Leeds grandmother dies from sepsis after paramedics 'miss' early warning signs of '300 bruises’

Susan Robinson, 76, initially thought she had a sickness bug before she woke up covered head to toe in bruises at 3am.

Her daughter Sophie Wakefield, 30, says her mum called 999 but was advised by the paramedics who attended her not to go to A&E because it was extremely busy - instead she was told to go the walk in centre in the morning.

But when Sophie saw her mum the next morning she Googled her symptoms, though it could be sepsis and called for an ambulance.

At St James’s university hospital Leeds, she was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia - a type of sepsis that is a life-threatening blood infection and treated with antibiotics.

But sadly the illness was “two steps ahead” of the antibiotics and Susan passed away from organ failure six days later on November 27 2025.

Sophie believes that if paramedics had acted sooner, her mother could have survived and is calling for mandatory training for medical staff to immediately be able to notice the signs of sepsis.

Sophie, a carer, from Leeds said: “Her sickness came out of nowhere, she woke up at 3am with about 300 bruises.

“She rang the ambulance and paramedics said they didn’t know what the bruises were, and that she would be waiting hours in A&E, so should go to a walk in centre in the morning.

“The paramedics failed her, they should have noticed the signs of sepsis. She shouldn’t have been given that advice, it was an emergency. The next morning, she sent me a text saying ‘please help me’.

“I called the ambulance straight away. They said she likely had sepsis and meningitis, but they didn’t give her antibiotics whilst she was at the house as they said they didn’t want to delay the time they were there.

“She was given antibiotics at the hospital at 9:30am, six and a half hours after she first called the ambulance; with sepsis, you need treatment urgently.

“She didn’t stand a chance; the illness was two steps faster than the antibiotics. I think it she was treated at 3am, she would have survived.

“I’m calling for all paramedics and medical professionals to be trained to recognise the symptoms of meningitis and sepsis immediately."

Sophie first noticed that something wasn’t right with her mother, when she went for a coffee with her one morning in November 2025, and Susan complained she felt unwell and achy.

By 3pm that day, she had started throwing up, and at 8pm she went to bed, telling Sophie she was too unwell to even speak to her.

“I just assumed she had a sickness bug," Sophie, who originally spoke to Talk To The Press, said.

The next morning, Sophie got a text from her mother which read “please help me”.

She raced over to Susan’s house straightaway, and saw that her mum was covered from head to toe in bruises.

“She was slurring her words, and she said she hadn’t fallen over or anything. She ‘d just woken up with the bruises," Sophie said.

Sophie Googled her mum’s symptoms, and realising she might have sepsis, immediately called the ambulance at 7:30am.

She then discovered that her mum had called the ambulance herself at 3am, and was told by paramedics that they didn’t know what the bruising was.

Susan was told she would be waiting hours in A&E, as it was really busy, so was advised to go to a walk-in centre instead.

When paramedics got to Susan’s house the next morning, they did a number of tests and deduced she likely had sepsis and meningitis, but did not administer antibiotics, as they said they didn’t want to delay the time they were at her house.

However, Sophie said the ambulance was at her mother’s house for an hour before leaving for the hospital, so she believes there was ample opportunity to administer antibiotics.

The ambulance left for the hospital at 8:45am, and Susan was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia and given antibiotics at 9:30am, six and a half hours after she had woken up covered in bruises.

Meningococcal septicaemia is a life‑threatening bloodstream infection where bacteria enter the bloodstream and release toxins that damage blood vessel walls.

Symptoms include a rash, muscle or joint pain and pale and blotchy skin, and it can lead to organ failure and death if not treated.

Despite the antibiotics, Susan deteriorated rapidly, and was put on dialysis, as she couldn’t produce any urine, leading doctors to believe her kidneys were failing.

She was then given strong pain medication as she was screaming in pain.

“She was totally unaware of where she was and what was going on," Sophie said.

The next morning, Susan was put on life support, as her organs were shutting down.

“She never woke up," Sophie said.

Six days later, Sophie made the difficult decision to turn off Susan’s life support machine.

She believes that if the paramedics who attended her mother at 3am had realised she had sepsis, and treated her immediately, she would have survived.

Sophie has set up a petition calling for all paramedics and medical professionals to be trained to recognise the symptoms of meningitis and sepsis immediately.

Peter Reading, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “First and foremost our thoughts are with Susan Robinson’s family following her passing in November 2025.

"When the family raised concerns about the ambulance response prior to her admittance to hospital, a review was carried out and the findings have been shared with them. We are very sorry that the care provided on this occasion fell below our usual high standards.”