Sepsis Australia welcomes the release of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s Sepsis Epidemiology Report — the most comprehensive national analysis to date of hospital-treated sepsis in Australia.
Drawing on more than 900,000 hospitalisations between 2013–14 and 2022–23, the report confirms that sepsis is significantly more widespread, deadly, and costly than previously understood. In 2022–23 alone, over 84,000 Australians were hospitalised with sepsis — a sharp increase from earlier estimates of 55,000 cases and 7,400 deaths.
These figures, while alarming, still underestimate the true burden. The report draws only from public hospital data, and inconsistencies in coding mean many cases go unrecorded. The reality is that sepsis affects far more Australians than current systems capture — and the consequences are profound.
A Milestone That Must Drive Action
While the release of the Sepsis Epidemiology Report is a critical milestone, it must also be a catalyst for change. The report’s recommendations call for investment in consistent coding and data collection across both public and private hospitals — a vital step toward improving visibility and accountability.
But more than improved data is needed. Sepsis must be recognised as a national health priority.
Join the Call for Mandatory Standards
To elevate the position of sepsis in our national healthcare system, the Sepsis Australia Consumer Partner and Advocacy Program (SACPAP) — is leading a submission calling for the Sepsis Clinical Care Standard (SCCS) to become mandatory.
We are inviting sepsis survivors, bereaved families, carers, clinicians, and advocates to endorse this submission before 26 September. Every signature strengthens the call for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to formally include the SCCS in the third edition of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.
Mandating the SCCS would help prevent sepsis, ensure national consistency, and improve outcomes for patients at risk. Without this formal inclusion, sepsis prevention and care remain fragmented — leaving Australians vulnerable to preventable harm.
Sepsis changes lives. Let’s change the story.
For more information visit: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
To read the full report visit: National Sepsis Program Extension Epidemiology Report
To read the submission and submit your signature visit: Sepsis Clinical Care Standards