Tributes paid following death of dedicated 'salt of the earth' medic at Hartlepool hospital ward

The joint replacement unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool said a sad goodbye to Margie Jennings last week.

Margie, a healthcare assistant in the unit, worked at Hartlepool for 16 years and has been described as being an “exceptional” member of staff.

As testament to how well loved she was, the whole team attended her funeral at Hartlepool Crematorium on Friday to pay their respects.

Ward matron Linda Wildberg said: “Margie was loved and respected by me and all of our ward 4 family.

“She was an exceptional woman who worked tirelessly in her role and her care of her patients was second to none.

“She was not only a colleague she was a loved and loyal friend to me and all the staff on the ward. She will be deeply missed by us all.”

Margie, who was 61, had been unwell for around two years but still regularly visited the unit to see staff and patients and even came back to work for a short time.

Her colleague, Margie Peterson, took part in a memory walk to help raise money for her.

Sadly, she never had the opportunity to use it – so she donated the £200 raised to Alice House Hospice in Hartlepool and to the air ambulance.

She also donated some to ward 4 physiotherapist Helen Ward, who is providing the money to help buy new syringe drivers for use in the community for terminally ill patients, in memory of her mum Jean Murray who recently passed away from lung cancer.

Ward clerks Lyn Liddell and Dianne Hughes and healthcare assistant Gill Fox paid tribute to their friend and colleague.

They said: “Margie was a salt of the earth type of woman – committed to her friends and colleagues and an incredibly hard working member of staff. We were all proud she was one of ours.

“No matter who you were, she treated you with the same respect. She would look after every student who came to work in the unit, calling them all ‘bairn’ no matter what their age was.

“Margie didn’t suffer fools and never held a grudge – she called a spade a spade.

“She had a really unique bedside manner with patients – everyone liked her.

“God help anyone who left a blood pressure machine around that wasn’t charged up or was left with untidy cables – she would bellow down the ward to find out who had done it!

“She was a very strong woman and only wanted the very best care for patients and was a truly fantastic member of the team.”