MRSA News

From the BBC Scotland news site:

MRSA sufferer in damages claim

A woman has launched a compensation claim against a health board after contracting the MRSA superbug.

Elizabeth Miller, from Kilsyth, said poor hygiene caused her to contract the potentially fatal infection while a patient at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Her lawyer said that if her case was successful it could open the flood gates for thousands of other claims.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said it could not comment on the legal action at this stage.

The 67-year-old woman has demanded £30,000 in compensation from the hospital.

She had been admitted to hospital for routine heart surgery but contracted Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection.

Mrs Miller said her health continues to suffer as a result.

She had to undergo a second operation to reopen the chest wound and tackle the infection.

Mrs Miller said: "MRSA has really thrown me back. Had I been taken care of properly I should have been out in less than 10 days and that would have been it.

"Now I'm left with two scars. But I shouldn't have needed the second operation. I still have terrible pain in my breast bone because they had to open the wound again.

"I also suffer from terrible depression and get severe migraines."

Mrs Miller said her main demand has been a "full apology from the NHS" and not the money, although she added that it would help.

Her lawyer, Cameron Fyfe, said: "If we were to win this case we would proceed with over 80 other claims."

A spokeswoman for North Glasgow University Hospitals said: "As this is a legal case we are unable to make any comment."