The resources have been produced with the PSHE (Personal, social, health and economic) Association and Meningitis Now supporter Sue Astley Theodossiadis – in memory of her 25-year-old son Alex, who died from meningitis five years ago on 28 January 2020.
Alex was living away from home and hadn’t registered with a local GP. When he became unwell, he struggled to gain access to healthcare services quickly – it took three separate attempts over five days to finally be diagnosed and treated for meningitis, by which time it was too late to save his life.
Sue shared Alex’s story as part of our Ribbon Appeal last year and at our Christmas concert.
Navigate the healthcare system
We’ve been pleased to work closely with Sue and the PSHE Association on developing resources and preparing them for publication. They consist of two lessons which teach 16 to 18-year-olds (key stage 5 students) how to recognise serious illness in themselves and others, and to have the confidence and knowledge to navigate the healthcare system. One section includes role playing on how to get a doctor’s appointment.
The pack has been part-funded by the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester, where Sue works, and part-funded by Meningitis Now.
Prevent others dying in a similar way
Sue is passionate that young people should be health literate and feel confident to push for the medical help that they need. She says,
"This pack draws on Alex’s experience and aims to help young people recognise serious illness in themselves and others, and to have the confidence and knowledge to navigate the healthcare system. Until the time of his illness, Alex’s interactions with the NHS had mainly been for sports injuries, and many of those were when he was young, so I was there with him.
“My hope is that these teaching resources will help prevent others dying in a similar way. All healthcare professionals, and GP receptionists, need to be aware of the difficulties young people can have in explaining themselves.”
Welcome valuable resource
Our Chief Executive, Dr Tom Nutt, added: “We welcome this valuable resource and thank Sue for her tireless efforts to raise awareness and fight back against the disease that sadly took her son’s life.
“Young people are an at-risk group of meningitis and research tells us that up to a quarter of 15 to 24-year-olds carry the bacteria that cause meningococcal meningitis in the back of their throats, compared with one in 10 of the general population.
“Common complaints such as a hangover and Freshers’ Flu are often given as reasons for a person not feeling too well – but we are asking young people not to simply assume this is the case. A headache and fever are also common signs of meningitis.
Confidence and knowledge
“It’s so important that young people have the confidence and knowledge to understand what may be happening to them when they are unwell and to know when to seek medical help or the help of others. This means taking a few minutes to learn the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, and to know that it’s okay to seek urgent medical help if you are concerned that someone may be unwell and getting worse.
“This new resource will give young people the knowledge and confidence on how best to go about this.”
The PHSE Association added: “These lessons will help students to develop responsibility for monitoring and maintaining their health and wellbeing; learning how to access reliable health information, recognising when to seek medical care, and rehearsing communication with healthcare professionals. This resource will support students to be aware of vaccinations available, common signs and symptoms of the disease and what to do if someone is seriously unwell.”
