'My husband died after paramedics left him at home'

Steve Holbrook-Sishton developed sepsis in October 2021

A grieving widow has issued a warning following her husband's death hours after paramedics failed to take him to hospital with sepsis.

Steve Holbrook-Sishton, a former teacher, developed the life-threatening condition in October 2021 after contracting Covid.

His wife Jan Holbrook said she called NHS 111 as he had been feverish, breathless, confused and unable to pass urine, but when paramedics arrived three hours later they did not suspect sepsis and left their home in Storrington, West Sussex.

In a statement, a spokesperson for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust apologised for what happened.

"We carried out a thorough investigation into the incident... and ensured that all learning was taken forward for the benefit of future patient care," they added.

The family's lawyer said Mr Holbrook-Sishton's cause of death was Covid, which led to sepsis.

'Something wasn't right'

Just over two hours after the ambulance left, Ms Holbrook, aged 70, said she called 999, concerned about her 67-year-old husband's deteriorating condition.

"I knew something wasn't right," she said.

"I don't think Steve had been fully assessed and we weren't given any advice."

The mother of three said she was told another ambulance with an average response time of 18 minutes would be dispatched.

But about an hour later she said she had to call 999 again to chase up where it was.

By the time an ambulance arrived just over two hours after her initial call, Jan said her husband of 35 years had passed away.

"When the second crew finally arrived, I just said 'you're too late, he's already dead', she said.

"That moment will stay with me forever."

Mr Holbrook-Sishton was a carer for his disabled daughter

Ms Holbrook said her husband - who was a carer for his 39-year-old daughter Maddy who has cerebral palsy – was the "kindest soul you could ever meet".

"Watching him slip away, knowing something was horribly wrong but feeling powerless, was the most terrible experience of my life," she said.

"The pain of losing Steve remains as raw now approaching four years on as it did the day he died," Ms Holbrook continued.

"The hardest thing to try and come to terms with is knowing that he might still be here if he'd received the care he needed and deserved."

"I wouldn't wish this on anyone," she said.

Sepsis is an often life-threatening condition where the body attacks itself in response to an infection.

It is treatable with antibiotics but can cause your organs to fail if it is not treated early, according to NHS England.

Signs of sepsis include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering and muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.