Mother of baby boy who died of sepsis after NHS helpline failings calls for public health campaign into the illness

The mother of baby boy William Mead from Cornwall, who died of sepsis after an NHS helpline failed to identify the seriousness of his illness, has called for a public health campaign into the disease.

Melissa Mead said GPs, parents, teachers and hospitals needed to know what the disease is after a call-handler on the NHS non-emergency helpline failed to notice her son was suffering from the blood infection.

Earlier the government apologised to Melissa after a damning report condemned the NHS out-of-hours system for failing to recognise William's symptoms.

• What is sepsis and how can your recognise it?

• Watch: Health Secretary apologises to family of William Mead

Dr. Ron Daniels, Sepsis UK Trust

In his statement the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said William Mead could still be alive today if an out-of-hours call handler had realised how ill he was.

Melissa Mead contacted the NHS 11 helpline four times but was told his condition was not serious.

The NHS England report released today found there were sixteen missed opportunities to save William's life.