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LOUGHTON: Father declares war on superbug
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| Ashley Brooks with wife Lisa and sons Monty, six, and Ted, six months |
A BUSINESSMAN who faced a brush with death at the hands of the superbug MRSA has spent £300,000 on a personal crusade to wipe the infection out in the NHS.
Ashley Brooks was struck down with the blood-poisoning bacteria as he battled leukemia in hospital, and made a promise that if he survived he would dedicate himself to its elimination.
At his lowest point, Mr Brooks, 41, from Loughton, found himself praying that he would live long enough to see the birth of his son, Monty.
He claims he caught the bug at Southend Hospital in February 2002 after a nurse touched his chemotherapy drip without washing her hands.
He said: "I could see the nurse touching several patients around their bandages before reaching me, but I said nothing.
"I felt so ill, was bald and bloated from the chemotherapy and not able to look people in the eye at that time. I didn't feel strong enough to say anything.
"Almost straight away I started feeling very unwell. After 45 minutes I took out the drip myself and went home."
Soon after Mr Brooks' return his condition dramatically worsened.
He said: "It was like something out of a Hollywood movie the way I was pouring with hot sweat one minute and freezing the next. I'd never felt so ill in my life."
His wife, Lisa, 39, rushed him back to hospital where doctors diagnosed blood poisoning, and cured him after a ten-day course of antibiotics.
| “Almost straight away I started feeling very unwell. After 45 minutes I took out the drip myself and went home.” | | Ashley Brooks |
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On leaving hospital he was astonished when he read a British Medical Association report that regular hand-washing alone could cut infections by up to 30 per cent.
The printing and IT entrepreneur vowed to launch a private campaign to promote hand-washing in hospitals and slash superbug infection and set up a scheme involving a cartoon character called Max.
Mr Brooks's creation was immediately endorsed by Basildon University Hospital and has since been distributed to 173 NHS trusts across Britain.
He said: "We knocked on a lot of doors and created a DVD, stickers and poster featuring Max. We even got badges for nurses to wear. They say: Ask me if my hands are clean' so patients don't feel bad about having to ask.
"I made a promise about this and am just an ordinary bloke. But I'm determined to make as much of a difference as I can."
Responding to Mr Brooks's case, the director of nursing at Southend Hospital, Sarah Dawson, said: "We are sorry if Mr Brooks acquired an infection while he was being treated at this hospital. However, over the last few years we have introduced a very wide range of improvements in infection control and we will continue to make this one of our top priorities."
9:11am Sunday 23rd March 2008
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CommentPosted by: Mr Khalid, walthamstone on 5:58pm Thu 20 Mar 08
why this man hav spending 300000000 £ mony and this nhs no just do good clenin to chuckout this msra and ecolly? this wast of $ and becas this nurse no washing hand and making germ evrybody and sick? Mr Brook give him sir brook as very nice man and parson
why this man hav spending 300000000 £ mony and this nhs no just do good clenin to chuckout this msra and ecolly? this wast of $ and becas this nurse no washing hand and making germ evrybody and sick? Mr Brook give him sir brook as very nice man and parson
Posted by: Kadiyali, Guildford on 7:02am Fri 21 Mar 08
Thanks to people like Ashley, unfortunatly I don't have a lot of money but have spent years and a large chunk of money.
I have been publishing information about this threat for years (since I saw the first death of 14 years old boy in 1989) but have not been successful in bringing in changes. Medical ethics dictate "Do no harm" so by simply changing a technique used in hospitals, we could have prevented people suffering and avoidable death. Unfortunately major corporations & the Government don't want to know. I wish I was loaded like Ashley, but I am only a poor doctor.
I have published information, regularly blog to educate people and spread the news about how we can get infected when we are in the hospitals. Prevention is the only option now, there is no treatment.
Please visit my website (www.safecannula.com
) to learn more prevention, my techniques and devices to help reduce this spread (www.medifix.org) and my clinic (www.samsarx.com) to reduce families visiting A&E.
Thanks to people like Ashley, unfortunatly I don't have a lot of money but have spent years and a large chunk of money.
I have been publishing information about this threat for years (since I saw the first death of 14 years old boy in 1989) but have not been successful in bringing in changes. Medical ethics dictate "Do no harm" so by simply changing a technique used in hospitals, we could have prevented people suffering and avoidable death. Unfortunately major corporations & the Government don't want to know. I wish I was loaded like Ashley, but I am only a poor doctor.
I have published information, regularly blog to educate people and spread the news about how we can get infected when we are in the hospitals. Prevention is the only option now, there is no treatment.
Please visit my website (www.safecannula.com
) to learn more prevention, my techniques and devices to help reduce this spread (www.medifix.org) and my clinic (www.samsarx.com) to reduce families visiting A&E.
Posted by: Dave James, Chingford on 7:42am Fri 21 Mar 08
Surely nurses need to have better, good, practice and instruction on basic hygiene like Mr Khalid says?
Surely nurses need to have better, good, practice and instruction on basic hygiene like Mr Khalid says?
Posted by: Dr Sri, Woking on 7:59am Fri 21 Mar 08
It’s sad, but it looks as if the knowledge of nurses about bacteria and virus seem to be poor. A senior director of nurse seems to think MRSA is a virus (Surrey Advertiser, March 1).
Next time any one who needs a blood test or cannula (drip) inserted, Please ask the nurse or doctors [bold]"What is Drying Time?".[/bold]
If they say don't know, please ask for another nurse, or doctor to perform the procedure.There is no point beeing polite, its your life I am taking about.
“[bold]Drying Time[/bold] ” is the time they need to wait (1 minute) after they apply chlorhexidine (spirit wash) on your skin before they inject the needle through your skin.
The ones I asked did not have a clue.
It’s sad, but it looks as if the knowledge of nurses about bacteria and virus seem to be poor. A senior director of nurse seems to think MRSA is a virus (Surrey Advertiser, March 1).
Next time any one who needs a blood test or cannula (drip) inserted, Please ask the nurse or doctors
"What is Drying Time?".
If they say don't know, please ask for another nurse, or doctor to perform the procedure.There is no point beeing polite, its your life I am taking about.
“
Drying Time ” is the time they need to wait (1 minute) after they apply chlorhexidine (spirit wash) on your skin before they inject the needle through your skin.
The ones I asked did not have a clue.
Posted by: md250, ilford on 8:31am Fri 21 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Mr Khalid[/bold] wrote:
why this man hav spending 300000000 £ mony and this nhs no just do good clenin to chuckout this msra and ecolly? this wast of $ and becas this nurse no washing hand and making germ evrybody and sick? Mr Brook give him sir brook as very nice man and parson[/quote] mr khallid,
the voice of reason.
Mr Khalid wrote:
why this man hav spending 300000000 £ mony and this nhs no just do good clenin to chuckout this msra and ecolly? this wast of $ and becas this nurse no washing hand and making germ evrybody and sick? Mr Brook give him sir brook as very nice man and parson
mr khallid,
the voice of reason.
Posted by: Northern Monkey, Epping on 8:59am Sat 22 Mar 08
Never mind drying time, this senior nurse is very well up on his microbiology and where I am working, I have yet to see a single doctor, nurse or other person use the alcogels or chlorhex. Drying time doesn't apply if nobody uses it! Should be a disciplinary offence.
Come discuss at www.eppingforum.co .uk
Never mind drying time, this senior nurse is very well up on his microbiology and where I am working, I have yet to see a single doctor, nurse or other person use the alcogels or chlorhex. Drying time doesn't apply if nobody uses it! Should be a disciplinary offence.
Come discuss at www.eppingforum.co .uk
Posted by: Sidney Stake, Epping Green on 9:39am Sat 22 Mar 08
The wards just need a good old going over with a mop and bucket and them idiots just need to was their hands. I go private as I can afford it since I came into money by selling my overvalued property in Walthamstow. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Happy Easter all.
The wards just need a good old going over with a mop and bucket and them idiots just need to was their hands. I go private as I can afford it since I came into money by selling my overvalued property in Walthamstow. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Happy Easter all.
Posted by: clive shepherd, devon on 6:04pm Sat 22 Mar 08
Its not very nice for people who go to hospitals me included,to have to worry about such things which should easly be dealt with,good luck mate!
Its not very nice for people who go to hospitals me included,to have to worry about such things which should easly be dealt with,good luck mate!
Posted by: Kadiyali, Guildford on 7:46pm Wed 26 Mar 08
It’s true, we should sack these doctors and nurses, who in the name of stress, understaffing, over worked are nursing these germs to establish themselves.
JAMA published their report this week, stating [bold]universal screening of patients entering hospitals is a waste of time.[/bold]
In UK they are now starting to repeat this exercise and spend some £49 million.
I am sorry, but this is not on, we are allowing time for the bugs to multiply and this is coming, please don't take me wrong, I have seen children die; we could do nothing but pray for a miracle and so am worried.
Please check out some of my videos in you tube, just type [bold]MRSA[/bold] and see for yourself what others infected with bugs are telling us.
It’s true, we should sack these doctors and nurses, who in the name of stress, understaffing, over worked are nursing these germs to establish themselves.
JAMA published their report this week, stating
universal screening of patients entering hospitals is a waste of time.
In UK they are now starting to repeat this exercise and spend some £49 million.
I am sorry, but this is not on, we are allowing time for the bugs to multiply and this is coming, please don't take me wrong, I have seen children die; we could do nothing but pray for a miracle and so am worried.
Please check out some of my videos in you tube, just type
MRSA and see for yourself what others infected with bugs are telling us.
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