ANOTHER NHS HERO CLAIMED BY COVID
‘SHE HAS LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION WITH ALL WHO KNEW HER’
A DEDICATED frontline NHS worker and mum-of-three has died after catching coronavirus, writes Amy Orton.
Tributes to “one of our own” have been paid by colleagues after Yvonne Taggart, 55, died on Christmas Eve.
The city’s chief nurse, Carolyn Fox, said: “She was a team player, passionate and proud to work for the NHS.”
HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a “dedicated and passionate” frontline NHS worker and mum-of-three who died after catching coronavirus.
Yvonne Taggart, 55, a health care assistant (HCA) died on Christmas Eve, leaving her family and colleagues devastated.
She was a mum to three daughters and proud grandmother to four. Yvonne, pictured, also had two brothers and is survived by her mother.
Carolyn Fox, chief nurse at Leicester’s hospitals, penned and shared a tribute with staff calling Yvonne “one of our own”.
Yvonne’s daughters, Emma, Sarah and Danielle, said: “Mum always spoke very highly of what she referred to as her ‘work family’ and often told us about the laughs you all shared.
“Throughout the years, Mum made a lot of true friends, some of whom we, her daughters, have been fortunate to have met and are privileged to be able to remain in contact with.
“Mum had a big heart full of love to give and she has left a big hole in the hearts of everyone who knows and loves her. She is forever in our thoughts.”
In an e-mail to staff, Carolyn told hospitals trust staff: “With incredible sadness, I share news of the death of one of our own.
“Remembering Yvonne, her closest colleagues have spoken of their thankfulness for having known her. She was a team player, hard-working, passionate and extremely proud to work for the NHS. She cared well and deeply for her patients and was never fazed by challenge.”
The tribute said Yvonne began working for the trust in 2003 on wards including 29 and 42 and had been working regular bank shifts at Leicester’s hospitals since 2016.
Carolyn said: “She was well known and much loved. Yvonne regularly went above and beyond, often being the first to work and the last to leave.
“Her colleagues always felt safe in the knowledge that she was there and that any shift with Yvonne would be a good one.
“She has left a lasting impression with all who knew her and will be deeply missed. Her colleagues are determined to carry on her legacy of exceptional patient care, dedication and team spirit.”
The family asked the trust to share a social media post Yvonne wrote a while ago with colleagues.
In it, Yvonne said: “Being an HCA isn’t about grades, it’s about being who we are.
“No book can teach you how to cry with a patient. No class can teach you how to tell a family that their loved ones have died or are dying. No professor can teach you how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath.
“Being an HCA is not about the pills or the charting. It’s about being able to love people when they are at their weakest moments.”
Members of the hospitals trust board paid tribute to Yvonne at a meeting this week.
Chairman Karamjit Singh said: “All of us would like to place our deepest sympathies on record.
“Reading the tribute to Yvonne, it was clear she made a very deep impression on her colleagues and was very committed to her work.
“All of us appreciate what our staff have been doing and also recognise the severity of the situation and the centrality of our staff.”