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Newsletter Summaries Full versions of all newsletters will be sent to all members of MRSA Action UK
APRIL 2008 – NEWSLETTER
It is with great sadness that we announced the loss of our friend and member Tom Snowball, on Tom was a founding member of MRSA Action UK, and became involved after surviving MRSA following a triple bypass operation in February 2004. Tom endured open surgery five times over a period of nine months, as his wound would not heal following the contraction of MRSA, he didn’t think he would make it, but was a survivor by his very nature, and his vocation was to help others who were faced with the fears, anxieties and aftermath of contracting MRSA. Both as a survivor of MRSA and with a background in nursing from his army days, Tom was well equipped with the knowledge to give support and reassurance to victims and their dependants. He was compassionate and would always give help to those needing help, and would always use his sense of humour to pick you up. Tom actively campaigned and lobbied Government for safer standards, he made many TV and Radio Broadcasts and regularly had articles published in the local and national press. Tom, although diagnosed with cancer continued to help and give advice to those in need. Sadly, Tom lost his battle with cancer at 1.20am on 23 April 2008. Our thoughts are with Tom’s family. Tom will be sadly missed by us all. A tribute to Tom from his friend Claude, which all who knew Tom will echo: Tribute to Tom Snowball 3 November 1938 - 23 April 2008 by Claude Newson I first met Tom at the BBC filming of “Mischief: a Dirty Weekend in Hospital” in August 2005 although I only really got to know him when we became founder members of MRSA Action UK. Until the end of last year when he became ill, Tom remained a valuable and respected Member, Trustee and co Vice-Chair of the Charity ever since its formation. The charity meant a lot to Tom: not only he was a survivor of MRSA but he needed to mix with and have friends he could talk to, meet and relate to. I believe he considered as his duty to be the “link” between his fellow members, ensuring he kept in touch with everyone. Always helpful, reliable and punctual, Tom used to greet other charity members travelling to Tom attended many meetings and conferences, was interviewed on several occasions (including the Richard & Judy Show and Doctor, Doctor last year) and had a “star” role in the Mischief programme. His input has always been important and appreciated from a survivor’s point of view. Apart from taking a keen interest in health matters and what was happening in the world, he also loved classical music and the latest bluetooth gadgets on the market! Tom was easily restless when he wasn’t doing anything and preferred other people’s company to his own. An active man all his live, he still worked until a few weeks ago despite being well passed his retirement age (he would have been 70 this year) and suffering from health problems. His latest job was with Age Concern, employed as a driver and looking after a group of vulnerable people, some of them younger than himself! In his early career he was a Combat Medic for the Royal Army Medic Corp for over 20 years, worked as Underground Station Supervisor and later joined the Red Cross as ambulance driver. He therefore served his country all his life and received several medals for good service. He passed away on If I happened to mention to him any problems that I had I he would ring around to find out how and if they could help or he would offer to come and see if he could help himself. If I felt miserable he would tell me that he was coming down just to give me a big hug. He used to speak a few words of French with me and set off to learn more by getting a computer course at some point! A faithful friend indeed! When I saw him in hospital and afterwards in the hospice, we had openly discussed death and funeral arrangements. He showed a great deal of dignity and courage for someone who knew the end was not far away. The most touching words he said to me were that he was looking forward to be reunited with his dog Gromit as his loss had been devastating to Tom. I wish you eternal joy together Tom and please don’t get up to too much… mischief! Au revoir mon ami. MARCH 2008 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH MARCH 2008 DECEMBER 2007 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH DECEMBER 2007
Christmas Message from The Chair As your Chair I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our members a peaceful Christmas and my best wishes for the New Year. I know for many of you this time of year is tinged with great sadness for those of our loved ones who are no longer with us and I know that we will all be thinking of each other at this time. The last 12 months has seen the Charity grow in strength and mature into an organisation that we can all be proud of. I believe I need to acknowledge those who have helped move us forward in combating healthcare infections and thank everyone for their unparalleled determination to get the message across about the devastating effect these avoidable healthcare infections can have on the lives of the people who contract them, and the effects this has on their families. Membership Our membership has played a very important part in our continued campaign throughout the year, and by means of this newsletter we wish to express our gratitude to all of you. Our warmest thanks (and admiration!) also go to all the generous donors who took part in activities such as running marathons and raised funds for our cause, those who donated anonymously, and some In Memorium donations instead of flowers and those who gave more than the membership fee; and to those members who are planning more events to raise funds for our charity, we will be in touch in order to provide you with all the support that is needed. Sponsorship We are also indebted to our sponsors who have equally played an important role in supporting our fight to prevent MRSA and healthcare associated infections, and to raise public awareness and influence the Government and healthcare providers. We all are very grateful for your continued support. Donations and Gift Aid Please enable us to take advantage of the Gift Aid scheme, which means that if you are a taxpayer, you can increase the value of your donation and it won’t cost you a penny more. Therefore, for every £1 you give, we get an extra 28p from the Inland Revenue. We thank you for your time and a form is enclosed with this newsletter. A form can be found on the membership page of the website at http://mrsaactionuk.net/Gift%20Aid%20It.html New Trustees! We are delighted to announce that we have two new Trustees on board: Paul Kelly and Nicola Mayers. Paul has been a Member since April 2006 and several of us had the pleasure to meet Paul and his wife Wendy at last year’s Westminster Abbey Memorial. Nicola is a more recent Member and partner of one of our other Members, Carl Millington. Both possess skills that would be most valuable to our Charity. Please join us in welcoming Paul and Nicola in their new positions. Recent Events Delegates of MRSA Action UK have recently attended many events on your behalf, these can be found on the Record of Events page of the website. Member Profile We still would like to hear your stories on how MRSA has affected your life so please next year would like to have more volunteers! This month’s profile is Claude Newson, Newsletter Editor MRSA Action UK. Claude relates the last days of Bob's life who was profusely infected with MRSA and other infections, it is always difficult to relate these events, and we thank Claude and everyone who has shared their stories so that everyone understands why it is that they must do everything to keep from giving our loved ones avoidable healthcare infections.
Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected or who have lost someone to a healthcare infection, especially to those who have anniversaries this month. In memory of John Howard Crews who passed way on 27th December 2003
NOVEMBER 2007 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH NOVEMBER 2007 MRSA Action MRSA Action UK’s mascot Hayleigh Proctor helped in an estate clean-up last week. Housing trust staff and council employees joined volunteers and got their hands dirty in a bid to clear up a Winsford estate residents feared was becoming a dumping ground. Hayleigh was amongst the school children under 11 who turned out to help were given free family tickets to this weekend’s bonfire and firework event at Recent Events 16th October 2007 Infection Control Seminar + MRSA Action UK would like to thank the Bedford NHS Trust for their hospitality and for giving us an opportunity to give the presentation “A Healthcare Infection, A Life-Time Legacy”. MRSA Action UK were also given the opportunity to participate in the Trust’s Infection Control week. 18th October 2007 Launch of Year Three of the Cleanyourhands Campaign with Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, Christine Beasley, Chief Nursing Officer and Martin Fletcher, Chief Executive, NPSA, followed by the Meeting with Greg Beales, Health Adviser, No 7th November 2007 Healthcare Associated Infections Event – Department of Health and Stakeholders Three delegates of MRSA Action UK attended this event with a view to sharing good practice with stakeholders and learning from each others’ experiences in terms of what was working in improving things in many hospitals, and to share ideas on how the good practice we had discovered could be disseminated to hospitals where improvements were appearing slow. We also want to see improvements across the healthcare setting including in the Primary Care Setting where healthcare infections were presenting problems in this area, which was resulting in morbidity and mortality in patients. 14th November 2007 - “Reducing MRSA” – The second conference on Healthcare Associated Infection has been researched and produced to address the challenges of reducing MRSA. Media attention surrounding MRSA has brought the issue of infection very much in the public eye. The one-day conference provided a unique opportunity to learn about the latest developments in reducing MRSA, there is a particular focus on good practice and the management of MRSA, and involving and engaging patients. 30th November 2007 – Pennine Care NHS Trust Infection Control Norton Grange Hotel, Castleton, In our thoughts this month Our Member Carl Millington has been sent to John Howard Crews, beloved stepfather of Derek, 17th November 1949 - 27th December 2003
MRSA Action Continued interest by the media resulted in more interviews, most recently:
These interviews and calls was a result of the release of the Healthcare Commission report on the outbreaks of C-diff at the Recent Events Delegates of MRSA Action UK have recently attended the following conferences:
SEPTEMBER 2007 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH SEPTEMBER 2007 I am Hayleigh Proctor, I am nine years old turning ten. My school is Cuddington Primary. I lost my uncle Colin of MRSA but because I was so little I didn’t understand many things that I do now. I was told that he was going in for one week but I never saw him again. After a few years my nana (Mavis) took me to a meeting in In the News: Our War Hero Member Dale (Jnr) Law has been interviewed by the Nantwich Chronicle (5 September 2007) as Dale has been honoured with a Three-Star General Commendation for his courage in fending off a surprise attack from Taleban fighters. It was the first time Dale had been in a war zone after serving in the military for the past six years. As a Lance Corporal, he is second in command of his section. A copy of the article together with Dale’s photo can be found in our website under Press Centre. MRSA Action UK would like to extend their warmest congratulations to Dale and his family. This is well deserved Dale! We are all so proud of you.
Keep your eye on the Latest News page for the events and activities involving bringing about changes in our system. There are three conferences scheduled over the coming months and meetings with some influential people. MRSA Action UK are sending a clear message that Patient Empowerment and Involvement is key in driving the changes needed in our hospital settings, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the healthcare professionals to make sure patients are safe. We will report on the Record of Events pages as we attend each event. Hard copies of our articles and supplementary information is available to members on request. AUGUST 2007 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH AUGUST 2007 On Thursday 19th July we were blessed with a beautiful, warm sunshine. After trustees and members met late morning at the Stand Palace Hotel to go over arrangements for the day, all made their way to Westminster Abbey for the 12.45 ceremony with the wreath and flowers which had been delivered to the hotel the night before. After greeting other attendees who had travelled to the Abbey directly, all gathered around the Innocent Victims Memorial situated at the West Door of the Abbey. The ceremony opened with a dedicated prayer and tribute to the innocent victims of MRSA read by Canon Robert Wright. It was very moving and the words can be found on the last page of the report. As the main wreath was being laid on the Memorial stone by Tom Snowball, the more senior member of our group and a victim of MRSA and by our youngest member and mascot Hayleigh Proctor, aged nine, whose uncle Colin Law died of MRSA, a lone Irish Bagpiper played an Irish lament. This was very emotional and so poignant, such a befitting homage to our lost loved ones. Then in turn, attendees laid their own individual floral tributes and placed each one around the main wreath. Professor Pennington laid a wreath on behalf of Linda McCafferty, our representative for Glasgow who could not attend the ceremony, and on behalf of victims in As silence fell whilst the assembly was paying their respects, it was noticed by many of those present that a white butterfly was fluttering from wreath to wreath, then flew away. Someone remarked how amazing that a butterfly could be seen in the middle of New Representative Please join us in welcoming Linda Gregg, our Representative for
MRSA Action Several of our members and trustees have been interviewed this month, namely: Mavis, Moya, Linda and Derek, by the BBC, The Sunday Telegraph, the Scotsman and the Nottingham Evening News. Prof. Pennington is also interviewed in some of the articles. If you wish to read and listen to full articles and interviews these can be found in our website under Press Centre. Well done everyone! This is the last newsletter before the wreath laying ceremony in honour of victims of MRSA at Westminster Abbey. Arrangements are now being finalised for this event and we will give our members a full report of the day. Reverend Deborah Snowball Many of you will remember that Deborah, Tom’s daughter wrote the words for our first wreath laying ceremony at Westminster Abbey in July 2005. These can be found in our website under Memorials. Deborah has recently been appointed Vicar of St Mary’s Church in Rickmansworth. Deborah has been Assistant Curate in the Sawbridgeworth town ministry since 2004. She was ordained deacon in
Innocent Victims' Memorial With the forthcoming Westminster Abbey event on 19th July you may find it interesting to have a brief background of the history of the Innocent Victims' Memorial. The Memorial is a large circular slate, on a slightly raised stone base. It was designed by the Irish sculptor, Ken Thompson and unveiled by the Queen on MRSA Action On 13th June there was another opportunity to see the BBC programme, filmed in August 2005, called: “A Dirty Weekend in Hospital - Mischief” in which several of our members and friends took part. More details have been posted in our website under “Latest News”. The programme is symbolic on how to clean our hospitals. Some of our members and trustees have recently been contacted by the press, demonstrating further growing interest in our group and its aims. Besides discussing latest statistics on MRSA, they wanted to hear individual stories. Well done to all those who contributed. Claire Rayner and Who hasn’t heard of Claire Rayner, OBE, journalist, novelist, broadcaster (radio and TV), social campaigner, Patron of more than sixty social and charitable organisations, agony aunt? As a trained nurse and midwife Claire is an acknowledged authority on child care, medical and allied subjects and more significantly for us is President of The Patients Association. We are delighted to announce that this great lady will be honouring us with her presence on the 19th July for both the ceremony and reception. Claire said that she was looking forward to meeting all of us. Despite her poor health, she is determined to attend and arrangements for her transport are being made with Tom picking her up from home and take her back after the reception. We will all take good care of her and Moya will be in attendance throughout the event. Beside Claire, many other important people have been invited to the event, all from different walks of life and who have been affected by healthcare associated infections. MAY 2007 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH MAY 2007 News updates on membership, donations and sponsorship are available in the full copy of the newsletter available to members of MRSA Action UK. Thank you to Ms Eileen Mitchell who donated £150 to MRSA Action UK on completing the Great North Run.
New Representative Please join us in welcoming our new regional representative for News from our Members We are delighted to announce the birth of baby daughter Mia Louisa on 4th April. The proud parents Shelley and Martin Law and grand-mother Sharon Law would like to share their happiness with us. Congratulations to all of you. Please keep in touch to let us known how Mia Louisa is progressing. Member Profile Please do share your stories with us. We would like to hear from you and how MRSA has affected your life and that of your loved ones. This month’s profile is: Paul Kelly, Member MRSA Action 14 May 2004 is a date that will stick in my mind for a long time to come. My Daughter Claire, was driving home from a pre-natal class, she was 8 ½ months pregnant, and she had a car accident, no other vehicle was involved but because she lived in a remote part of New York State, it was 45 minutes before another vehicle came along and could offer any assistance. It was over 90 minutes before the paramedics arrived on the scene, and because of the nature of the accident, Claire had to undergo an emergency caesarian delivery to remove her from the car safely. My Grandson, Thomas Charles, died on the way to the medical centre. Claire was taken to the away. It was only after the event did we realise that MRSA was prolific in the Thank you for sharing your story with us Paul. .……………………………………………………………………………………...............................................……
APRIL 2007 – NEWSLETTER – 15TH APRIL 2007 In this month’s newsletter Feedback on theHealthcare Associated Infection Conference ( Presentations featuring on the safeguards that healthcare providers must put in place to protect patients were the order of the day. With preventing healthcare associated infections it was “all or nothing”, there needed to be a multi-disciplinary approach in the war on infections. Dr Theo Daha, Chair of The Dutch Society of Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare showed how the strict Search and Destroy policy for the prevention and control of infection had brought about the lowest rates of MRSA in Other presentations looked at the need to completely change the way healthcare providers think about the way they deliver healthcare from the top down, including the over-prescription of antibiotics, particularly some of the broad-spectrum drugs used. It was astonishing to find out that many hospital trusts are still using diluted detergent to clean, despite the fact that it has been proven that the only effective cleaner to deal with C.Diff spores is bleach. There was now an increasing trend to move towards the use of bleach, and now that the legislation had changed in respect of the duty of care to patients and visitors, it is anticipated that more Trusts will take this challenge seriously. If you know your Hospital Trust is not using bleach to clean then contact us and we will pass this information on to the Healthcare Commission for further investigation. Thank you to those of you who supplied photographs for our presentation, these served as a salutary lesson to many of the people at the conference. We were able to share examples of good practice, including an MRSA Care Pathway that has been developed with an NHS Trust, patient information leaflets, and a Checklist for monitoring and compliance with the Code of Practice. We are continuing to work with the Department of Health and the Healthcare Commission on monitoring and compliance with the new Code. Implementation of the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Association Infections (the Hygiene Code) with effect from 1st April 2007 The 1st April 2007 marks an important event in the fight against infections in our hospitals and other healthcare settings, The Health Act 2006 brought about important legislation with regard to preventing and controlling healthcare associated infections. The Hygiene Code is now something that all healthcare providers have to adhere to, it also explicitly states that the NHS is regulated by the Health and Safety At Work Act, and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. This is not new, but many professionals were giving out the message that they were not regulated by this legislation, and in some instances where people had brought cases to court judges had been convinced that the contraction of MRSA was inevitable, and that the bacterium was not a pathogen subject to COSHH Regulations. So this is a significant leap forward. We welcome the implementation of The Health Act 2006 and the Hygiene Code. We endorse the approach taken in the way it is set out, lending itself to be used as a checklist, something we aspired to in 2005 in our response to the Department of Health consultation “Action on Health Care Associated Infections in The Health Act gives the Secretary of State the powers to issue a code of practice for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infection, to ensure NHS bodies plan and implement how they prevent and control HCAI. The Healthcare Commission will be using this code to assess NHS performance and similar requirements will be introduced for the private and voluntary healthcare sector and care homes. The Healthcare Commission are also under a statutory obligation to enforce the duties of the code of practice where healthcare providers are not complying with the Code. We will continue to work alongside other patient groups and stakeholders, the Department of Health and the Healthcare Commission, in devising tools to assist the NHS in delivering on the Hygiene Code and in the development of a “Bill of Rights for Patients”. We have considered other organisations’ views on patient care and consent in coming to the conclusion that we need to build in further safeguards by informing patients of their rights and ensuring that carers and patient representatives are fully informed, where for example a patient is unconscious, comatose or unable to make informed decisions about their care for whatever reason. We wish a checklist of the statutory duties to be included in hospital toolkits, carried in booklet form by Directors of Infection Control and Chief Executives, to remind staff at all levels of their duty in respect of the care and consideration of the safety and well-being of patients. We have already taken the opportunity to share good practice through our networking at Conferences and events held in NHS Trusts. .……………………………………………………………………………………...............................................………
MARCH 2007 - NEWSLETTER - 15 MARCH 2007 This month is very special one for MRSA Action UK with the launch of our redesigned website. For our members who are able to access the internet you will notice the brand “new look”. It is intended to be more user-friendly and easier to access information. MRSA Action UK held their first AGM on 10th March 2007. Phil Barnes, Anthony Collins Solicitors, gave an interesting talk on UK Health and Safety Legislation and MRSA. Two forthcoming events will provide more opportunities for MRSA Action UK to be involved in policy developments and give guidance and feedback to healthcare providers and government bodies: Healthcare Associated Infection ‘Conference 2007 (28th March) This Conference provides practical guidance on how to meet the new code of practice and improve safety for patients. Keynote Presenters include Andy Burnham MP, Minister of State for Delivery and Quality who will present the Keynote Opening Address on Reducing Healthcare Associated Infection. Theo Daha, Chair of The Dutch Society of Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare will be talking about international developments. Representatives of MRSA Action UK will be hosting an evening drinks reception and networking. The reception will include the opportunity to speak to patients and those that have been affected by Healthcare Associated Infections. Patient Involvement, Empowerment and Information 2007 (16th May) Keynote presentations include Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State for Health Services and Dr Sue Roberts, National Clinical Director for Diabetes, and Joint Chair, Patient Information Working Group, Department of Health. We are pleased to welcome our new mascot and representative. Nine-year old Hayleigh Proctor is the daughter of Linda Proctor, one of our Members and both were present at the AGM. Hayleigh lost her uncle Colin Law to MRSA and is so keen in raising funds for our group that she came up with the brilliant idea of selling raffle tickets to her classmates! Thank you so much for your support Hayleigh! MRSA Action UK is not only fighting for those that are suffering now but also for the future generations and Hayleigh’s generation represents our hopes and aspirations for moving forward. .………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2006 ~ NEWSLETTER- 15 DECEMBER 2006 We are happy to report that Tom Snowball is now out of hospital and well on the road to recovery following his illness and subsequent surgery. A leaflet/booklet for the use of patients and staff is being consulted upon and the MRSA Action UK booklet is being used in connection with this. A number of case studies will also be developed. These will identify both good and bad practice. A patients’ “Bill of Rights” could also be developed in line with the Health Act 2006 and MRSA Action UK is involved in the consultation. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… OCTOBER 2006 ~ NEWSLETTER- 15 OCTOBER 2006 September saw a very special occasion for everybody affected by MRSA and other HCAI's with the attendance at Westminster Abbey of so many - a full report is included in this edition. On a sad note, 'Our Tom' has been taken into hospital and undergone surgery recently, so we send him our very best wishes for a speedy recovery. We hope to see him bounce back shortly. Some good news to report is the birth of Moya's first Grandchild Derry James congratulations! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The 14 September 2006 was a very busy day for MRSA Action UK. Members began meeting at noon at Premier Travel Lodge (County Hall)
A MEMBERS EYE VIEW - 15 SEPTEMBER 2006 A special mention should also be made of our intrepid secretary’s achievement in raising a substantial sum for MRSA Action UK. A member, despite her absolute fear of heights, took a trip on the London Eye having been sponsored by many who attended Westminster Abbey. The total is now known to be £425 - not bad for a morning of sheer terror for her! Special thanks to all those who raised the money and sponsored that member - without your help this would never have been achieved. There is no truth in the rumour that engineers were called to the London Eye on the morning of 15th September to investigate strange vibrations which turned out to be that members quaking knees!! MOLNLYCKE HEALTHCARE– 28TH SEPTEMBER 2006 Representatives of MRSA Action UK met with the Business Development Manager to discuss the development of “best practice” in the control and prevention of Healthcare associated Infections. PR COMPANY - 28TH SEPTEMBER 2006 Representatives of MRSA Action UK met with representatives of this company which has over 35 years experience in the media, journalism and health public relations arena. GLAXO SMITH KLINE ~ PRESENTATION 29TH SEPTEMBER 2006 Representatives of MRSA Action UK delivered a presentation to employees of GSK, which described the work of MRSA Action UK along with our aims and objectives. STAKEHOLDER MEETING DoH ~ 6th OCTOBER 2006 Representatives of MRSA Action UK were invited, together with other interested parties, to a “Stakeholder Workshop” to discuss different objectives in respect of HCAI’s. The Dept. of Health were concerned about patient confidence and wished to share experiences and work in collaboration with different patient groups. Further meetings will be arranged. |