Doctors left me begging for help, says Goring sepsis patient

A man said he was left “begging for help” from doctors after he suffered life-changing injuries due to sepsis caused by failures at his local hospitals.

Paul Robinson, 70, developed recurring sepsis for almost a year after being hospitalised on multiple occasions in Brighton and Worthing.

The company director from Goring, in West Sussex, said: “I’ve lost my freedom, confidence, business, very nearly my family home, and almost my will to live.”

Professor Katie Urch, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We cannot publicly discuss any of the details of this case at this time, but we offer our heartfelt sympathies to Paul and his family.”

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection where the body’s immune system damages its own tissues and organs, according to the NHS.

Mr Robinson was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.

He successfully had a lump removed from his lung. But during chemotherapy, he became unwell and was diagnosed with sepsis.

He said he went through several relapses with sepsis and was in hospital for 13 days.

“I was left for 11 months with recurring, untreated sepsis – despite begging for help,” he said.

Describing his care at Worthing Hospital and Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, he said there was a breakdown in communication between nurses, doctors and departments.

He said there had been “systemic failures” and “ignored warnings” with his care.

“We asked for help 47 times, and we were ignored 47 times,” he added.

According to the UK Sepsis Trust, the medical condition kills more people than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined.

After being transferred to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, Mr Robinson said he had 14 “life-saving surgeries”.

“I lost a quarter of my back and my rib cage, leaving my lung outside of my body for over three years,” he said. “And I had to learn to walk again, I was fed through a tube.

“Every day I see NHS campaigns about spotting the signs of sepsis. We knew the signs, we pleaded for help, and nobody listened.”

Mr Robinson’s wife, Carys, said her husband was “incredibly weak and frail”.

“Every day is a battle. The ordeal has caused unbelievable amounts of stress to his family,” she said.

“I want those responsible to be held to account, so no other family goes through this horror. And making us suffer and wait years for justice just adds insult to catastrophic injury.”

The Royal Sussex County Hospital and Worthing Hospital are both run by University Hospitals Sussex.

Prof Urch added: “We know that the family have many concerns about Mr Robinson’s care, and we are committed to supporting the legal proceedings to ensure the family get the answers they need, and we can make necessary improvements if anything could have been done differently.”