NHS workers line hospital corridor in emotional tribute to midwife who died after contracting coronavirus
NHS workers lined a hospital corridor in an emotional tribute to a midwife who died after testing positive for coronavirus.
Lynsay Coventry, 54, is the first serving NHS midwife in England whose death has been publicly confirmed.
A number of NHS staff have lost their lives through fighting the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
Coventry’s colleagues at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, paid tribute to her by lining up along a ward in silence.
Colleague Rachel Marchant posted an image on Facebook of their tribute, and wrote: “This is what our maternity unit in Harlow looked like on Friday.
“My friends, work colleagues and work family all united in grief.
“We stand apart to minimise spread but stand together in mourning the loss of our midwife.
“I hope you sleep well my beautiful friend.”
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In a statement, Coventry’s family said: “Our hearts are broken at the loss of our loving, wonderful and caring mum, sister, daughter and grandmother.
"We each know how much she loved and cherished us. Her love for us all was unfailing and her strength in the way she cared and supported us will fill our memories.
"What we also know is how proud she was to be an NHS midwife."
They said Coventry had "followed her dream" to train as a midwife in later life and that it was a role in which she was "very well-respected".
The number of coronavirus-related hospital deaths stands at 4,934 patients as of 5pm on Saturday, up by 621 from 4,313 the day before, according to the Department of Health.
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Lance McCarthy, chief executive of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, paid tribute to Coventry's years of service and said the loss would be felt by colleagues in the maternity team and across the entire organisation.
The chief midwifery officer for England, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, said she had been "deeply moved and saddened" to hear of the death.
"Lynsay was clearly a highly regarded midwife whose dedication to women, babies and their families will be remembered and cherished by her own family and her colleagues," she said.
"My deepest thoughts are with them, her children, grandchildren, parents and siblings."
Gill Walton, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Lynsay went to work every day to support pregnant women and bring new life into the world.
“Her loss is not only a tragedy for her family, friends and colleagues, but also for all the women and children she touched during her career.
"It's important to remember that the NHS frontline doesn't only apply to those working in intensive care or direct COVID support, but to midwives and others."
Last week, tributes were paid to NHS nurse and mother-of-three Aimee O’Rourke, 39, who worked at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, and tested positive for coronavirus before she died.
Another nurse, Areema Nasreen, 36, died at Walsall Manor Hospital, where she worked in the acute medical unit, after contracting the virus.
And Liz Glanister, a nurse at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool, died on Friday after testing positive for the virus.
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief nurse Dianne Brown said: "It is with great sadness that I can confirm that Liz Glanister, a long-serving staff nurse at Aintree University Hospital, sadly passed away at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Friday after being tested positive for COVID-19.
"All our thoughts are with Liz's family at this time and we offer them our sincere condolences.
"Liz will be sadly missed by all those who knew and worked with her."
