Nancy Jirira at a Lib Dem conference before she fell ill

A FORMER Lib Dem councillor’s brush with death from coronavirus played a central role in a landmark documentary about Covid-19 patient care at the Royal Free.

Nancy Jirira, who represented Fortune Green at the Town Hall for six years until 2014, was shown being clapped out of the ward by NHS staff on her discharge from the Pond Street hospital last month.

It was an emotional final scene to Hospital on BBC2 this evening (Monday), with viewers earlier learning that there had been a 50 or even 60 per cent risk of her dying.

On her discharge, Ms Jirira told staff: “My colleagues, I am truly, truly grateful from the bottom of my heart. I worked for the NHS from 1970. I never, every day of my life, never had a day off sick. So you can imagine how angry I am about this stupid illness. I am indebted to a lot of you who’ve left their family so far away and are here to help us. Please just hold on a little bit more. We shall overcome this. And when we do, the NHS hopefully will be better for it.”

Nancy Jirira said she was determined to walk out of the hospital after her recovery [Hospital, BBC]

BBC cameras have spent three weeks inside the Royal Free wards during the crisis. The second part of a double header will be screened tomorrow (Tuesday) evening.

Ms Jirira was taken off a ventilator after becoming “the first known [Covid} patient whose airway was restricted by laryngitis”, doctors explained.

• Hospital can be watched on the BBC’s iPlayer service and tomorrow night’s episode will be screened at 9pm on BBC2.
• If you would like to to donate to an appeal to help Royal Free staff during the coronavirus crisis, details can be found on the hospital charity’s website.