Stephen Hawking's ventilator donated to Royal Papworth Hospital to cope with coronavirus demand

Stephen Hawking’s family have donated his ventilator to a hospital to help cope with the influx of coronavirus patients, Cambridgeshire Live reports.

The family of the late University of Cambridge theoretical physicist have donated their father’s ventilator to Royal Papworth Hospital as it cares for increasing numbers of patients with Covid-19.

With increasing numbers of patients being hospitalised with the virus, which can cause severe respiratory problems, the hospital has expanded its critical care department to more than double its usual size.

Mr Hawking’s daughter Lucy said: “Our father received brilliant, dedicated and compassionate medical care from both Royal Papworth and Addenbrooke’s hospitals in Cambridge.

“As a ventilated patient, Royal Papworth was incredibly important to my father and helped him through some very difficult times.

“We realised that it would be at the forefront of the Covid-19 epidemic and got in touch with some of our old friends there to ask if we could help.”

The hospital has received additional supplies of ventilators from the NHS but has added the ventilator donated by the Hawking family to its fleet, after an inspection by the hospital’s clinical engineering team.

Ms Hawking added: “After our father passed away, we returned all the medical equipment he used that belonged to the NHS but there were some items which he bought for himself.