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Northumbria Police
Katie Watson pic.jpg
Northumbria Police
Politics

Police 'increasingly concerned' for welfare of missing hospital chaplain

by Donna Birrell

Police in Northumbria are looking for a hospital chaplain who hasn't been seen since Thursday afternoon.

Rev Katherine Watson, who works as head of chaplaincy at a Newcastle NHS trust, was last seen wearing a green hat, a backpack, dark trousers and a dark hooded top. Officers say they and her family are increasingly concerned for her welfare.

Rev Katherine  served in Bosnia, Croatia and Northern Ireland as captain in the army. Police say she has tattoos on her arms as well as a military tattoo on her chest. She's around 5ft 6ins in height, of slim build and has short light grey hair.

The 50-year-old became head of chaplaincy in 2020 after joining Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2007. She is a familiar face in the area after appearing on the TV series Geordie Hospital with her welfare dog, Poppy.

Members of the community have posted about her kindness on social media with one writer saying she had "a profound effect on many, many lives".

One retired doctor who worked with her posted: "For many of us at Newcastle Hospitals she was our rock during the worst parts of the Covid Pandemic." Another described her as "one of the most wonderful women I have had the pleasure of knowing".

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "Extensive searches have been ongoing to locate Katherine, and police are now appealing to the public for information on her whereabouts to ensure she is safe and well."

Anyone with information about Rev Watson's whereabouts is asked to contact police by sending a direct message on social media, or by calling 101.

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