The killer claiming more lives than breast, prostate and bowel cancers

A group of cyclists sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the UK Sepsis Trust logo called in at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital on Monday (September 1) en route to Westminster.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Sep 2014, 12:00 BST
Dr Ron Daniels, head of the UK Sepsis TrustDr Ron Daniels, head of the UK Sepsis Trust
Dr Ron Daniels, head of the UK Sepsis Trust

The Cycle for Sepsis team was headed by the Trust’s CEO Dr Ron Daniels (right) who was spreading the word and raising awareness of their ‘Spot it, beat it, treat it’ campaign.

It included Bradley Sullis from Tamworth whose father Mark recovered from the condition that accounts for 37,000 deaths annually in the UK – more than breast, bowel and prostate cancers combined.

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The 24-year-old restaurant manager said: “One day my dad had a bit of a cold, the next he was in intensive care on a life support system.

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“We couldn’t believe how quickly it escalated. He was in hospital for two or three months. We went to see him every day and in the beginning he wasn’t able to respond.

“It was scary but we were very lucky, he came through.”

Dr Daniels was full of praise for the L&D’s sepsis team. “There are only a handful of NHS Trusts who get the message that early intervention is important and the L&D is one,” he said.

“We’ve worked closely with them over the past eight years as they’ve developed a robust awareness campaign that has made a difference to their patients.”
He added: “The L&D was at the top of the list on our cycling visit.”

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Head of patient safety Anne Thomson said: “Our main focus has been easy recognition.

“Ambulance staff pre-alert the A&E team so they’re ready when the patient comes in.

“There’s a trolley with a whole bundle of stuff including equipment for blood testing and getting fluids and antibiotics into a patient, so the nurses don’t have to run around looking for things. And we’ve got something similar on the wards. It means we’re saving time – and lives.”

Sepsis is a medical emergency, usually affecting the most vulnerable – the elderly, the young, those undergoing chemotherapy.

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The Cycle for Sepsis team started at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and cycled more than 1,750 miles before meeting government health officials in Westminster to ensure health professionals recognise the symptoms and provide swift appropriate treatment.

> For more information visit www.sepsistrust.org