Malpractice started on ITV this week, with not so much as a bang, but rather the frantic rattling of gurneys, and the accompanying sound of thumping chest compressions.
Just minutes into the five-part drama, and my heart was already galloping away. You see, it’s not like every other ITV drama. Malpractice deals with the very real problems facing the NHS today. And boy is it stressful to watch. Very good, don’t get me wrong, but tenser than a tightrope cord on a windy day.
The Niamh Angar-led drama follows in the footsteps of recent hits such as Maternal, and This Is Going to Hurt. They reflect the brutal realities of working in a busy, understaffed, overstretched hospital department. And, of course, the consequences when something goes wrong…
What’s the plot of Malpractice on ITV?
In Malpractice, A&E doctor Lucinda Edwards truly endured the work shift from hell, when she was forced to choose which patient to prioritise on a hectic night shift. When an overdose patient seemed stable, she moved quickly to save the life of a young gunshot victim – leaving trainee junior doctor Dr Ramya Morgan in charge of medicating the first patient.
These scenes weren’t glossy and TV-pretty. They felt horribly real – and awfully bloody. Actor Niamh Algar was all too convincing as Dr Lucinda as she desperately tried to save lives, making sweaty on-the-spot decisions which could have had fatal consequences. And, tragically, they ultimately did.
In harrowing scenes, Lucinda was unable to resuscitate opioid overdose patient Edith, after Dr Ramya Morgan failed to administer enough of the life-saving meds. The death subsequently caused the Malpractice Investigation Unit to launch an investigation into Dr Lucinda Edwards’ fitness to practice.
The fact that the tragedy sparked an official inquiry invited us viewers to become investigators ourselves. And therein lies the compelling reason to stay tuned.
My opinion of Dr Lucinda Edwards dilemma
Everyone knows that doctors and nurses are heroes. Or if you don’t, then I dare you to get sick sometime in the future. The Coronavirus pandemic especially reminded all of us to be grateful for the NHS.
Shows like Malpractice remind me what a difficult, often horrendous job they do. Literally, life and death. Anybody else occasionally turn up for work with a hangover like me? Or has days when your mind isn’t quite on the job? [Boyfriend troubles, family feuds, time of the month, dog has an absess, money worries, insert personal dilemma here].
Doctors and nurses all have these troubles, too, but they can’t afford to stop juggling the plates. Hospital staff simply cannot have a bad day at work. Or, if they do, it could be fatal.
That’s why I will never complain about a bad day at work again.
I mean, while I was watching Malpractice with a steaming hot brew and a Bourbon biscuit (or 10), there were nurses, doctors, surgeons, and consultants across the world saving lives. And sometimes losing them.
Who wrote Malpractice on ITV? Is it a true story?
Writer and executive producer Grace Ofori-Attah wrote Malpractice for ITV. And while Malpractice is not based on a true story, there ARE nuggets of truth within the script.
Grace Ofori-Attah was a doctor for 15 years, before swapping medicine for storytelling. So she knows exactly what she’s talking about, and has seen first hand the stresses of working for an NHS hospital.
She says: “I wanted to write a medical story. But while Malpractice is set in A&E to reflect what was probably the most difficult junior doctor rotation I’ve ever done, the underlying story is really one about psychiatry, mental health, addiction and how that is pervasive. Not just in medicine but in wider society.”
Grace explains that one of the main themes of the series is pressure, adding: “That work-life balance pressure and the idea of doctors as people.
“What had really bugged me a lot during my training was this perception of doctors as being any different from their patients when they are obviously one and the same.”
Read more: Viewer campaign for popular drama Maternal to be saved as ITV brutally axes it after just one series
Malpractice continues with episode 2 on Sunday, April 30, 2023 on ITV1. All episode are currently available to watch on ITVX.
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