NHS Plans Wearables for High-Risk Patients to Cut Sepsis Deaths by 25 Percent Over Decade

The NHS has introduced a strategy to reduce sepsis deaths by 25 percent over the next decade by issuing wearable devices such as smartwatches and bracelets to vulnerable patients for home monitoring, GB News reported. The devices will track heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs and automatically alert medical staff when readings indicate possible sepsis.

NHS data shows mortality risk rises by up to 8 percent for every hour of delayed treatment.

The programme will focus first on cancer patients, people with weakened immune systems, elderly individuals, catheter users and those with serious mental health conditions. More than 118,000 sepsis-linked emergency admissions occurred in NHS hospitals during 2024-25.

Annual deaths from sepsis exceed 4,000, while the UK Sepsis Trust states that sepsis appears on roughly 48,000 death certificates each year.

University College London Hospitals has already deployed chest-mounted sensors for cancer patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy. The sensors measure heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature; staff receive immediate alerts and can administer antibiotics when needed.

The initiative extends Martha's Rule, introduced after 13-year-old Martha Mills died of sepsis at King's College Hospital in London in 2021.

The associated helpline logged 12,301 calls through February 2026, with more than one-fifth resulting in changes to patient care.