“Be aware of the signs and symptoms of Sepsis” – Yeovil family plea

A family from Yeovil who experienced first-hand the distressing impacts of Sepsis have joined forces with Yeovil Hospital and Public Health England (PHE) to raise awareness of the disease and its symptoms.

This plea follows the PHE Sepsis campaign launched earlier this year aimed at parents and carers of young children aged 0-4.

The campaign saw millions of leaflets and posters being sent to GP surgeries and hospitals across the country to urge parents to call 999 or take their child to A&E if they display any of the following signs:

• Looks mottled, bluish or pale
• Is very lethargic or difficult to wake
• Feels abnormally cold to touch
• Is breathing very fast
• Has a rash that does not fade when you press it
• Has a fit or convulsion

The Davenport family live in Yeovil and their daughter Claudia was just two years old last year when she was admitted straight from Yeovil District Hospital’s out-of-hours GP service into the paediatric unit for emergency care.

Claudia was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and sepsis, and was discharged two and a half weeks later, having made a full recovery.

“I had not long put the phone down when Claudia’s lips turned blue and she began breathing rapidly.

“When we arrived I ran into the out of hours clinic as that was where I was told to go. I saw a doctor who is a friend of ours and he initially assessed her and made sure she was seen immediately. We then saw a locum doctor and she was very quickly assessed, and called the children’s ward. We were immediately admitted on to Level 10. As soon as we arrived we were wheeled into the treatment room where the doctor assessed and gave Claudia intravenous antibiotics, and I was given an oxygen mask to hold on for her.”

“At this stage Claudia was unresponsive, shut down with white arms and legs. I called my husband to take the other children home and return as soon as possible. Claudia’s skin then became mottled and blotchy.”

“Claudia was in hospital for two and a half weeks, in intensive care unit for seven days regaining her strength. She was very weak and couldn’t stay awake very long. Each day she made tiny steps of progress, it was a joy to see her smile again after three or four days. On Easter Sunday morning she walked again.”

“Throughout the whole process, every member of staff was highly professional, calm and efficient.”

“People need to be aware of the symptoms and follow your gut instinct if you think something is not quite right. Usually toddlers seem to bounce back and run around even if they’ve been poorly, but this time, she didn’t.”

If parents are in any doubt, it is by far better to be checked by professional medical staff. For us, we knew something wasn’t right and made the call.”

Paediatric Consultant Doctor Vaina from Yeovil Hospital said: “There are more than 120,000 cases of sepsis in adults and children, and around 37,000 deaths, each year in England.

“Last year we averaged one case of Sepsis each month in the paediatric department at Yeovil Hospital, so although it is not hugely common it does pose a very real risk and it is important that parents are aware.

“Sepsis is a devastating condition that we need to far get better at spotting across the NHS. By raising awareness and improving clinical practice we will save lives in the fight against this horrible illness. I’d like to thank the Davenports for helping us to campaign for better awareness of sepsis.”

For further information on sepsis, visit nhs.uk/sepsis or www.sepsistrust.org