World Sepsis Day 2026: Health and care sector urged to keep sepsis awareness high

Health and care professionals around the world will mark World Sepsis Day on 13 September 2026, as the annual campaign brings people together to raise awareness of one of the most serious complications of infection.

World Sepsis Day provides an opportunity for healthcare organisations, professionals, patients and communities to unite in the fight against sepsis, improve recognition of its warning signs and highlight the importance of rapid treatment.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to an infection causes damage to its own tissues and organs. It can deteriorate rapidly and become life-threatening, making early recognition and urgent medical intervention critical.

For the health and social care sector, the campaign carries a particularly important message. Nurses, care workers, GPs, paramedics and other frontline professionals may be among the first to recognise that a person’s condition is deteriorating.

Changes including confusion or altered behaviour, difficulty breathing, extreme shivering or muscle pain, reduced urine output and unusually pale or mottled skin can all warrant urgent assessment, particularly when infection is suspected.

Awareness is especially important when caring for people who may be more vulnerable to severe infection, including older adults, babies and young children, people with weakened immune systems and those living with certain long-term health conditions.

Social care professionals also have an important part to play. Staff working in care homes, supported living and home care often know the people they support extremely well and may notice subtle changes in behaviour, mobility, appetite or general wellbeing before they become more obvious.

World Sepsis Day is therefore an opportunity for health and care providers to refresh staff knowledge, reinforce escalation procedures and ensure teams feel confident about acting when someone appears seriously unwell.

The international campaign also highlights the longer-term impact of sepsis. Surviving the initial illness does not always mean an immediate return to health, with some people experiencing ongoing physical, psychological or cognitive difficulties and requiring continued healthcare, rehabilitation or social care support.

World Sepsis Day takes place on 13 September 2026, with organisations worldwide encouraged to use the day to improve awareness, education and action against sepsis.

Find out more about World Sepsis Day

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