Tributes paid to Eileen Landers
We are very sorry to announce that Eileen Landers, a member of our cleaning team here at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, sadly passed away yesterday (26 April 2020) at Queen’s Hospital Burton from Covid-19.
Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive, said: “Eileen joined the Trust as a Domestic Assistant at Queens Hospital Burton in 2004 and was a very popular member of the team. Eileen worked in many departments and wards across the hospital, most recently in the Discharge Lounge, and was known for her high standards, which colleagues and the nursing team say were second to none. During her time here she was known for her absolute dedication to her role and her dedication to coming to clean the hospital and protect patients. The importance of the role Eileen and her colleagues perform simply cannot be overstated. Eileen will be sadly missed by the whole UHDB family, especially by the domestic teams that worked closely with her for those many years. Our thoughts and condolences are with Eileen’s family today.”
Margaret Landers, Eileen’s sister, said: “Eileen grew up in Tipperary Town in County Tipperary, Ireland, and was the second youngest of eight brothers and sisters where we grew up. She came to England in her early twenties and later joined the NHS. Eileen had a heart of gold and was the most generous person. We will all miss her greatly.”
Gavin Boyle said: “The parts of the Midlands we serve and our communities have been particularly affected by Covid-19. The 13,000 colleagues that make up the UHDB family are part of those communities too. Our staff are at the very frontline of dealing with the epidemic and it is only human to have anxieties ourselves. Eileen’s death marks the third colleague we’ve lost over the last few weeks as a result of Covid-19. It takes a great deal of courage to come into the hospital day in day out – our people do without question. We still have many difficult days, weeks and months ahead, but their work is making a real difference. I can only thank them for everything they are doing in the most difficult of circumstances.”
A minute’s silence will be held for Eileen tomorrow (Tuesday 28 April 2020) at 11am. At this time we will also remember Amged El-Hawrani and Manjeet Singh Riyat, and David Boyer, who passed away last week from a non-covid-19 related illness. Colleagues from across the country will also be sharing this moment of reflection as part of International Workers’ Memorial Day.