An education room and bench at Hinchingbrooke Hospital have been named in memory of a dedicated doctor.
Dr Anitha Mathews worked at the hospital as a consultant diabetologist and endocrinologist from 2002 until her passing in July of 2020.
She leaves a husband and two sons, all of whom are doctors, as well as many friends in the Hinchingbrooke Hospital family.
Since her passing, her family has donated a bench in her name and the hospital has renamed an education room after Dr Mathews.
Dr Matthews was passionate about patient care and doing the best for her patients as well as being a mentor to many junior doctors and nurses.
Her other passion was education, both for the staff and the patients.
She believed the more someone knew about their illness, the more informed choices they would be able to make.
It is now the one-year anniversary of her passing and the education room named after her and the bench have been well-used.
The Dr Anitha Mathews education room is there for both staff and patients to learn together to improve health outcomes.
The bench has been dedicated as a place for quiet reflection in otherwise busy days.
Dr Suzanne Hamilton, consultant and deputy chief operating officer, said: “I worked with Dr Mathews for many years and I know she would be pleased to see a room dedicated to one of her passions - education, and to have a place for staff and patients to take a moment out of their hectic day.”
Last July scores of family, friends and colleagues turned out at the hospital to say a moving farewell to Dr Mathews who had worked at the trust for almost 20 years.
Dr Mathews was instrumental in the development of an award-winning diabetes team and was proud that in 2007 the hospital was one of only eight in the country given validation to deliver the “DAFNE” patient education course.
The team also received a series of awards between 2015 and 2019 for its work around hypo-awareness and insulin safety.
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