Jennifer spent a 20-year career in healthcare, including spells as a nurse and ward
sister, but it was her time as a midwife which inspired her best known
work.
Her trilogy –
Call the midwife,
Shadow of the workhouse and
Farewell to the East End
– was based on her experiences as a midwife in London in the 1950s. She
sold almost a million copies in the UK and her stories are currently
being made into a television series for the BBC.
Jennifer's other passions saw her become a fellow of
the London College of Music and patron of patient support charity Action
Against Allergy.
But in an
interview with
Midwives in 2008, Jennifer paid tribute to her midwifery peers: 'What a
wonderful job being a midwife is and even though circumstances have
changed dramatically, I’m quite sure it is still wonderful job. Keep
your heart up, it is a privilege beyond any other privilege to be a
midwife.'
Jennifer died after a short illness, cared for at
home by her family after being diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus
earlier this year. She is survived by her husband of 48 years Philip
Worth, their two daughters and three grandchildren.
