Presented by Anna Daly and Philip Boucher Hayes, Hospital Live is a mix of high end medical science and personal health stories of triumph and resilience in the face of extreme challenge. It also shines a spotlight on the work of the health service right at the very coalface.
We caught up with presenter Anna Daly to find out what viewers can expect from this year's show.
What can we expect from season two?
I think you can expect the big live TV event as per last year with a real focus on the real people with genuine and personal health stories as well as a look at the incredible medical talent working with hardly any recognition under extreme circumstances and pressure and often performing some of the most cutting-edge procedures we've ever seen.
Short films will feature the ground-breaking work of these pioneers. Through these, we'll be able to paint a picture of future healthcare not just in Ireland but for the human race. Stories, with some very personal testimony, will feature searches for cures, for rehabilitative treatments, for preventive measures that might stop people from getting ill in the first place.
How important is it for the show to get the balance right between innovative treatments and personal stories?
In last year's Hospital Live we quite often saw these collide and we'll be seeing it again this year. These people are so kind to share their life with us and allow the cameras to follow their journey for the benefit of others.
This year, for example, we'll be featuring a leg alignment surgery for a 14-year-old girl who is living with achondroplasia – a form of dwarfism. The procedure she will have will take place over two surgeries - both legs will be worked on at the same time which is unusual, only five centres take this bilateral approach to leg alignment, Cappagh Hospital being one of them.
In Maria's first operation both of her femurs will be fractured, and lengthening nails were inserted up through the bone. An external device will then manipulate the nails to create bone growth and correct the bowing in the upper limbs. The second operation will see both of her tibia bones being fractured and external fixators fixed around her legs.
Maria will be unable to bear weight on her legs for up to six months while the fixators are in place. She will also have to undergo intensive physiotherapy three times a week in Cappagh. She may gain an additional five-six centimetres in height from the procedure which is naturally a huge game changer for her quality of life.
What (or who) surprised you most about last year’s series?
There was a wonderful lady last year who had a great effect on me. Elaine Chillingworth shared her story of having her nose amputated after suffering a rare form of cancer. We were able to show the pioneering treatment Elaine received from the Maxillofacial specialists at James' hospital in Dublin but also her courage in sharing her journey was truly remarkable.
She did it with grace and elegance and her attitude to such a traumatic event was quite incredible. I often think of her actually. She moved me to tears on the day I interviewed her and I took several lessons away from the way she dealt with that prognosis.
Has doing this show made you less or more squeamish about the hospital experience?
Well, you must know I'm quite squeamish to ask that question, so firstly I'll tell you that there's comfort in knowing that if I did faint, I'd certainly be in the right place surrounded by all the right people! I think the more you're exposed to these case studies and information around new treatments, etc, the hardier I get to it all. That's not to say something wouldn't move me, it most certainly can and will. We're all human at the end of the day aren't we? And like any one there'll be triggers that hit home for me with various illnesses feeling very close to home.
What do you hope audiences will take away from Hospital Live?
The word 'hope' springs to mind here. Yes hospitals (from the porter at the door to the doctor performing surgery - all the cogs in the wheel) are under immense pressure but there's also incredible game-changing medical advancements taking place and it's our job on Hospital Live to showcase those.
The robotic surgery, the drug trials that could change someone's life, the innovative breast screening which can detect previously undetectable breast cancers. I think people will feel many emotions tuning into Hospital live but if they leave with one feeling, I'd like to think it would be a sense of hope and trust in our medical professionals.
Hospital Live airs on RTÉ One Tuesday, May 16, Wednesday, May 17 and Thursday, May 18.
