Couple in separate Derby hospitals reunited for final days together

Richard and Julia Hodges had been together for 53 years and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in May

A man was able to spend his final moments holding his wife's hand after nurses reunited the pair who had been admitted to separate hospitals.

Richard Hodges, 77, died at the Royal Derby Hospital with Julia, his wife of 50 years, next to him before Mrs Hodges passed away weeks later.

The pair's son Chris has praised staff for their "incredible act of kindness".

Rhianne Roberts, a nurse who helped to bring the couple together, said "it was very emotional for us all".

Mrs Hodges, 76, and her husband were admitted to different hospitals on the same day in July.

Teams on the wards, which helped reunite the pair, were given a Making a Difference Award from Stephen Posey, the hospital trust's chief executive

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust said Mr Hodges had been treated for an infection, which had spread and caused neutropenic sepsis.

The time came for his treatment to end, and all staff could do was make him comfortable.

The teams on the ward at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital in Derby - where Mrs Hodges was receiving palliative care - and at the Royal Derby Hospital, where Mr Hodges had been admitted, worked to bring the couple back together.

Staff found the pair a two-bed bay at the Royal Derby Hospital, where the couple were reunited.

Mr Hodges died the following day, and Mrs Hodges passed away a few weeks later on 26 August.

Their son Chris said their family had "given up hope of getting them back together", so were "incredibly moved" by the teams' kindness.

Staff on Ward 2 at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital cared for Mrs Hodges before she was moved to be with her husband

Chris added: "Just to see them back together once more was amazing and although my dad was relatively unresponsive, he seemed to calm and his breathing eased - he was aware that my mum was there.

"Over one weekend they changed a dreadful situation into an amazing end, and I will always be so grateful to them."

Rhianne Roberts, of the Royal Derby Hospital, said: "They were such a lovely family and to be able to turn what is a really hard time into something so poignant was a really special thing to be a part of and very emotional for us all."

Dawn Wilkinson, a senior sister at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, added: "It was absolutely the right thing to do for those patients and it is something everyone involved in will remember for a long time."