MRSA Action UK pays tribute to Claire Rayner

Wednesday, 13 October 2010 12:00 AM

It was with great sadness that MRSA Action UK heard of the death of Claire Rayner. As Chair of MRSA Action UK I first had contact with Claire when I wrote to her about my late stepfather and the effects his untimely death had on my mother when we learned he had died from MRSA in 2003. Claire wrote a very moving letter to the family apologising for the way my stepfather had been treated by her "beloved NHS". This touched the hearts of all the family that she had taken the time to write to us.

Claire was "The People's Champion" fighting for the rights of patients and loved as a writer, journalist and agony aunt. When I was elected Chair of MRSA Action UK we invited Claire to our Annual Memorial Event at Westminster Abbey in 2007. Claire responded by saying that she wanted to attend this event to meet the many victims and the families who had lost a loved one to MRSA. Claire felt an empathy with families at this event because she had once suffered from MRSA herself. Claire spent some considerable time talking to victims of healthcare associated infections and followed the work of MRSA Action UK very closely. We will all miss her very much.

Claire, as President of the Patients' Association, campaigned for patients rights to receive safe, clean care within the NHS, she was speaking from personal experience as a nurse who worked within this great institution and always believed that the patient came first, above all else. We are sure that Claire will be missed by the Patients' Association as she will be missed by MRSA Action UK. Claire will be remembered with fondness by patients and the public because they were the ones that she campaigned for most of all.

Claire's final parting comment was to warn the government that if it messed with her beloved NHS she would come back to haunt them, showing her wonderful humour right to the end.

Derek Butler
Chair
MRSA Action UK
mrsaactionuk.net
derek.butler@mrsaactionuk.net
07762 741114

Tags: