The sister of a man who died from sepsis just days after contracting flu has told men to visit their GPs as “what you think might get better could kill you”.

Angela Downing, a nurse specialising in dementia, was left heartbroken last month when she had to watch her brother Ian Hargreaves’ life support switched off at the Royal Cornwall Hospital just a few hours after he was admitted.

Ian’s decline was so rapid that Angela wants all “typical men who don’t go to the doctor” to consider a GP visit if they are feeling particularly ill and suffering from the symptoms of sepsis.

She said: “The saddest thing for me is that this did not need to have happened. If Ian had gone to his doctor and been given antibiotics he may still be alive.”

Ian Hargreaves died from sepsis just days after contracting flu

Ian, 56, of Threemilestone, Truro, worked at his sister’s day care centre for people with memory problems, Reflections, in Tuckingmill, Camborne.

A week before his death, colleagues told Ian that he needed to go to see his doctor as he was particularly unwell with flu.

His sister took him out for his birthday but he was too poorly to eat. However, Ian went to work on the Monday to Wednesday. On the Thursday, a concerned friend called an ambulance and he was rushed, in a confused state, to Treliske.

His life support was switched off two days later on Saturday, February 16. 

Angela, who praised the staff at the Truro hospital who treated Ian and looked after his family, told Cornwall Live: “They gave him a sedative when he arrived and he immediately went into arrest. His organs were already failing – they were amazed how he was still conscious when he arrived. They couldn’t believe he’d been to work that week.”

She added: “He was as fit as a fiddle. He was a typical man who never went to the doctor’s. I would say to other men, don’t think it’s just flu and you’ll get over it – it could kill you.”

Ian, a keen musician, had worked at Reflections and lived in Threemilestone for the past 11 years and had been in Cornwall for the past 20 years. He also had a boat on the Fal.

He had previously run a bar in South Africa and worked abroad for Shell.

Angela, who set up home care agency Live Life Care in Cornwall 30 years ago, added: “A lot of the clients Ian worked with are really upset as are the carers and staff. He talked to everyone and treated them equally. He was a real asset and will be irreplaceable.”

Care worker and musician Ian Hargreaves - described by his heartbroken sister as a 'real character - died last month

She hopes that men will take notice of his death and question their own ill health.

Sepsis is a serious complication of an infection. Without quick treatment it can lead to multiple organ failure and death.

Early symptoms can include a fever or low body temperature, chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and fast breathing.

Symptoms of more severe sepsis, or sepsis shock, include feeling dizzy or faint, confusion or disorientation, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, slurred speech, severe muscle pain and loss of consciousness.

The NHS advises you seek medical advice urgently from NHS 111 if you've recently had an infection or injury and you have possible early signs of sepsis.