Antibiotic Research UK is delighted to have received a second grant from National Lottery Awards for All. This follows a previous award for our Patient Support work in Scotland and will allow us to develop our service further in England, too.
Our award-winning patient support service provides emotional and informational support to people who have a drug-resistant infection. Arlene, Patient Support Officer, said: “There is a constant flow of people who look to us for advice and information. Antibiotic resistance is a complicated issue. A lot of the people we speak to don’t really understand what’s wrong with them or the long-term implications of it. That’s why grants like this are so important – it will help us to bring comfort to people at a scary time in their lives.”
What we’ll do with the money from the National Lottery
This generous grant will help us to reach more people with our Patient Support service. We will provide one-to-one support by telephone and email to people affected by resistant infections. Our team will continue to answer the stream of questions we receive from people who are worried about COVID-19 in relation to secondary bacterial infections, vaccination whilst on antibiotics and more. The service also connects people with others who have similar experiences through a peer-support forum on Zoom and social media.
We know how much this help means to people affected by resistant infections. Many of them have been shielding for a large proportion of the past two years as they are highly vulnerable.
We are also developing leaflets and posters for GP and pharmacy waiting areas, to raise awareness about how antibiotics work and how overuse leads to antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic Research UK would like to thank the National Lottery and its players for this fantastic grant. It will allow us to continue to provide support, comfort and information to people at a very difficult time.
Mary’s story
Mary said: “There are times when I feel completely desperate. I feel lonely and lost. Probably the biggest thing is that I live in fear – all the time”.
If you want to talk to someone about antibiotic resistance, our Patient Support team is here for you.