Penryn's Melissa Mead has welcomed health watchdog NICE's advice that sepsis should be treated with the same urgency as that given to patients suffering heart attacks.

Melissa, and husband Paul, lost their son William to sepsis only weeks after his first birthday in 2014 following a catalogue of errors which led to the seriousness of his condition not being recognised soon enough.

The family has since campaigned with the UK Sepsis Trust to raise awareness of failings in the treatment of sepsis and has had several meetings with health minister Jeremy Hunt.

Last week, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), announced that doctors and nurses should treat people who show signs of sepsis with the same urgency as those who complain of chest pain.

It has called for health professionals to think about the possibility of sepsis in all patients who may have an infection. GPs should send any patient who might have sepsis to hospital in an ambulance and once in hospital they should be seen by a senior doctor or nurse immediately who can start treatment. The guidance also includes a checklist of signs and symptoms and details on what to do next.

Melissa, who is expecting her second child in the autumn, said: "I am delighted and welcome the collaboration with NICE and the UK Sepsis Trust, as Dr Ron Daniels (chief executive of UKST)states 'sepsis is a condition for whose time has come.'

"This could not come any sooner. Sadly, we have been touched in very real terms by sepsis and could not agree more with Professor Saul Faust in that clinicians need to start asking 'could this be sepsis.'

"The awareness of sepsis amongst health professionals and the public is severely lacking, so joined up thinking and action is necessary to drive down the number of fatalities from sepsis. After all, if I had been aware of it, and those clinicians that treated William were 'thinking sepsis' he would more than likely be alive today."

It was also announced last week that Truro lottery winner, Peter Congdon, who has family in Falmouth, has covered the £6,000 cost of producing sepsis awareness leaflets which will be included in Bounty packs which are given to 850,000 new mothers each year.

Melissa said: "I'd like to say a very humble and grateful thank you to Peter Congdon for covering the cost of the Bounty leaflets. We are delighted that he is able to help in such a way that will save many lives."

A fundraising event in William's Memory and in aid of the UKST is being held at Carnon Downs Village Hall between 10am and 2pm on Saturday, July 23. It has been organised by Daisy Fay's Nursery, where William attended, and will include face painting, a bouncy castle, craft stalls, refreshments, hot food, giant games, a tombola and lucky dip, cakes etc. The male choral group Oll an Gwella will also be singing between 10.30am and 11.30am.