A hospital boss has tested positive for coronavirus after falling ill with symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.
Dr Susan Gilby, the chief executive of Countess of Chester Hospital is currently isolating at home with her family after becoming unwell.
According to Cheshire Live, the qualified medical doctor is still feeling "okay" and continuing to work from her family home in Northwich with her GP husband and their three children.
A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed Dr Gilby's test results in a statement, confirming that she is "still running the hospital".
They added: "I can confirm Susan has tested positive for COVID-19. She is isolating at home with her family as a precaution.
"She has symptoms but is largely feeling OK. She’s still working from home so she’s still running the hospital.”
Dr Gilby recently confirmed what would happen if herself or another senior manager became ill from coronavirus and was unable to work.
She said: “If one of us get ill, we would definitely follow the guidelines and stay at home.
"Obviously we’re able to do some things from home and we have plans for who would step into which role.
"But for me, personally, it’s very important I am here to support staff and in particular to support my team.
“It’s a really challenging time and it’s 18-hour days for some for us in terms of things that are coming in all the time.”
Dr Gilby joined the hospital as medical director and deputy chief executive in the autumn of 2018 but found herself running the whole organisation just seven weeks later.
The shock resignation of chief executive Tony Chambers in the wake of an ongoing police probe into unexplained deaths at the neonatal unit saw her take the helm as acting chief executive from September 19.
Colleagues were impressed with her calm manner in difficult circumstances.
She later applied for the permanent post and became the fully fledged chief executive from April 1 last year.
Dr Gilby has long-standing professional and very personal links with the Countess as not only did she train there as a registrar in anaesthetics in 2003 but her youngest son was born in the maternity wing.
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