Jeremy Hunt says ‘I’m sorry’ as he speaks at memorial service for one-year-old boy who died after NHS 111 medics failed to spot he had sepsis

HEALTH Secretary Jeremy Hunt apologised for failing a family whose one year old son died from sepsis.

Mr Hunt was at a private memorial service in Cornwall for 12-month-old William Mead, who died in 2014.

Speaking at the memorial service, Mr Hunt said: "I have come here today to say sorry because this weekend William should have been enjoying the beautiful Cornish sunshine with his parents.

"And because we, I as Health Secretary, the Government, the NHS, let down William, Paul and Melissa.

"We didn't spot his sepsis before it was too late."

Friends of Mr Hunt said he had decided to take the unprecedented step of attending the memorial service after being “moved” by the young boy’s story.

William died after GPs, 111 call handlers and out-of-hours services failed to spot and act on signs he was becoming dangerously sick, a 2016 report found.

An inquest heard William’s death could have been avoided if he had been admitted to hospital.

The 111 call by his mother was poorly dealt with by an adviser who had just a few weeks’ training and failed to notice the “abnormal behaviour” his mother described over the phone.

According to the report, a “deteriorating paediatric patient” like William was “not easily identified through the structured questioning” 111 call handlers are instructed to use.

The youngster’s death has helped raised concerns sepsis is regularly being missed by medics or not treated early enough.

Around 44,000 in the UK die every year from the condition.

Sepsis – known as the “silent killer” – is caused when bacterial infections or blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response, which sees the body attack its own organs.

William's parents Melissa and Paul have campaigned since their son's death for greater awareness of the bacterial infection.

Speaking at her son's memorial service, Melissa, from Penryn, Cornwall, said: "Jeremy has been part of William's journey.

"He has been a really important pivotal part making sure the Government support the sepsis campaign.

“Without the government support, without the support of all the organisations we wouldn’t be where we are today and have made the changes we’ve made.”

Mr Hunt first met with Mrs Mead after she began campaigning, to promise her doctors and nurses would be given extra training to help them spot the signs of potentially life threatening blood poisoning.

Sunday's private service was held at Truro Cathedral.

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