World Sepsis Day, observed annually on 13 September, is the focal point of Sepsis Awareness Month.
The campaign provides an opportunity to raise awareness of sepsis among healthcare professionals, patients and their families. Increasing awareness and knowledge can help protect vulnerable patients, particularly as we approach the autumn and winter seasons. Patients need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of sepsis so that they know when to seek medical attention. Early presentation, prompt recognition and appropriate and timely management of sepsis give patients the best opportunity for survival.
The Irish College of GPs/HSE GPUs and the eLearning module on Adult Sepsis are valuable resources for general practice sepsis education. Consider engaging with these resources and sharing them with the GP team to help build a sepsis-aware practice team. We’re pleased to announce that two new episodes of The GP Podcast, focusing on paediatric sepsis, are also going live on 23rd and 30th September.
World Sepsis Day also provides an opportunity for vaccine promotion. Framing vaccination as both primary sepsis prevention and secondary prevention for people who have previously had sepsis may help improve vaccine uptake by making the link between vaccine-preventable infection and serious outcomes such as sepsis more explicit. Promoting vaccination is one of the most effective measures we can take to help reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis in the community.
The College's Sepsis Programme team recently attended the HSE National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate's TalkTime Ep.48 webinar, held on 9th September 2026, which explored the findings of the HSE National Sepsis Report 2025 and featured a patient sharing her lived experience of post-sepsis syndrome — a powerful reminder that sepsis care doesn't end at hospital discharge. The session gave GPs and primary care teams a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the national sepsis programme and hear first-hand about the direction of sepsis care in Ireland over the next five years.
Useful links to relevant College resources:
- Adult Sepsis GPU
- Paediatric Sepsis GPU
- Adult Sepsis eLearning Module