Sepsis Trust UK

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can develop rapidly from even minor infections. Early recognition is critical, yet public awareness remains low. That’s why the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) is proud to partner with the UK Sepsis Trust to help change that – through national campaigns, educational outreach, and powerful storytelling.

Key Stats

Impact that truly matters

1,009

schools

9 million

milk cartons with Sepsis symptoms sold

1.2 million

children and staff

483

organisations joined Sepsis Savvy programme

Schools Against Sepsis

Together with the UK Sepsis Trust, we launched the first-ever Schools Against Sepsis campaign – a pioneering initiative that equips teachers with life-saving resources to educate children and staff about sepsis symptoms. The campaign includes classroom-ready manuals, engaging videos, and interactive materials designed to spark awareness and action.

Sepsis Savvy

Sepsis Savvy is a national campaign that encourages businesses to educate their teams about sepsis – a condition that claimed over 48,000 lives in the UK last year, more than breast, bowel, and prostate cancer combined. With IFCF’s support, the UK Sepsis Trust provides free resources including:

  • A short educational video
  • A simple online game to reinforce symptom recognition
  • Easy-to-share materials for internal communications

By helping workplaces become Sepsis Savvy, we’re turning everyday environments into awareness hubs

World Sepsis Day 2023

On 13th September 2023, IFCF and Iceland mobilised a nationwide effort to amplify sepsis awareness in honour of World Sepsis Day. The Sepsis Label and QR code were reintroduced on Iceland Milk and Freshways Milk, reaching customers in stores such as Londis, CostCutter, and Spa.

Sepsis Awareness leaflets were included in 63,105 Iceland home deliveries, while all 1,646 Iceland delivery vans carried “Just Ask: Could it be Sepsis?” stickers throughout the awareness week. IFCF also funded the distribution of 41,000 leaflets to hospitals, GP surgeries, schools, and community organisations.

To further engage the public, a powerful awareness film was produced featuring UK Sepsis Trust Ambassador Jason Watkins, Iceland CEO and IFCF Trustee Tarsem Dhaliwal, and grammar schoolteacher Emma Cox, who shared how campaign resources helped her recognise sepsis symptoms in her mother and take life-saving action.

We’re hugely grateful for IFCF’s vital role in encouraging as many people as possible to get Sepsis Savvy and to know when to ‘Just Ask: Could it be Sepsis?’. It’s a simple question with the power to save lives, since 1 in 3 of us in the UK wouldn’t treat sepsis as a medical emergency. Put simply, that must change to avoid thousands of preventable deaths every year.

Dr Ron Daniels

Founder & Joint CEO, UK Sepsis Trust

Getting the message out about sepsis awareness is really important. Everybody should be aware of the signs and symptoms. If it wasn’t for the UK Sepsis Trust’s free ‘Schools Against Sepsis’ resources, my mother would not be here now. The UK Sepsis Trust are doing an amazing and crucial job but they wouldn’t be able to do the job without the support of Iceland. So, a massive ‘Thank You’ Iceland.

Emma Cox

School Teacher, Bristol