real. Fatigue, weakness, poor concentration, low mood and disturbed sleep commonly persist for months.
Being told you should be over it by now is neither accurate nor helpful. Recovery from critical illness is slow, and support exists.
Partly. Vaccination, wound care, prompt treatment of infections and good diabetes control all reduce risk.
Flu and pneumococcal vaccination in particular prevent infections that commonly lead to sepsis in older adults.
Your risk is significantly higher and your threshold should be much lower. You should have written instructions, a card or alert, and often standby antibiotics.
If nobody has given you those, ask — it is a genuine gap and an easy one to close.
August 30, 2026
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It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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