Tributes have been paid to a Swansea doctor whose patients "thought the world of him" and who is credited as having a "transformative impact on both his patients and Morriston Hospital". Dr Keith Evans sadly passed away at home on Monday, November 14, and has been remembered by friends and family for the remarkable work he did for Morriston Hospital.
This included playing a leading role in the creation of the Cardiac Centre at the hospital and "beating off competition" from private health firm BUPA, to ensure the important unit would be run by the NHS and the then-Morriston Hospital NHS Trust.
Dr Evans was involved all the way through "from the earliest planning" to the "national benchmarking" of the proposed cardiac centre and also fought for the centre to be located in Swansea, rather than elsewhere in Wales. He was also a founding member of the Welsh Cardiac Group and the South Wales Cardiac Network and, earlier in his career, had worked "every other night for eight years" as one of just two on-call physicians at the Swansea hospital.
He was said to be committed to caring for his patients and supporting his colleagues and worked at the hospital for almost 30 years, taking retirement in 2005 due to the ill health of his beloved wife. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Keith Evans was born in December, 1942, in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, while his father was serving in Fighter Command at RAF Kirton in Lindsey. After the war, his family moved back to Swansea and he attended Manselton Infants, Brynhyfryd Junior and Bishop Gore Grammar School - and from the age of 10, he knew he wanted to be a doctor.
After secondary school, Keith gained a place at Charing Cross Medical School and qualified as a doctor in 1966. During the university holidays, he'd return to Swansea to work as a porter in Morriston Hospital, and was often allowed to observe operations as a medical student. Years later, colleagues praised him for rising through the ranks from porter to director.
Dr Evans married his wife Eunice, nee Rees, at Salim Baptist Church in Landore in 1964, having met her when he was at school in 1960. The couple later had two children, Nigel and Adrian.
During Dr Evans' post-graduate career, he worked in various hospitals around London, Kent and Surrey, before returning to Wales in 1974, when he was appointed as a registrar and then lecturer and senior registrar in Llandough Hospital and the University Hospital of Wales.
In 1975, Dr Evans was appointed to Morriston Hospital as consultant physician. When he started in this role, he was one of just two physicians on-call in Swansea so was on duty "every other night for eight years". With sessions at Singleton Hospital, a high volume of domiciliary visits and management work, he gave "more than a full-time commitment to his professional career," his family said. "If any patient was admitted as an emergency with a medical or cardiac problem, the likelihood is that they would have been seen by Dr Evans."
As well as working for years as a physician in the hospital, Dr Evans also served on several committees, often as Chair. Among his roles, he served as Chair on the West Glamorgan Physicians for six years and also served on the District Medical Committee, Medical Consultative Committee, Swansea Hospitals Medical Staff Committee and as a member of the Welsh Medical Committee at the Welsh Office. At national level, he was founder of the Welsh Cardiovascular Group, which aimed to address all-Wales problems in cardiology and cardiac surgery.
During his lengthy career, Dr Evans also worked as Medical Director of the then-Morriston Hospital NHS Trust from 1997 to 1999, a time of "great rivalry" between Morriston Hospital and Singleton Hospital. In his obituary, his family said he "rose above it" and "always worked to foster good relationships between the hospitals," at what was a critical time following the resignation of the previous Trust board.
For several years, Dr Evans also served as a Member of Council, the governing body of the then-University of Wales, Swansea, which was chaired by former Prime Minister James Callaghan. Dr Evans also sat on the Council of the University of Wales, College of Medicine in Cardiff, was a Royal College of Physicians representative on Consultant Advisory Appointment Committees and a member of the British Cardiac Society and European Society of Cardiology.
He later went on to work as the Clinical Director of Medicine, Clinical Director of Cardiology and as part of the hospital management board at the Morriston Hospital NHS Trust. He also played a lead role in the establishment of the School of Postgraduate Medical Studies at the then-University of Wales, Swansea and served on its management board.
In his obituary, his family paid tribute to his hard work and compassion: "Known as the doctors' doctor, he was a hugely respected clinician with an excellent bedside manner. Patients thought the world of him," they said. "He was courteous and considerate and treated all colleagues with respect. He was held in high regard by all hospital staff."
After serving the hospital in various managerial roles and on various committees for almost 30 years, Dr Evans retired in 2005 due to the ill health of his wife. He subsequently became an accredited independent assessor for the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) in live kidney donation and also underwent enhanced training and accreditation for the assessment of direct altruistic live organ donations.
During retirement, Dr Evans enjoyed travelling and looking after his grandchildren.
Following pneumonia and septicaemia in 2019, Dr Evans unfortunately suffered ill health and was diagnosed with various "obscure and untreatable" illnesses. Despite it all, he "never complained" and endured his illnesses with "immense grace and dignity," his family said.
Dr Evans died peacefully at home on the evening of Monday, November 14. He is survived by his wife Eunice, brother Norman, children Nigel and Adrian, daughter-in-law Rosabel and grandchildren Louie, Joshua and Zachary.
If you have a memory of Dr Evans you'd like to share, or a message of condolence for his family, you can share it in the comments below or on Funeral-Notices.co.uk here
The funeral of Dr Keith Ellis Evans
The family of Dr Evans have said his funeral will also be "a chance to celebrate his life, his selfless commitment to the care of patients and his significant achievements throughout his medical career". It's due to take place at 2pm on Tuesday, December 6, at Llanelli Crematorium, Dafen.
A short obituary notice, published in the South Wales Evening Post and on our sister site, FuneralNotices.co.uk gives further details. It says: "Dr Keith Ellis EVANS (Retired Consultant Physician & Cardiologist, Morriston Hospital) Peacefully at his home on Monday 14th November 2022, Keith.
"Beloved husband of Eunice for 58 years, proud dad of Nigel and Adrian, and father-in-law of Rosabel, dearly loved brother of Norman and a devoted grandad of Louie, Joshua and Zachary. Keith will be so sadly missed by his family and friends.
"Funeral Tuesday 6th December at Llanelli Crematorium 2pm. Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if so desired to the Cardiac Centre Morriston Hospital, Marie Curie or SPICE c/o St James Funeral Home 31 St James Gardens, Uplands, Swansea SA1 6DT Tel 01792 643840"
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