Casualty spoilers follow for Saturday’s episode (28 February), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV. This article contains storyline details that some viewers may prefer to avoid.
Casualty has revealed a major change to Holby ED, which will have a dramatic impact on the way the hospital is run. As the Care Quality Commission return to reinspect the department, things go horribly wrong when there is a shocking incident involving Kim Chang and Matty Linlaker…
Earlier in this current boxset, ‘Learning Curve’, the department underwent a spot safety inspection after an anonymous call to the CQC by new resident Matty. After a disastrous shift, the ED failed – and inspector Ceri said she would return in 30 days for a full inspection.
In today’s episode, Flynn was confused about why no one had showed up for the reinspection, then was stunned when Ceri arrived after consultants Dylan and Stevie had left at the end of their shift.
Meanwhile, as Matty was coming to terms with the bombshell that Dylan is his dad, fellow newbie Kim was continuing to struggle with her secret eating disorder – and her vision began to blur while she was working.
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Ceri was initially pleased with the changes that had been made since her last visit. Kim suggested to Matty that they team up for the rest of the shift to ensure they made a good impression.
The pair treated a patient called Tara, who had suffered a head injury and was complaining of severe pain despite a clear CT. Matty was keen to carry out a lumbar puncture to check for another condition and wanted to prove himself so decided against asking Flynn to supervise.
Kim reluctantly agreed to supervise Matty and read out the instructions on her phone, but her vision blurred again at that moment so she mistakenly assured him it was okay to insert the needle higher in Tara’s back – when it was in fact strictly forbidden.
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Later, Tara complained of not being able to feel her legs, and Kim and Matty were horrified when she realised she had read the instructions incorrectly. They notified Flynn, who confirmed that Tara had lost full feeling in her legs because of the lumbar puncture.
As Dylan and Stevie were called back to the ED, Flynn raged at Kim and Matty in his office – but Matty pointed out that they could no longer trust him after the stunt he pulled during the training exercise.
With Tara potentially facing a permanent injury, Ceri concluded that the patients still aren’t safe with no consultant cover in the evenings.
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Flynn later told the team that the ED was now closed to major trauma at night until a future reassessment, a change which will affect the hospital’s reputation and funding.
Flynn concluded that he had to resign, though Siobhan talked him down and assured him that they will fix this situation together. But what does the future hold for Holby?
Casualty airs on Saturday nights on BBC One and now streams first on BBC iPlayer, where episodes are released at 6am on the day of transmission.
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