UHNM staff to hold fundraising walk to raise awareness for Sepsis

Staff from across UHNM will be lacing up their walking boots in an effort to increase awareness of sepsis prevention and to raise funds for UHNM Charity.

Dr Ram Matsa, Clinical Lead for Sepsis and Critical Consultant, Haidee Sim, Senior Sister in Infection Prevention and Sepsis and Amanda Davies, Sepsis Specialist Nurse will be walking the 17 miles between Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford on Saturday 10 September.

Amanda Davies, Sepsis Specialist Nurse said: “Team Sepsis at UHNM is committed to preventing sepsis and saving lives and decided to do this walk as a way of creating awareness of the dangers of sepsis and educating the public and wider community on its impact.

“Sepsis is caused by the body’s abnormal response to an infection. Normally our immune system protects us from infection however with sepsis the immune system goes into overdrive and has an extreme response to infection. Each year more than 200,000 people are admitted to hospital.

“It’s vital that people in the community recognises sepsis and knows when to seek medical advice. We’re inviting both members of UHNM staff and the public to join us on our awareness raising walk or donate funds to support the awareness of sepsis and its importance.”

Sepsis is not always easy to spot and can be mistaken for other conditions such as flu, so it’s vital to know what to look out for to ensure early intervention. For adults, symptoms include slurred speech, shivering, breathless, mottled or discoloured skin and for children, symptoms can be difficulty breathing, a rash that doesn’t fade, lethargic and cold to touch.

The walk will take the team along the canal to Stone then along the A34 and back lanes to County Hospital and is hoped will take around seven hours.

Amanda added: “We’re all really looking forward to the big day and will be setting off around 8am. Our amazing UHNM colleagues have arranged a welcoming party for our arrival at County Hospital and we’d love as many people as possible to join in with us.”

Dr Matsa said: “The 17 mile walk marks the start of a wider campaign set by Team Sepsis to promote Sepsis Awareness in Staffordshire (SAS). Further to this, Team Sepsis @UHNM are planning to campaign the sepsis awareness in the community including colleges, schools and care homes to educate on sepsis prevention. The vision is to decrease the impact of health burden related to sepsis.”

For more information on sepsis visit - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/   

To donate to the walk click here

To join the walk please contact charity@uhnm.nhs.uk