‘I don’t want her to become just another NHS statistic’
MARK Pilling hopes his wife’s death will help raise awareness of the dangers of sepsis.
During the inquest Mr Pilling, who often fought back the tears as he gave evidence in his Rochdale FC club tracksuit, told how he didn’t want Louise ‘to become just another NHS statistic’.
After being asked by the coroner if he felt there were ‘missed opportunities’ to treat the infection, Mr Pilling replied: “With sepsis there are a number of opportunities to get things done. “They missed those opportunities and now Louise is just a statistic, just a number, not a person.
“People need to be aware of sepsis. The M.E.N. has reported on five or six sepsis deaths recently, some little boys. Suddenly you are seeing signs all over hospitals. But if hospitals are failing, if staff are not adequate to spot the signs, there will be more people who become statistics.”
Sepsis - or blood poisoning - is the reaction to an infection where the body attacks its own organs and tissues.
If it is not identified and treated quickly, it can lead to organ failure and death and leaves thousands of survivors with life-changing disabilities.
The condition results in 44,000 deaths every year in the UK, but experts believe the figure could be as high as 65,000.
Speaking to the Observer after the inquest Mr Pilling, a former semi-professional Rugby League player at Castleton Mayfield also paid tribute to Louise, describing her as a ‘strong, amazing woman’.
The couple met in 1999 when Louise, a nurse who was studying to become a psychologist, came to watch Mark play rugby in her home city of Hull. They married five years later and moved to Mark’s home town of Rochdale, settling in Kirkholt.
Mark said Louise, a big football fan, was muchloved by players in the Rochdale FC under 18s women’s team he coaches.
He told how the players called her ‘Mother Hen’ and often went to her for advice and guidance.
Mark also called on hospitals to consider the psychological impact of putting patients in isolation rooms.
The inquest heard how Louise was ‘meticulous’ about recording her treatment in her diary.
And Mark says those same diaries also revealed how Louise suffered from loneliness and while in isolation.
He said: “She understood completely why she had to go in isolation. But it was really hard for her. She liked to be in noisy busy wards with people around her. Reading her diaries after it was clear she didn’t like isolation. Mentally and psychologically it was very demanding.” ●●Louise Pilling with husband Mark and children Lucy, 17, Millie, 16, Maddison, 12 and Leon, 11, at a football match at Old Trafford