A NEAR death experience with sepsis has led a county councillor to warn people to be aware of the symptoms.

Cllr Adrian Hardman shrugged off his flu-like symptoms until his daughter visited him and insisted he called for an ambulance.

It turned out to be the life-threatening condition sepsis he was diagnosed with in 2022 after a minor scratch on his right leg led to an infection.

While he was seeking treatment for his initial infection on his leg, cllr Hardman became severely unwell with flu-like symptoms, a high temperature, confusion and a severe lack of energy.

At no point did he think the symptoms could be linked back to the cut he had sustained a few weeks before.

Cllr Hardman said: “I’m extremely grateful for my daughter calling in to visit me when she did, and that she insisted on calling for an ambulance.

"Otherwise I wouldn’t be here today to tell my story.

"I would have carried on resting and trying to recover from what I was certain was flu.

"I just didn’t link or even consider that the bacterial infection in my leg had gone into my bloodstream, or that I had an elevated heart rate and very low blood pressure which is typical of sepsis.”

Unfortunately, the infection continued to develop, leading cllr Hardman to spend an initial two and a half weeks in Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, and the county councillor for Bredon Hill is still receiving follow-up treatment today.

He added: “It is so important to know your cuts and how they are healing, and how you are feeling in yourself.

"After two and a half weeks in hospital, I couldn’t believe how weak I felt once I left hospital, but also how lucky I’d been. My situation could have been so much worse.”

Councillor Karen May, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for health & wellbeing, said: ”I have known Adrian for many years, both as a councillor and as a friend, and to see the impact that sepsis has had and continues to have on his everyday life, makes me even more keen to raise awareness of the conditions and its symptoms.

“Sepsis has been renamed in recent years, it used to be called blood poisoning or septicaemia.

"It’s the way the body responds to an infection.

"You really can save someone’s life by knowing what to look out for and remembering to ‘Just Ask: could it be sepsis?’.

"If you’re concerned about someone, if you spot any of the signs, don’t hesitate, call 999 or go straight to A&E.”