Children's Hospital set for TV return

Revisiting one of Scotland’s busiest, and most advanced, children’s hospitals this insightful and heart-warming documentary series returns to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH) with even greater behind-the-scenes access, witnessing the high stakes and life-changing trauma on the wards.

Narrated by David Tennent, the eight-part series is an intimate and sensitive account of day-to-day hospital life, unveiling the effort that goes into giving thousands of young patients in the north-east of Scotland the best possible care and the camaraderie of the RACH’s dedicated hospital team.

In this first episode, baby Jaxon has life-saving surgery at just three days old; toddler Ossian has something unusual stuck up his nose; and little Lachlan celebrates a special milestone.

Baby Jaxon has a serious condition called gastroschisis which meant he was born with his abdominal wall open and his bowel on the outside of his body.

The Children’s Hospital cameras follow the moment paediatric surgeon, Mr Patel, performs an extraordinary operation to delicately move the organ back into its natural place as Jaxon’s dad, Chris, bravely assists with the surgery.

Jaxon is one of 900 babies who will be cared for in the neonatal unit each year.

The extraordinary medical support from the RACH’s dedicated team are a lifeline for these new babies.

Without medical support from the dedicated team, these babies won’t survive.

Elsewhere, in the emergency department waiting room, three-year-old Ossian is hiding an unusual problem – a chickpea stuck up his nose.

The team require all their skill to shift the stubborn object.

Also this week, it’s the start of a busy day for Oncology Nurse, Dot who has worked at the hospital for 25 years.

“It can be really tough,” admits Dot,“You have good days, you have bad days but, on the whole, it’s a lot of satisfaction looking after these kids, seeing them recovering and seeing them go home.”

For Dot and the team there’s a celebration on the Medical Ward as three-year-old Lachlan takes part in a special hospital ritual to mark the end of his treatment for neuroblastoma.

The Children’s Hospital is on BBC Scotland on Wednesday, October 7 at 8pm.

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