Free resources for schools highlighting the dangers of sepsis are now available to download from the UK Sepsis Trust.
The trust has created the PSHE resources for all Key Stage groups to help safeguard children against the medical emergency which kills 48,000 people a year in the UK. Sepsis can come about as a result of any infection or injury.
Carefully curated to each age group, the comprehensive Sepsis Savvy Schools lesson plans are informative and interactive, and include educational videos, teaching resources and an animation narrated by UKST’s ambassador, Harry Potter actor Warwick Davis.
The campaign is also supported by TV medic, paediatrician and UKST Ambassador Dr Ranj.
Sepsis – the body’s over-reaction to any infection or injury, which causes the immune system to attack its own organs – affects over 245,000 people every year in the UK. Some of the most common causes are urinary tract infections, infected cuts or bites, a wound from trauma or recent surgery, and chest infections.
If not caught quickly, sepsis can result in organ failure, amputation and death, however, with early diagnosis it can be treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, and the outlook is often good for the majority of patients who seek urgent medical attention.
Dr Ron Daniels, CEO and founder of the UK Sepsis Trust said: “Sepsis strikes indiscriminately, affecting the young and old and the previously fit and healthy. It’s not enough for only healthcare professionals to know about sepsis, we want everyone to be able to recognise the signs and protect themselves.”
Tarsem Dhaliwal, CEO of Iceland Foods and Trustee of Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, which is supporting the project, said “We’re thrilled to have played our part in the Sepsis Savvy Schools campaign. We’re confident that this new initiative will educate an unprecedented number of schoolchildren and their families about sepsis and the signs to look out for.”
For more information or to register as a Sepsis Savvy School, visit here, email schools@sepsistrust.org or call 0800 389 6255.