Appearance
S8 E2 – S8 E10
Job Title
Project 2000 Nurse
First Words
[Duffy has just finished dealing with a patient.]
Helen: Who on earth was that?
Duffy: Him? One of our regulars.
Background
Young Student Nurse Helen Chatsworth had studied for eighteen months on the Project 2000 nurse training scheme before she arrived at Holby for Series 8. She was good at quoting from the textbooks and wanted to analyse the patients, but proved quite hopeless when faced with real emergencies. When she saw a girl of her own age with a badly gashed leg, she froze and had to be led away. She drove placid Staff Nurse Adele mad with her endless questioning. She had ideas and suggestions, some good, some cheeky. But she had no tact. Helen was bright and basically well meaning, but her life was a series of struggles, mistakes and bouncing back.
When she arrived at A&E, viewers saw that she was cheerful, optimistic and enthusiastic about her work. She was young and naieve, but told Adele and Duffy that she was looking forward to working on the front line, saying that she’d been told by her tutor that it was the best testing ground for newly learned skills. Adele tells her that a patient has been sick and asks Helen to clean it up!
In S8 E9, Helen is upset when a patient she is helping treat is diagnosed with a serious condition. Helen and Duffy read up on the condition and it upsets Helen, especially as she thinks the woman has not been told enough about it. She cries; and Adele talks to her, asking if she isn’t coping. Helen says that she can cope – she doesn’t need sympathy and that she’ll be okay. Adele says she always knew it.
Helen learns a lot during her time in A&E,learns how to deal with people. She enjoys it, and is wished luck when she moves on in S8 E10. She brings a camera for a group picture on her last day but only manages to catch Charlie and Adele to have their photo taken with her. Adele says a last goodbye to her and tells her she’s done really well.
Memorable Moments
