{"id":4604,"date":"2025-09-03T14:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T14:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/?p=4604"},"modified":"2026-02-17T22:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T22:26:07","slug":"sir-john-whittingdale-calls-for-greater-sepsis-awareness-on-world-sepsis-day-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/?p=4604","title":{"rendered":"World Sepsis Day 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Sir John Whittingdale OBE, MP for Maldon, has attended an event in Parliament in anticipation of World Sepsis Day on Saturday 13th<\/sup>\u00a0September and backed calls from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sepsis and\u00a0The UK Sepsis Trust<\/a>\u00a0of the need for greater awareness of sepsis.<\/p>\n\n

The event was sponsored by Mike Wood MP and Andrew Pakes\u00a0MP of the\u00a0APPG\u00a0on Sepsis and supported by The UK Sepsis Trust\u00a0(UKST) who were on hand to brief Parliamentarians on the early symptoms of\u00a0this \u2018killer condition\u2019.<\/p>\n\n

Over 70 MPs and peers attended, including ‘Bionic Peer’ Lord Mackinlay who was left a quadruple amputee after his own battle with sepsis in 2023, all of whom pledged their support for UKST’s Sepsis Awareness Month campaign.<\/p>\n\n

Sepsis is life-threatening and claims 11 million lives globally every year, including 48,000 in the UK. It\u2019s triggered by the immune system\u2019s over-reaction to an infection \u2013 which can be viral, bacterial\u00a0or fungal. Common causes of sepsis include chest infections and UTIs \u2013 but any type of infection could lead to sepsis, such as a simple bite or sting. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Sepsis has no specific diagnostic test, and the signs and symptoms can vary hugely. As a result, sepsis can be challenging to diagnose. It\u2019s therefore critical that all acutely unwell patients are treated promptly and appropriately regardless of cause,\u00a0which is why awareness of the early signs is so important.<\/p>\n\n

To mark Sepsis Awareness Month this year, UKST is working with sports clubs and communities across the UK to raise awareness of this life-threatening condition. The charity has also created an educational, fun game,\u00a0Sepsis Savvy Shootout<\/a>, which helps users quickly learn key facts about sepsis. Those who play can be entered into a prize draw to meet Harry Redknapp, who is a UKST ambassador following his wife’s experience of sepsis in 2018.<\/p>\n\n

Sir John is pictured alongside Lord Mackinlay and Harry Redknapp<\/p>\n\n

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\u00a0Sir John\u00a0commented:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cI was very pleased to show my support for The UK Sepsis Trust\u2019s work and the need to spread awareness of the early signs of\u00a0Sepsis among my constituents in\u00a0Maldon\u00a0as we approach World Sepsis Day this Saturday 13th<\/sup>\u00a0September.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSepsis is more common than heart attack and claims more lives than stroke. It needs to be taken just as seriously as cancer.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re concerned about someone, even if you\u2019re unsure that it’s sepsis, it’s always best to \u2018Just Ask: could it be sepsis?<\/a>\u2019 and seek medical advice.”<\/p>\n\n

Founder and Chief Medical Officer of The UK Sepsis Trust, Dr Ron Daniels BEM, added:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

“Sepsis is an indiscriminate killer that affects 245,000 people in the UK every year. With at least 48,000 people losing their lives annually to sepsis-related illnesses \u2013 more than breast, bowel, and prostate cancer combined \u2013\u00a0the need for action is clear.<\/p>\n\n

“We’re so grateful to every MP who has pledged to support our campaign and our work, this September and beyond. Their commitment is crucial in the fight against sepsis, and\u00a0will help us to raise lifesaving awareness in communities across the UK.”<\/p>\n\n

UK Sepsis Trust\u00a0Ambassador, Harry Redknapp, added:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cIn 2018, my wife Sandra developed sepsis from a kidney infection. It was a terrifying experience \u2014 but we were lucky. She survived. 48,000 families across the UK aren\u2019t as fortunate.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve teamed up with The UK Sepsis Trust to get life-saving information in front of as many people as possible.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhoever you cheer for, Team\u00a0#SepsisSavvy needs your support. Play the game, spread the word, and help save lives. Good luck, and\u00a0thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

When\u00a0caught quickly,\u00a0sepsis is often treatable. Call 111 or contact your GP if you are worried about an infection. If you think you or someone you look after has symptoms of Sepsis, call 999 or go to A&E.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attended a parliamentary event ahead of World Sepsis Day to support greater awareness of sepsis and back calls for improved recognition of symptoms and early treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4605,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-westminster-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4604"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5359,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4604\/revisions\/5359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}