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Sturgeon reveals personal experience of superbug



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Published Date: 20 June 2008
By Hamish Macdonell
NICOLA Sturgeon, the health secretary, yesterday revealed that she had personal experience of the C Difficile bug – which recently killed eight people in a Scottish hospital – having watched her grandmother battle it in the last days of her life.
Ms Sturgeon said she empathised with those who wanted to see a full public inquiry into the Vale of Leven outbreak, but did not believe this was the right approach.

The health secretary has commissioned a review – to be led by Cairns Smith, professor of public health at Aberdeen University – into the outbreak at the West Dunbartonshire hospital which infected more than 50 people with C diff.

Ms Sturgeon denied accusations the Scottish Government could have done more and revealed she had personal knowledge of how devastating the effects of the bug could be.

She said: "I know how dreadful it is to have experience of C diff in the family. I have personal experience of that.

"This is an incredibly serious issue.

"It's one that deserves to be treated with the utmost seriousness, and that's what I'm doing."

Ms Sturgeon's grandmother was terminally ill in a hospital in Ayr eight years ago when she contracted C diff.



The full article contains 203 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 19 June 2008 9:32 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Hospital superbugs
 
1

subrosa,

21/06/2008 11:39:04
8 years ago? I thought this superbug had just arrived in the west coast. That's what Jackie Baillie would have us believe.

This bug has been around for a long long time but, owing to increasingly poor hygiene in our hospitals and the misuse of broad spectrum antibiotics, it has flourished in the past years.

What did the last lot do about it? Covered it up, didn't recognise it etc. I know for a fact that 6 years ago the then Scottish executive were warned it was a serious bug and incidents were increasing. In those days it was only infection of the over 65s that was recorded. This gives a poor view of the number of cases.

Now all cases have to be recorded. At last! I'm a survivor of c.diff and I know first hand how badly this infection is handled - from the GP through to the hospital specialists. When my infection was diagnosed I was told "you've a wee infection and we need to move you to another room on your own. That should really have been done yesterday". Meanwhile I was sharing toilet and shower facilities with another 5 women, 3 of whom had had major intestinal surgery.

At the time of my diagnosis I think it was 27 people had died of c.diff in Norfolk. It was even on the news on the ward television and the staff at my local hospital said it's a 'wee infection". I had to insist I was told what it was and ask my husband to google the facts.

Wash your hands in hot soapy water before entering and upon leaving any hospital.
2

linda mccafferty,

Glasgow 21/06/2008 20:37:38
If Nicola Sturgeon has had the personal experience of C-Diff being suffered by her loved one, then she should understand why people want a public inquiry .

 

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