Making a difference through our charity partnerships

We have a number of strategic partnerships with organisations that share our purpose and values.

We’ve been working with The UK Sepsis Trust, since 2015. The national charity supports people who’ve been affected by sepsis and bereaved families. It also works with the NHS at a high level to promote patient care, safety and treatment, in turn improving outcomes.

The statistics are startling:

• 245,000 people get sepsis in the UK each year
• 5 people die of sepsis every hour in the UK
• 40% of sepsis survivors have permanent life-changing effects post sepsis
• The UK Sepsis Trust had over 4,000 contacts with their support services in 2021-22 (telephone, online, socials)

Sepsis is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury and can be life-threatening. But it’s also easily treatable if the signs are spotted early enough. A delayed diagnosis can prove fatal so every hour counts.

Our role

The UK Sepsis Trust will put people with clinical negligence legal issues in touch with us as their trusted legal partner. At this initial stage, we’ll provide them with free, no-obligation advice or signpost them to other resources. It may become clear they have a clinical negligence case, in which case we’ll work to secure compensation for them. One of our main aims, however, is to make sure people are aware of all their options.

As sepsis is so treatable, a key part of our work is helping the charity to raise awareness through information campaigns and publications so that people know what symptoms to look out for and what to do. We also support their work in hospitals to improve education and make sure the right processes are in place.

Sepsis Savvy

We take this message seriously as a firm too. So, we’re proud to have received our Sepsis Savvy accreditation which shows we’re committed to raising awareness about sepsis across our staff at Anthony Collins. This includes sharing information and making sure we all know how to spot the signs and what action to take.

Fundraising with fervour

As a national charity with far-reaching activities, The UK Sepsis Trust requires significant funding to continue its work so we’ve been delighted to get involved as a firm.

When the London marathon was postponed in 2020, over 30 Anthony Collins staff rose to the 2.6 challenge to raise funds for the charity. We did 245 miles between us – the equivalent of nine and a half marathons and raised more than £3,000 for The UK Sepsis Trust.

The charity says £1000 pays for the training, education and resources about sepsis for one hospital, so we’re thrilled that our challenge funded the equivalent of three. Other fundraising activities followed in 2021 and 2022, including a virtual ‘cook along’, a Zoom exercise class and running the Cardiff Half Marathon. We’re looking forward to continuing this in 2023.

John’s story

One personal injury and clinical negligence case that came to us through the UK Sepsis Trust was that of John McCarthy. Following a minor injury to his leg, John had gone to his local A&E department where he was given a brief examination, diagnosed with cellulitis and sent home. It turned out he had the early signs of sepsis but these were missed.

Sadly, his condition worsened rapidly until it became life-threatening. He was rushed back into hospital and had to have his leg amputated. On investigating the case, we found that the correct procedures had not been followed and, if intravenous antibiotics had been administered, his leg might have been saved.

With advice from leading medical experts, we brought a compensation claim against Warwick Hospital and secured a significant settlement for John. This has enabled him to buy an adapted bungalow, and pay for specialist equipment and therapy to improve his quality of life.

Positive impact

We also set up a personal injury trust, will and lasting power of attorney for John to protect his compensation and give him financial security for the future.

He now dedicates his time to being an ambassador for The UK Sepsis Trust to spread the word. As the compensation has enabled John to fund his needs privately, it has also alleviated pressure on public services.

Being partners in the widest sense

As in John’s case, we’re able to help individuals secure their future after the life-changing consequences of sepsis as well as improve their quality of life and independence. Some of these individuals are especially vulnerable, such as children, people who have lost their job and are at risk of losing their homes, or people who no longer have capacity because of a brain injury associated with sepsis.

But the impact of our partnership goes beyond our clients. By working closely with The UK Sepsis Trust across the breadth of their activities, we’re also contributing to improvements in patient care and sepsis outcomes throughout society, both now and in years to come.

“Our team has built up considerable specialist knowledge of sepsis, so it’s highly rewarding to work with the charity and use our legal expertise to make a difference to people at a traumatic time. Hopefully, by helping to raise awareness and share best practices, fewer people will be affected in the future.”
Ann Houghton, partner, Anthony Collins