A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust colleague is using her father’s experience to help raise awareness of a little-known respiratory condition Aspergillosis and support efforts to improve understanding of the health risks associated with damp and mould.
For Jasmine Rainford, a Business Change Facilitator within the Trust's Digital Health and Informatics team, the campaign is deeply personal.
Her father, Michael ‘Mick’ Rainford, died in January 2025 aged 65 after he contracted Aspergillosis, following a long battle with chronic respiratory illness. A former builder, American football player, and devoted dog owner, Michael was well known in his community for his sharp wit, dry humour and straightforward outlook on life.
"He was as blunt as a butter knife with no filter," Jasmine said with a smile. "You always knew where you stood with him. He had a brilliant sense of humour and would make people laugh without even trying."
Michael spent much of his working life in the building trade after beginning his career as a mechanic. He took enormous pride in his work and found it difficult when worsening health forced him to stop working.
A lifelong smoker, he later developed COPD, emphysema and other long-term health conditions. Following a three-month admission in 2018 with severe pneumonia and sepsis his mobility reduced significantly and he became largely housebound.
As his health deteriorated, Jasmine increasingly took on the role of primary carer, helping to coordinate appointments and support his day-to-day needs.
"Like many people caring for someone with a long-term condition, you simply get on with whatever needs doing," she said. "I wanted to help him remain as independent as possible."
Over several years, Michael experienced recurrent chest infections, episodes of sepsis and required multiple, and often lengthy admissions to Royal Preston Hospital.
Despite the challenges he faced, Jasmine recalls the kindness shown by staff throughout his care.
"The teams who looked after him knew him really well," she said. "The staff were always compassionate and treated him with dignity and kindness. I'll never forget that."
During his final admission in 2024, Jasmine learned that Michael had Aspergillosis, a fungal infection caused by Aspergillus mould that can be particularly dangerous for people with existing lung disease. While most people breathe in Aspergillus spores every day without becoming ill, the condition can cause significant health problems in people with damaged lungs, long-term respiratory conditions or weakened immune systems.
As she began researching the condition, Jasmine became increasingly aware of the similarities in the pattern of her father’s clinical decline and increasingly concerned about how environmental mould exposure can affect vulnerable patients and, as in her father’s case, can ultimately be fatal.
Following her father's death, she provided a detailed statement to the Coroner and became determined to explore how greater awareness and better communication around respiratory health could help support people living with complex lung conditions.
She contacted Dr Sharada Gudur, Consultant Respiratory Physician at LTH and former Asthma + Lung UK champion, after reading about her visit to Parliament and work to improve lung health and reduce health inequalities.
Since then, discussions involving respiratory, microbiology, pathology and digital colleagues have explored opportunities to improve awareness and information sharing across services. Conversations have included how positive environmental mould samples might be identified and communicated more effectively to support clinical decision-making and patient care.
The aim is to ensure healthcare professionals have the information they need to consider potential risks and support appropriate follow-up for vulnerable patients.
"One of the things I realised through this process was how important communication is," Jasmine said. "If we can improve awareness, share information more effectively and help healthcare professionals identify potential risks earlier, then that's a positive step."
Alongside her work within healthcare, Jasmine has also written to her local MP, Maya Ellis, about the importance of safe housing conditions and the impact that damp and mould can have on people living with respiratory disease. She also highlighted the importance of extending protections under Awaab's Law to people living in privately rented accommodation.
Awaab's Law places legal duties on social landlords to investigate and address serious damp and mould hazards within defined timescales.
In response to her letter; Maya Ellis confirmed that an extension to Awaab’s law for private rentals has been legislated as part of the Renter’s Rights Act 2025, although a timetable for implementation has yet to be announced by Government.
“Everyone deserves a home that is safe, secure and well maintained, and the government’s social housing law provides this by giving renters greater security, rights and protections to get hazards investigated and fixed within strict timeframes.
“There are plans to extend this to private rented accommodation, but I do understand the frustration that there’s, as yet, no timeline for implementing this.
“Renters should feel empowered to raise concerns about potential risks to their health and safety, and I’ll push, where I can, for faster action to get these protections in place for private tenants.
“I’ve sent my condolences to Jasmine following the loss of her father, Mick, and I commend the work she’s doing in his memory to raise awareness of respiratory health issues and their impact on families."
Jasmine believes greater awareness of the relationship between housing conditions and health is vital, particularly for people living with respiratory disease: "There are thousands of people across the country living with COPD, asthma and other lung conditions," she said.
"Anything that helps people understand the risks associated with damp and mould can only be a positive thing."
Jasmine says her motivation remains simple. Before his death, she promised her father she would continue seeking answers and look for ways to help others facing similar challenges.
"I told him I would do things properly and try to make something positive come from everything he had experienced," she said.
"If sharing his story encourages greater awareness, supports learning or helps even one family in the future, then that would be a legacy he would be incredibly proud of."
Dr Gudur said: "Jasmine's determination to turn such a personal loss into something positive has been incredibly powerful. Aspergillosis is a condition that can be difficult to recognise because many of its symptoms overlap with those of other respiratory illnesses. Raising awareness among both healthcare professionals and the public is an important step in helping to identify those at risk earlier and ensuring patients receive the most appropriate care and support. We are grateful to Jasmine for sharing her father's experience and helping to shine a light on this important area of respiratory health."
