Leslie Ash video for superbug research funding

PA 295/09 Actress Leslie Ash has made an appeal film in the hope of raising £1.4m for the Centre for Healthcare Associated Infections (CHAI) at The University of Nottingham. She says new research is vital if the NHS is to be equipped with the right tools to reduce the number of healthcare associated infections. Every year seven per cent of hospital patients contract a healthcare associated infection. Leslie, who is Patron of CHAI, faced a long and difficult recovery after contracting MSSA, a strain related to the hospital bug MRSA. Leslie said: "It is crucial that CHAI reaches its target of £1.4m. The centre's team of internationally recognised experts are already working hard to stop anyone else's life being affected by one of these deadly bugs but there is still a lot of work to be done if we are to speed up diagnosis and contain the spread of these infections." CHAI launched the appeal to fund research aimed at reducing the number of hospital infections by; developing rapid, economical diagnostic tests for MRSA and C.diff in NHS hospitals; and using new technology to track the evolution of superbugs that cause more serious infections. There is currently no national charity dedicated to funding research into these killer infections.