JEREMY Hunt apologised yesterday to the parents of sepsis victim William
Mead, saying they were “let down in the worst possible way” by the health
service.
The Health Secretary spoke out as the NHS’s 111 helpline came under fire over
the one-year-old’s tragic death.
William,
dubbed an “angel” by his mum, died of sepsis in December 2014 after
a chest infection. But he should have been saved as 16 opportunities to spot
his illness were missed, including four major gaffes. Instead his parents
were fobbed off by medics who repeatedly told them he had a cough.
Mr Hunt said yesterday that the NHS must “do better” in diagnosing killer
infections.
He ordered the 111 helpline to improve its call-handling to prevent future
deaths, warning it was a “national issue”.
William’s death sparked a storm over the NHS hotline after a report said it
was unsafe for seriously ill children.
Parents Melissa and Paul were due to wed the day after he died, it emerged
yesterday.
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An official report found there were four major missed opportunities to save
their son. They included a 111 call-handler failing to spot sepsis — which
occurs when the body is overwhelmed by infection, triggering blood poisoning
— after following a tick-box exercise.
If not spotted early and treated with antibiotics, the condition can lead
to shock, multiple organ failure and death.
Melissa, 29, from Penryn, Cornwall, welcomed Mr Hunt’s apology.
She said: “William was an angel, he was the most precious little boy. He was
happy, he was content, he injected our life with happiness.
“He was everything we ever dreamed of. We were due to get married the day
after William died.”
Sepsis claims about 35,000 lives a year, including 1,000 under-fives.
Experts claim a third of cases are preventable.
Fatal gaffe five years ago
NHS helpline blunders contributed to the sepsis death of a three-year-old boy
four years before William died.
Sam Morrish, of Devon, died in December 2010 after a string of errors.
The mistakes included a faulty assessment by NHS Direct — now replaced by the
111 line — and blunders by an out-of-hours GP service.
Patients Association head Katherine Murphy said: “At the time we received
assurances NHS 111 advisers would receive better training and support to
help them spot serious conditions.
“Four years on, the same mistakes have been allowed to happen again.”
Dr Ron Daniels, of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “The NHS did not learn the
lessons from Sam’s death.”
How to spot deadly illness
SEPSIS affects about 10,000 children a year in the UK, with around 1,000
deaths.
Warning signs to look out for are when a youngster:
— Feels abnormally cold to the touch.
— Feels unwell and has either a fever or a very low temperature.
— Looks mottled, bluish or has very pale skin.
— Has a rash that does not fade when you press it.
— Breathes very rapidly.
— Has a fit or a convulsion.
— Is very lethargic or difficult to wake up.
— Is not feeding.
— Vomits repeatedly.
— Has not passed urine or had a wet nappy for 12 hours.
In some cases, more severe sepsis can develop shortly afterwards.
The signs of this include feeling dizzy, faint or nauseous or suffering from
diarrhoea.
If you spot the symptoms, call your doctor or 999 immediately.