NG5 Sherwood Oct/Nov 2020

Feeling ill?
Seek medical attention
Dr Ron Daniels
A West Midlands NHS
doctor is urging people
to seek medical attention
straight away if they are
feeling unwell, following
growing evidence that
people are going to GPs
and doctors too late.
Dr Ron Daniels BEM, an intensive
care doctor at University Hospitals
Birmingham NHS Foundation
Trust, working at Heartlands and
Good Hope Hospitals, said it was
imperative that people laid aside
their fears of “catching Covid-19”
at GP surgeries and other
healthcare facilities.
“We are now in a position of
unintended consequences and
after effects on mental health as a
result of lockdown, which means
people are not presenting with
symptoms early,” he said.
“We’re not seeing a holistic
approach to these conditions,
perhaps because we’re focusing
unilaterally on Covid-19. In
making decisions around
reopening or restricting society,
we need to look at PCR tests
in the context of case
fatality rates, ICU occupancy and
how many tests are being done.
“There is a perceived fear around
Covid-19 but this has to be
balanced by issues caused by
other health problems. We’re
seeing people come into hospital
who are severely ill who would’ve
presented earlier, were it not for
Covid-19 and this is a massive
problem because we’re seeing
some severe pathology.
“There’s huge anxiety among the
population at the moment even
when there are very few patients
in hospital with Covid-19.
You’re very unlikely to bump
into a patient with Covid-19 in a
hospital in the West Midlands at
the moment.
“Of course, we have to be
mindful of Covid and follow
the guidelines but the NHS
has capacity and it is open for
business – we are urging
anyone who is unwell to seek
medical attention.”
Dr Daniels, who is also Founder
and Executive Director of The
UK Sepsis Trust, said clinicians
are seeing late cancer, sepsis,
pneumonia and heart attack
presentations.
“We are also seeing young,
healthy people who have
developed sepsis as a
consequence of pneumonia,”
he said.
Dr Daniels also warned that there
is potential for as many as 20% of
Covid-19 survivors to be at risk of
sepsis within 12 months of being
discharged from hospital.
The UK Sepsis Trust has launched
its Blurred Lines campaign to
raise awareness of the problem,
which could save the Government
millions of pounds and save lives.
Dr Daniels said a £1 million
investment in awareness of the
symptoms of sepsis, made right
now, could save as much as £200
million in treatment and benefits.
About 245,000 people are
affected by sepsis in the UK with
at least 48,000 people losing
their lives every year.
The UK Sepsis Trust and the York
Health Economics Consortium
have calculated that for every
patient who is diagnosed early
there is a cash saving to the NHS
of more than £5,500, which
means that 20,000 sepsis
patients could cost society more
than £1 billion in patient care
and benefits.
Dr Daniels said: “Covid-19 is a
disease caused by the immune
system over-reacting to infection,
which is exactly what sepsis is.
The question to ask is: if I feel ill,
could it be sepsis?”
In adults, sepsis may feel like
‘flu, gastroenteritis or a chest
infection at first, with early
symptoms including fever, chills
and shivering, a fast heartbeat
and quick breathing.
Other symptoms of sepsis or
septic shock include feeling
dizzy or faint, confusion or
disorientation, nausea and
vomiting, diarrhoea and cold,
clammy and pale or mottled skin.
For details about The UK Sepsis
Trust, visit www.sepsistrust.org
HOW TO SPOT
SEPSIS IN ADULTS
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or
muscle pain
Passing no urine (in a day)
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you’re going
to die
Skin mottled or discoloured
It is vital to seek medical
attention immediately if
you or another adult has
these symptoms.
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