Tributes paid to 'lovely, kind, caring' nurse and father-of-two who died after contracting coronavirus

Keith Dunnington, of South Shields, died on Tuesday, April 19 after contracting the coronavirus.

He had worked at the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital in Gateshead as a staff nurse, and was remembered by his family as a ‘devoted and loving son’ and ‘loving father’ who was dedicated and committed to supporting the NHS in its fight against the pandemic on the front line.

Tributes have flooded in for the hardworking nurse who had planned to work at the North East Nightingale Hospital on the coronavirus front line.

On Facebook Alexandra Scott wrote: “It was an honour to work with such a lovely man, always friendly and will be well remembered,” while Ruth Chantel Simpson said: “Such a lovely kind, caring, thoughtful family guy and fantastic nurse.”

Yvonne Ormston MBE, chief executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, paid tribute to Keith, 54, as a “popular and hard-working” member of the nursing team in a message to staff.

She said: “Keith was a long-serving staff nurse who worked on medical, surgical and elderly wards here at Gateshead Health NHS FT.

“Keith was a popular and hard-working member of our fantastic nursing team. He will be very missed by his co-workers here at the trust and by the patients he cared for.

“Keith most recently worked on Ward 12 where his colleagues remember him very fondly. He was known for always having a positive outlook which others found really encouraging and for taking time to check-in with colleagues.

“On Sundays he put particular importance on everyone having a proper dinner and often arranged food for everyone.

“When not at work he volunteered at soup kitchens and spent time with his family, who he spoke so highly about.”

The chief executive went on to say that Keith was employed by Pulse Jobs – but was ‘very much part of the QE family’.

Lorna Duka from Pulse Jobs added her own condolences in a statement.

She said: “Keith was a very selfless, hardworking and dedicated nurse who planned to help at the Nightingale during this pandemic.

“His positivity really stood out during this time; cracking jokes and asking me how I was coping.

“He always spoke very fondly of his family and his colleagues at Gateshead who he had the opportunity to work with regularly over the last year. He will be very much missed.”

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