Mum-of-two stung by wasp saved by 'exemplary' GP staff being left 'on death's door'
A woman saved by quick-thinking GP staff after she fell into anaphylactic shock from a wasp sting has said: ‘Their work was exemplary.’
Locks Heath resident Ruth Murley had arrived at Jubilee Surgery, in High Street to cancel an appointment for her 23-year-old son.
But she found herself the centre of a medical emergency when a wasp stung her leg in the surgery’s car park in Titchfield.
The 54-year-old was left ‘gasping for breath’ and could feel her throat closing as she ran to the medical centre.
She said: ‘I was struggling to get the through the door.
‘All I could say to the receptionist was “sting, sting”.
‘I tried to take a seat, but by this point I could only take two or three more breaths, then I fell unconscious.
‘I was at death's door.’
Dr Janet Naylor and nurse Judith Poole quickly came to Mrs Murley’s aid and administered two EpiPens and emergency treatment for the anaphylactic shock.
Paramedics, who took the mother-of-two to Southampton General Hospital, told her that the GP staff ‘absolutely’ saved her life.
Ruth has since visited the surgery to thank her life-savers.
She said: ‘It was really emotional - we were all crying.
‘I gave them some gifts but that did not seem enough, which is why I contacted my local MP Suella Braverman and both the Royal College of Practitioners and the Royal College of Nursing.
‘Their work was exemplary.’
Commenting on the work of the NHS staff, Suella Braverman said: ‘I commend Dr Naylor and Sister Poole for their amazing actions to save Mrs Murley’s life.
‘It must have been a very surprising and spontaneous situation, and it is testament to their professionalism that they were able to administer emergency life-saving treatment under such circumstances.
‘This event is a reminder that any of us could require medical treatment at a moment’s notice and how important our NHS and local health services are to all of us.’
Ruth now carries two EpiPens and a bracelet that explains she can suffer from anaphylactic symptoms.
She said the staff agreed that ‘someone was looking after’ her on the day of the incident.
Ruth said: ‘Had I been driving or anywhere else, things would have been very different.’