Does TV portray a healthy reality?

Will Mellor made a guest appearance at NEWI last night (Wednesday 6th December) to join in a debate on how true to life hospital soaps really are. Around 100 people attended the public lecture to find out more about how well hospital TV dramas reflect the reality of hospitals today.

Celebrity speaker Will Mellor, who starred in the longest ever running hospital drama Casualty, knows all about the image of hospitals created by television.  For two years he was seen on our screens dealing with some of the worst accidents imaginable as Casualty’s Jack Vincent. He has previously appeared on Hollyoaks and Sorted, and is currently in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.  Giving the truth about real hospitals was Fiona Rae, Accident and Emergency Consultant from Wrexham Maelor Hospital who was joined by NEWI’s Nursing students, Mark Evans and Mari Roberts.

The debate covered a range of issue such as how realistic the injuries and medical techniques used are and what it is like to work in a  real hospital compared to how it is portrayed on television.   Will explained that all the equipment used on casualty is real so what you are seeing on the show is what would actually be used in a real life situation.  Of the storylines he said, “to make a show like Casualty there has to be a certain amount of drama, a certain amount of reality and a certain amount of fiction.  It has to be entertaining so it is also about the soap side of things, the characters and their relationships.”

Fiona Rae of Wrexham Maelor hospital agreed, “The equipment and the terminology used on the show are certainly realistic.  As for whether working in A&E is really like that I’d have to say it isn’t.  Casualty is so intense it would be difficult to work in an environment like that all the time.  In reality patients come in and are treated; we don’t often find out about their personal lives or problems.”

Following the debate the audience were given the opportunity to put their questions to the panel.  Questions included whether our NHS is the envy of the rest of the world and what would be Will Mellor’s dream acting role.  The answer is Rocky!   After the debate members of the audience had the opportunity to meet Will, ask for an autograph and have their photos taken with the star.