NEWS2 Calculator — National Early Warning Score 2

NEWS2, the 2017 (updated 2022) standardised early-warning score published by the Royal College of Physicians, detects deterioration in acutely ill adults aged 16 and over. It scores seven physiological parameters, each on a 0–3 scale, and adds them into a single aggregate from 0 to 20. The higher the aggregate, the greater the risk of a serious clinical event.

The seven parameters and their scoring thresholds, taken directly from the RCP chart:

• Respiration rate: ≤8 → 3, 9–11 → 1, 12–20 → 0, 21–24 → 2, ≥25 → 3
• SpO₂ Scale 1: ≤91 → 3, 92–93 → 2, 94–95 → 1, ≥96 → 0
• SpO₂ Scale 2 (hypercapnic): oxygen-dependent above 92% (see the Scale-2 note)
• Air or oxygen: air → 0, supplemental oxygen → 2
• Systolic BP: ≤90 → 3, 91–100 → 2, 101–110 → 1, 111–219 → 0, ≥220 → 3
• Pulse: ≤40 → 3, 41–50 → 1, 51–90 → 0, 91–110 → 1, 111–130 → 2, ≥131 → 3
• Consciousness (ACVPU): Alert → 0, any of C/V/P/U → 3
• Temperature: ≤35.0 → 3, 35.1–36.0 → 1, 36.1–38.0 → 0, 38.1–39.0 → 1, ≥39.1 → 2

Two rules turn the aggregate into a clinical response. First, the aggregate maps to a risk band: 0–4 is low, 5–6 is medium, and 7 or more is high. Second, a red score — any single parameter scoring the maximum 3 — lifts a low aggregate (0–4) into the low-medium band, because one very abnormal reading matters even when the others are normal. Each band carries a minimum monitoring frequency and a recommended clinical response, from 12-hourly routine observations at score 0 up to continuous monitoring and emergency critical-care assessment at 7 or more.

The maths is a pure lookup and sum — no interpolation and no opinion. To guard against a transcription slip, this calculator scores every parameter two ways: once through explicit threshold functions and once through an independent RCP threshold table, then checks the two aggregates agree before showing a result. The SpO₂ Scale 2 branch is applied only when you select it, and only for confirmed hypercapnic (type 2) respiratory failure with an 88–92% target.

• Royal College of Physicians — National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2 (2017, updated 2022)
• NHS England — National Early Warning Score (NEWS)
• NICE NG51 — Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management (references NEWS2)

Every sub-score, risk band, monitoring frequency and clinical response on this page is transcribed from the RCP NEWS2 chart and its clinical-response table. Thresholds were last cross-checked against the RCP source on 2026-07-16. This tool is a decision-support and educational aid; it does not replace clinical judgement or your institution's escalation policy.