Health and Safety Information

Coronavirus advice (COVID-19)

In line with official government advice, University of the West of Scotland has a robust approach in place, to monitor and mitigate the impact of coronavirus. Our University remains very much open for business as usual, while continuing to take sensible precautions.

Visit our coronavirus information hub for the latest information:

Coronavirus Information

Sepsis

Sepsis and severe infection are one of the most common reasons for admission to hospital, and perhaps the most common cause of inpatient deterioration.

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that you have picked up.

It happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body's own tissues and organs.

Estimated Impact of Sepsis in UK

Recent work in the UK and further afield estimates around 5% of Emergency Admissions to be due to sepsis. There were 5,482,700 Emergency Admissions during 2015 – this equates to approximately 274,000 cases of sepsis in the UK. per year.

Governments in Scotland and Wales have recently reported national mortality rates of 20% and 24% respectively. In 2018, Professor Sir Brian Jarman reported mortality rates in England to be just below 20%.

Even if we applied Scotland’s 20% mortality rate across the ultra-conservative estimate of 230,400 cases derived from the raw coded data, we still arrive at just over 46,000 deaths. Thus it seems highly likely that, across the UK, sepsis claims as many as 52,000 lives per year.

To put this into context, Cancer Research UK reports there to have been 11,433 deaths from breast cancer, 11,287 from prostate cancer and 15,903 deaths from bowel cancer in 2014. There were 35,895 deaths from lung cancer in the same period.

Whilst the NHS have improved recording of the number of cases of sepsis and understand better its impact on the NHS and society, we still have to estimate figures based on the best available data.

Conservative estimates would suggest that we see at least 200,000 cases of sepsis in the UK each year, with up to 52,000 deaths and a direct cost to the NHS of at least £1.5 billion. Sepsis costs our society as much as £15.6 billion every year.

It is highly likely that these numbers are under-estimates, since a proportion of the more than 1.7 million patients suffering severe infection every year are likely to have uncoded sepsis.

Although you cannot catch sepsis from another person, it can be hard to spot. There are lots of possible symptoms and these can look very similar to symptoms of other conditions, including flu or a chest infection.

Find out more about Sepsis

Mumps

There has been a recent increase in the number of people diagnosed with mumps in Scotland.

The MMR vaccine protects against mumps (as well as measles and rubella) and has been given to children in the UK since 1998, meaning much of the population is protected.

However, if you don't think or are unsure if you have had this immunisation, we're encouraging students to double-check and make sure you’ve had two MMR vaccinations. You can find out if you’ve had all your routine vaccinations by contacting your local GP or practice nurse who should be able to find out for you.

The NHS has more information on mumps and routine vaccination:

NHS information on Mumps

NHS Information on routine Vaccinations

If you’re unwell

• If you or someone else is unwell, and you’re unable to get to a GP, you can call the NHS 24 helpline free on 111
• Ask a pharmacy if you’re feeling unwell and need help finding the best medicine – it’s usually quicker than a GP appointment
• NHS Inform has information on health conditions and tips for self-care.

Sexual health

You can find information on local sexual health clinics and free condom suppliers at these links:

• Ayr
• Dumfries
• Lanarkshire, Paisley and Glasgow

SAUWS also distribute free condoms from the Students’ Unions at Ayr, Lanarkshire and Paisley.

Mental health

Handle feelings of stress or anxiety. SilverCloud gives you secure, immediate access to interactive CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) modules.

Modules include Understanding Feelings, Facing your Fears and Managing Worry.

It’s easy to use and designed to be motivational. Access it anywhere on your computer, tablet or mobile. Learn more and sign up online. 

First aid

There are trained first aiders on all the Scottish campuses. If you need first aid for yourself or someone else, call 0141 848 3505.

Give full details of where you are, including your campus, what the injury is and how serious it is. A first aider will come to you.

Keep calm and keep the injured person calm. Don’t let them leave until seen by the first aider. If you think that an ambulance is needed, ask for one when you request first aid.

Smoking

All the campuses are no smoking areas. No one is allowed to smoke anywhere within the campuses, including buildings, grounds and vehicles.

This also applies to e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine dispensing systems.

The smoking policy is enforced by security and other staff. It’s supported by the university code of discipline for students.

Reporting an accident

It’s important to record any accident in the university or in university accommodation or activities such as field trips. Report accidents through your department office or directly to ResilienceandSafety@uws.ac.uk.