A CARER saved her client's life after correctly identifying that he had sepsis and raising the emergency paramedic response category over the phone. 

Heydays carer Kath Fegan realised that her client Jeffrey Chelton, aged 63, was about to die when she went into his house and saw him in pain last September. The NHS website calls sepsis 'life threatening' but also states that it 'can be hard to spot.' It happens when a person's immune system overreacts to an infection and damages their own tissues and organs. 

Signs that someone has sepsis include if they are acting confused or have slurred speech, they have blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, and difficulty breathing. The condition is so dangerous that if somebody is displaying the symptoms of sepsis the NHS recommend calling 999 or going to A&E. 

Mr Chelton said that he had developed a 'big ulcer' at the bottom of his leg from a pre-existing health condition linked to diabetes. As a result, he has been with Heydays for a long period of time. 

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"Kath came at tea time to see me and I said to her I didn't feel very well. I said I'm going to lay down on the sofa," he said. At this point Kath went off but promised to return later. "When she came back, she found me laying there I was screaming in pain in my head." 

The Mail: Mr Chelton is waiting for a prosthetic leg after having it amputatedMr Chelton is waiting for a prosthetic leg after having it amputated (Image: Newsquest, Dan Taylor)

When she rang the paramedics, they told her it would be two or three hours before they could get an ambulance to her. According to Mr Chelton, she responded: "I'm afraid if you don't get an ambulance here for him straight away he'll be dead because he has sepsis." 

Mr Chelton was rushed to Furness General, and then in the early hours of the next day was taken to Preston to have his leg amputated. He is now waiting for his prosthetic. 

"If Kath hadn't have come when she did, I would have been dead," Mr Chelton added. 

On Thursday, April 2, Mrs Fegan is joining Mr Chelton on a trip to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester. "All I can say is Heydays have got some really good carers," Mr Chelton added.