Charity Calls For Businesses To Become ‘ Sepsis Savvy’ As Documentary Puts Spotlight On ‘Silent Killer’

· BAFTA award-winning actor Jason Watkins talks about his two year-old daughter’s death from sepsis to highlight the condition in ITV1 documentary 

·  Sepsis affects 245,000 people in the UK each year, causing 48,000 deaths

The UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) is calling for more businesses to become ‘Sepsis Savvy’ and join the fight against this silent killer condition. The call comes as ITV screened a moving documentary with actor Jason Watkins, who told the heartbreaking story of his two-year old daughter’s death from sepsis. The documentary Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, highlights the emergency condition where the immune system overreacts to an infection or injury. 

Maudie visited A&E twice and was misdiagnosed with croup before being sent home with the signs of sepsis missed, she then passed away during the night from the undiagnosed condition.

Sepsis affects a quarter of a million (245,000) people and currently claims 48,000 lives each year in the UK.

Now, UKST is calling for more businesses to sign up to be ‘Sepsis Savvy’ – a programme that helps them educate their staff about the condition and signs to look for. More than 452 companies and 857 individuals have become Sepsis Savvy to date in the UK. Iceland, Direct Line Group, Laing O’Rourke and law firm Anthony Collins are all involved, with other sign-ups including Microsoft, Everton Football Club, Warburtons and JP Morgan. The charity has set a target of 1,000 businesses by the end of 2023. 

Simon Hills, head of partnerships at The UK Sepsis Trust, said: 

“Every year in the UK, Sepsis causes more deaths than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. Around 60,000 survivors face challenges associated with post-sepsis syndrome.

“There is growing recognition of the condition and public awareness of it as a medical emergency is rising, but more needs to be done. If more businesses join our ‘Sepsis Savvy’ movement, we’ll raise awareness and help to drive early diagnosis, preventing the loss of life and long-term impact felt by many.”

Among the first businesses to become accredited was social purpose law firm Anthony Collins (AC). 

Peter Hubbard, senior partner at Anthony Collins, added:

“Sepsis is a devastating life-threatening condition and is one that is often missed as symptoms can be difficult to spot. It was important for us at Anthony Collins to become ‘Sepsis Savvy’, to ensure all of our teams were aware of the signs of sepsis, raise awareness and encourage early diagnosis. 

“Becoming an accredited ‘Sepsis Savvy’ business was straight-forward, with the support of the Trust. As businesses, we have a unique opportunity to help spread awareness by directly engaging with staff. I’d encourage more businesses – big and small –  to help spread the word.” 

AC was one of the first businesses in the UK to become accredited as ‘Sepsis Savvy’. It is also a partner for The UK Sepsis Trust’s legal panel that provides support to referrals on matters around clinical negligence, as well advice for those at different stages of dealing with the condition.  

To find out more about The UK Sepsis Trust and to become ‘Sepsis Savvy’, visit https://sepsistrust.org/savvy