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Double dose

Yesterday's extract of Friday's Child in the Daily Mail caused a huge response, which still stuns me this morning.

To everyone who has contacted me: Thank you. I am replying as fast as I can!

The extract was from my book Friday's Child which is the story of what happened back then. Today …

Count down

… a lot of people who know about the continuing danger of childbed fever and infection in otherwise healthy new mothers.

I really want it to be the start of the end of this cruel and un-prejudiced killer. Please, help me to make Jessica's untimely and unnecessary death one that counts.

Keith Cartwright MA BM FRCP FRCPath FFPH

Professor of Clinical Microbiology

Professor Cartwright was Director of the Public Health Laboratory at Gloucester from 1981 to 1995 and then Group Director of PHLS South West until the closure of the PHLS in 2003. His final post before retirement in July 2004 was as Head of Intervention Policy and R&D for the newly created Health Protection Agency.

He retains his positions …

Headed paper

… other parliamentarians, is committed to helping Jessica's Trust, and wrote to Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary to ask for a meeting. His reply was attached to the letter.

Although he didn't say yes or no to the meeting, his letter was encouraging: pointing out that I had already met with the National Clinical Lead for Maternal Health and Maternity Services, had had a productive meeting …

Don't test, tell

… of the vital importance of being seen, swabbed and treated if infection is suspected, before her health and her life are in danger.

* up to 30% of us may be carrying Group A Strep in our throats or on our skin

A chilling hot lunch

I had lunch with two of Jessica's girlfriends today. Soup and garlic bread in the glorious sunshine, and really nice to see them both.

We were talking about Jessica and her trust, and in the course of the conversation I fetched a copy of Saving Mother's Lives 2003-2005 to illustrate a point. …

Childbed fever: the facts

… a hospital acquired infection (HAI) or a 'superbug'

It is not caused by poor hygiene

Even a healthy immune system will not beat it

Delivering naturally and easily, without any complications does not eliminate the risk

Being young and healthy doesn't make you 'safe'

If you have a home birth, it doesn’t make you 'safe'

Lewis, G (ed) 2007. The Confidential Enquiry into …

No crawling

… and has prescribed 'fogging' under the ground floor. The rest of the house has a clean bill of health, fortunately.

His array of quotes, measurements, costings and policy documents covered the kitchen table as he gave me a not-unreasonable quote, which I accepted there and then. 'The sooner the better,' I said to him, and so the men in masks come tomorrow.

I was worried about the effects …

BBC NEWS | Health | Care not top priority - NHS staff

Link to article: BBC NEWS | Health | Care not top priority - NHS staff

Maternity resources

BBC NEWS | Health | 'No plans' for migrant birth rate

The government should have done more to help the NHS cope with the increase in foreign-born mothers using maternity services, the Conservatives say.

How can the government keep saying that they are working towards having a named midwife for every …