MRSA Action UK: Professor Hugh Pennington receives Commander of the Order of the British Empire Award
Professor Hugh Pennington receives Commander of the Order of the British Empire Award
Congratulations to MRSA Action UK’s President, Professor Hugh Pennington, on being awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to microbiology and food hygiene. Hugh said:
“It was a very pleasant surprise when the letter came.”
“It’s nice to be recognised for the work one’s been doing over the years in microbiology and food safety. It’s a top award and it shows one has been working hard.”
Professor Hugh Pennington is Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen. He joined the University as Chair of Bacteriology in 1979, remaining there until his retirement in 2003. In 1996 he headed up the inquiry into the Wishaw E.coli outbreak which claimed the lives of 20 elderly people. His report, ‘Pennington 1’, set out a range of recommendations aiming at preventing a similar outbreak, including the formation of the Food Standards Agency. Unfortunately, Professor Pennington was called upon to write ‘Pennington 2’ in 2005, following another E.coli outbreak in South Wales.
Professor Pennington has championed the cause in reducing healthcare associated infections and made his views well known on the regulation within the healthcare environment and the numbers game being played by Government. He wrote in July 2004:
“The number of MRSA bacteraemias is a surrogate measure for non-trivial infections. Reducing them by half means the same for lethality. Even if this target is achieved MRSA will still be killing more people than all the microbial causes of food poisoning put together. A slaughterman killing a cow and preparing its carcass for the butcher is far more regulated by the Meat Hygiene Service, by the official veterinary surgeon, and by lots of rules with penalties for infringement than anyone handling the living in a hospital. European Commission inspectors can call at an abattoir at any time. Hospital infection control has no equivalents. Abattoirs are probably over-regulated. The same cannot be said for hospitals.”
I first met Hugh at the Wellcome Centre in London on 19th June 2007, the event was a discussion forum on “Dealing with Airborne Pathogens”.
I asked him if he would be our President, and without hesitation he accepted. He is very supportive of our cause and is adamant that many of the bloodstream infections with MRSA are avoidable, and has no hesitation in telling those in healthcare this is the case.
He says that without us, the patients lobbying for a continuation of efforts to reduce the burden of healthcare associated infections, relaxing of the pressure will lead to rising numbers.
We are proud and honoured to have the support of Hugh, for us he is the people’s champion when it comes to matters of health and patient safety.
Well deserved, Hugh.
Derek Butler
Chair
MRSA Action UK
http://mrsaactionuk.net
Derek.butler@mrsaactionuk.net
07762 741114
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