Jason Watkins speaks at King’s sepsis conference about the death of daughter

13 September 2024 - Clinical teams gathered to hear his story in the hope of preventing further sepsis deaths

Staff at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust gathered today – World Sepsis Day – to listen to BAFTA TV awarding-winning actor, Jason Watkins, as he spoke about the loss of his beloved daughter Maude from sepsis.

Two-year-old Maude, who was not treated at King’s, became unwell in December 2010 and was initially treated for a heavy cold. However, after a week of being unwell, Maude developed a respiratory infection, characterised by a cough and a raspy voice.

It was standing room only at the World Sepsis Day conference, where Jason Watkins explained that as Maude’s condition worsened, he and his wife took her to the GP and then to their local hospital’s Emergency Department.

It was there that Maude was diagnosed with croup, a common condition of the upper airway that mainly affects babies and young children. Symptoms can include a barking cough, hoarse voice and difficulty breathing. Maude was given steroids and sent home.

Jason explained to King’s staff that it was at that point Maude developed stridor, an abnormal, high-pitched respiratory sound produced by obstructed air flow through a narrowed airway. “We were terrified,” he said, and they rushed their daughter back to their local A&E. She was checked over, given oxygen, more steroids and, because her temperature had dropped, she was sent home again.

However, the next morning – New Year’s Day 2011 – Jason said, “I had a strange feeling of dread.” Soon after, his older daughter said she was unable to wake Maude, and it was at that point Jason and his wife discovered she had died during the night in her cot.

As well as acting, Jason campaigns to raise awareness of sepsis. He said, “Awareness is key. I keep Maude’s memory alive by sharing her story with you.” As doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and other clinical staff gather at the event, he added, “I admire your dedication to the work you do.”

Helen Hayes, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, also spoke at the event. She said, “Sepsis deaths are preventable tragedies, and those who survive can be left with devastating consequences.” She referenced her colleague, Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay, who returned to Parliament in May after developing a life-threatening case of sepsis, which led to the amputation of his hands and feet. “That is why prompt diagnosis and treatment is so important, she added.”

Professor Akash Deep, Paediatric Intensivist at King’s, who organised the conference, and who lost his own mother to sepsis, said, “Sepsis is a medical emergency. The condition is not easy to diagnose and can present as a range of other conditions. That is why, if a patient is deteriorating, it is vital that we as medical professionals ask ourselves, ‘could this be sepsis?’. And we have to empower our patients and their relatives to ask that question as well.

Prof Deep, who is also an advisor on paediatric sepsis to the UK Sepsis Trust, added, “Events such as these are crucial if we are to raise awareness of the condition, ensure cases are identified and treated early, and stop needless deaths and disability from sepsis.”