Nurse has car stolen while she worked 12 hour shift treating Covid patients

Takesha Phillips left ‘confused and distressed’ by theft outside Birmingham City Hospital

(Tekesha Phillips)

A frontline nurse’s car was stolen while she treated coronavirus patients during an "exhausting" 12-hour night shift.

Tekesha Phillips, 22, discovered her Ford Fiesta was missing when she left Birmingham City Hospital to go home to shower and sleep.

She told how she was left "confused and distressed" in the street until a colleague spotted her and gave her a lift.

"I walked out to where my car was parked but could not find my car," Ms Phillips told BirminghamLive after launching an online fundraising appeal.

"I paced up and down the residential road questioning myself, thinking it was post-night shift tiredness - until I noticed glass on the floor where my car was parked.

"I had 3 per cent battery left as I did not get an opportunity to charge my phone on the shift and was pretty much stuck."

Ms Phillips now faces a £600 bill for her insurance excess as well paying out for alternative transport to and from work.

"Having been working in A&E's hot zone working in full PPE all night, the only thing I wanted to do was shower and sleep" she added.

"Instead of doing what anyone would want to do after such a long exhausting shift, I was forced to make various phone calls to the police, insurance and other services in case the thief was using the car for criminal activities."

Ms Phillips wrote in the fundraising appeal that the financial support would help her "continue to save lives".

"I am appealing to your generosity now, to help a frontline worker get to and from work at a time when she needs to avoid public transport to carry on with her normal duties to support others fighting life threatening illnesses such as Covid-19," she said.

West Midlands Police are investigating the theft of the car in Lansdowne Street, Winson Green, on 22 November. Anyone with information can call 101 or use the live chat on the force's website.