12 February 2021

Frimley Health staff couples cherish their love this Valentine’s. Three devoted NHS couples say working together during the pandemic has “made them closer than ever”.

Three married couples who have worked together during the most difficult year in the Trust’s history celebrate their love this Valentine’s day. Anjana Dua and Ash Karir, from Esher in Surrey,  both doctors at Frimley Park Hospital; Adrian and Tony Richardson from Farnborough, who work in senior admin roles also at Frimley Health; and Michele and Chris Cagney, also from Farnborough, a junior sister and estates worker at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, have all worked for Frimley Health Foundation Trust for several years.

Dr Anjana Dua and Dr Ash Karir from Esher, Surrey

Anjana and Ash are both doctors who work on the Medical Acute Dependency Unit at Frimley Park Hospital. During the last two months, they have cared for some of the hospitals most seriously ill Covid patients.

Anjana said: “Working on the same ward during Covid has been a great source of comfort, we have supported each other throughout. We’ve obviously had some really challenging days, when patients pass away and having difficult telephone conversations with families, we can check in on each other during the day and it helps us to process it better.

”We’ve been married nearly two years and we’ve not had chance to celebrate our first wedding anniversary yet! Our first one was during lockdown last year and it’s coming round again in April. We have been fortunate enough to work together with a wonderful team on MADU in this second wave, which has made all the tough work this time around more bearable!"

Michele and Chris Cagney from Farnborough, Hants

Michele qualified as a nurse at Frimley Park in 1983, the same year that she and Chris got married. 38 Years later, Michele works as a junior sister on the day surgery unit at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and Chris is responsible for maintenance in the Trust’s estates department. During Covid, Michele has been a key member of the clinical team working hard to keep the day surgery running for patients needing procedures for urology and cancer.

Michele said: “One of the best things about being at the same hospital is that we are both able to talk about work and really understand one another’s roles. In these times of Covid, particularly the latest surge, we both feel a huge responsibility to the patients and to ensure our families stay safe. It can be a lonely place being a health worker during such a difficult period, which is why we are even more grateful to have each other.”

Adrian and Tony Adrian Richardson from Farnborough, Hants

Adrian and Tony were neighbours when they met six years ago and have been married since August 2019.  The devoted couple joined Frimley Health within months of each other in the midst of the pandemic, having worked together at a hospital in Sussex. Adrian is one of the Trust’s directors, looking after continuous quality improvement, and Tony is a senior configuration analyst helping to build the Trust’s new patient record system. While Covid has affected their professional lives, the biggest impact has been on their personal lives as it’s prevented them being able to push forward with their adoption plans.

Tony said: “Covid has certainly been a challenge outside of work as well as in the hospital. Due to the current surge we’ve had to place our adoption journey on hold. The process was underway and we had been building up the required amount of childcare experience by volunteering at the hospital’s nursery but sadly that has had to stop due to the restrictions. This pandemic is affecting people in so many different ways, we’re really hoping we can get back on the road to adoption again soon.”