In memory of my dear mum Patricia Margaret Galvin
5th November 1935 - 23rd October 2004
I was a founding member of the Charity when it was formed in October 2005. We all came together through losing someone dear to MRSA and all wanted to make a difference as we all know that many healthcare infections can be avoided. We all have one thing in common, there was little information given to us about MRSA and what we could do to help our loved ones and families stay safe.
We continue to raise the profile of MRSA and other healthcare infections to ensure the public are aware of the precautions that need to be taken by healthcare professionals to avoid contracting unnecessary infections.
My dear mum contracted MRSA when she had a liver resection following the spread of cancer. This was a risky operation and is only done where there is a high degree of certainty of recovery. Mum initially recovered extremely well from her operation, she was moved to a surgical ward where she contracted MRSA in her wound site. We were not told, but I found out by researching the antibiotic Vancomycin that she had been prescribed, when I asked for information about the illness I was told that it was nothing to worry about as we all have MRSA, its all around us. Mum was very poorly and I thought we were going to lose her, but she was a fighter and pulled through. Unfortunately the cancer spread and she passed away later that year. I was never certain whether on the day she died whether she was presenting with MRSA again, she seemed to be displaying similar symptoms, mum had requested no post-mortem when she had been diagnosed as terminally ill, we therefore respected her wishes and did not pursue this further. I did however obtain her medical records as I was not satisfied with the lack of information given to her or the family, and I was concerned about the poor infection prevention and control procedures in the hospital at the time.
The MRSA had spread to her lungs and we were never told, we learned this after her death through the medical records. I had in fact helped with a surgical procedure to aspirate her lungs as she could not breath, I was splattered in the fluid that was aspirated as there were no nurses available to help with the procedure at the time. No thought was given to protecting me or stopping me walking out of the hospital with contaminated hands and clothing even though I had contact with other vulnerable people - something that didn't occur to the hospital.
Mum was carrying MRSA on discharge from hospital, but no follow-up was ever done to check that she was clear even though she was attending Oncology for chemotherapy, her swab tests from the Health Protection Agency showed positive on the last test she had - we knew nothing yet we were caring for her, neither did the other healthcare professionals looking after her.
I complained and part of the resolution was to be involved with the design of patient information literature so that when patients contract MRSA there is information available so that they can ensure they know how to look after and protect themselves, particularly on discharge from hospital. That was my first involvement in working towards involving and informing patients about the risks of MRSA and how to prevent the potential spread of the infection. The hospital concerned also had good practice examples that they were adopting and we have shared these with other Trusts. The bloodstream infection rates have started to reduce, I hope this continues, even though I no longer live in the area I do keep an eye on how they are doing, although my mum is one of the people who will not be recorded in the figures, as the MRSA was not in the bloodstream at the time of testing, it was in her lungs and wound site. Sadly the area has the worst record for Clostridium difficile with many people dying unnecessarily.
The skills that I hope to use for the benefit of the Charity come from my work in the public sector. I have a background in customer involvement, quality and performance management, working in two local authorities and for a Primary Care Trust in Social Care & Housing.
I have been a member of a Public and Patient Involvement Forum, and have been involved with the NHS following on from the Bristol Inquiry and the Retained Organs Commission, and continue my education and learning in the subject of healthcare infections through the many contacts we have now forged in the healthcare economy.
I have worked with the Board of Trustees of MRSA Action UK on the development of a monitoring framework to assist NHS Trusts in the compliance with the new legislation relating to the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections, effective 1st April 2007. I assist the Charity by consulting and responding to draft policy, procedures and consultations from the Department of Health and other agencies.
I respond to sufferers and dependants who come to us for assistance and the issues are the same as when my dear mum was poorly with MRSA, I remember how I felt when there was not much in the way of information out there, and do what I can to help. I will continue to do whatever I can to raise people's awareness of MRSA and how it can be avoided, and to campaign for safer standards.
