Pulmonary & infection

NEWS2

Royal College of Physicians National Early Warning Score 2 with both oxygen saturation scales.

Intended population: Acutely ill patients aged at least 16 years; not during pregnancy.

© Royal College of Physicians 2017. NEWS2 scoring and escalation thresholds are unchanged. Use the local escalation protocol and qualified clinical review.
Any clinical concern requires assessment regardless of score. NEWS2 can be unreliable in spinal cord injury. Increasing oxygen requirement needs escalation even if the total does not change.
Scale 2 is not for routine COPD alone: use only under clinician direction in documented hypercapnic respiratory failure with a prescribed 88–92% target.

Patient is at least 16 years old and not pregnant

Respiratory rate (breaths/min)

Oxygen saturation (%)

Oxygen saturation scale

Receiving supplemental oxygen

Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)

Heart rate (beats/min)

Consciousness / mental status

Temperature (°C)

Sources and scoring references

Royal College of Physicians: NEWS2 report and standard thresholds ↗RCP NEWS2 observation chart (2022) ↗

Implementation references reviewed October 28, 2026. Verify applicability and unusual or treatment-changing results against the linked references and local guidance.