RUGBY legend Martin Johnson is raising awareness among GPs of sudden cardiac death in young people.

Martin will join Dr Ffion Davies, consultant in A&E at Leicester Royal Infirmary, to talk to GPs at a meeting of Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) today. (Wed 17 Sept)

Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the organisation responsible for planning and managing most healthcare services for the people of Leicester city.

The talk has been organised by local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT), of which Martin is a patron. The trust was set up after the death of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries, 14, who died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome – SADS – while out on a training run near his home in October 2012.

SADS is a condition that claims the lives of 12 teenagers and young adults, aged 12-35, every week in the UK. Some conditions causing SADS affect whole families.

Martin said: "I'm delighted to be going along to talk to GPs and other health professionals about SADS. We really need to raise the profile of SADS so that we can save lives.

"I'll be talking about the tireless work that JHMT is doing to put SADS firmly on the national medical agenda."

Dr Davies added: "It's very important that NHS staff are fully aware of the potential warning signs to look out for, that could mean someone could die from SADS.

"In many cases, the GP is people's first port of call if they feel unwell, so making sure that GPs are aware of the symptoms is vital. I'm really pleased that we will get the chance to spread this message to local GPs this week."

Professor Azhar Farooqi, Chair of Leicester City CCG said: "We're very pleased to welcome Martin and Ffion to our meeting. Heart disease is one of our main priorities and it is important for us ensure that health professionals working in the community know what to look out for when it comes to subtle heart diseases. We hope that this session will help to raise awareness."

The meeting comes ahead of the second annual SADS Awareness Conference, which is organised by the JHMT in conjunction with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

It will take place on Tuesday 14 October at the Leicester Tigers rugby stadium, Aylestone Road, Leicester. It is a chance for health professionals to hear speakers and attend workshops on topics such as detecting SADS and recognising patterns in ECGs.

The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust is also organising SADS Awareness Week, from 4-11 October. The week will include a social media campaign for the Leicestershire public, Let's Break the Silence on SADS (#breakthesilence), and will focus on fainting, which can often be ignored as a symptom of sudden cardiac arrest.