A nurse from Lisburn is set to feature in a new ITV series that focuses on one of the busiest A&E departments in the UK.
Heather Wilkinson, grew up in the city and attended Friends' School before moving to Edinburgh for University where she graduated with her nursing degree before moving to London to pursue her dream of working in A&E.
The 31-year-old works at Northwick Park Hospital, London, one of the busiest A&E departments in the country, where she is the department's youngest Senior Sister. The new ITV series, Emergency Nurses, shines a spotlight on the working lives of a group of millennials at the hospital, including its large community of Irish nurses.
Read more: New Channel 4 documentary seeks Belfast parents due babies this summer
Speaking to Belfast Live, Heather said she always wanted to work in a busy A&E department which is one of the reasons she opted for London rather than returning to her native Northern Ireland.
" I started in Central Middlesex Hospital and then moved over to Northwick Park Hospital and I've been there almost 7 and a half years now. I wanted to work in A&E which is one of the reasons I moved to London because a lot of places will not take newly qualified nurses into A&E so that was one of my reasons for going to London, to get that experience."
Since arriving in the city, Heather has moved quickly through the ranks and says she loves the fact that you never know what to expect while working in her department.
"I got the role [of Senior Sister] about two years ago and I moved up quite quickly, probably because A&E is so fast-paced and I've settled into that environment quite quickly. It's quite stressful but it's nice to be given the opportunity as well because I went there newly qualified and they trained me up.
"In A&E you never know what is going to come through the door, it could be anything. We get quite a lot of walk-in-trauma which I wasn't really expecting but anything can come through the door, which means you have to be on your game all the time, which I quite like. We work long shifts, we work 12.5 hours but it goes so quickly."
In her seven years at the hospital, Heather has seen it all, including babies born to mothers who didn't realise they were pregnant.
"It's mad all day every day, it's bonkers some of the things we've seen, we've had babies born and everything. A few years ago we had a fella who had mixed drain cleaner together and he had made this toxic fume so that was a major incident for us, you just never know what is going to come in.
"I think I've seen three babies born over the years which is mad because we've got maternity right next door but some of those have been people who didn't know they were pregnant which just seems so mad to me, but your own body can betray you so much that you can compensate so well and that's what is so shocking," said Heather.
With living away from home, Heather relied on her colleagues and her little dog Toffee to help her through the tough times during the pandemic and lockdown.
"I have a little Cockapoo who keeps me busy outside of work. We went through the pandemic like everybody else but it was different for us in a way as we were leaving the house and going to work everyday, we weren't confined to the house.
"It almost made us as a team in work a little bit closer because we were all in it together and I live on my own with the dog so especially during the pandemic with my mum and dad still over in Northern Ireland, I didn't really have a support bubble here. People in work became like my bubble and there are quite a few of us like that, so we all supported each other."
Despite TV crews following her every move in work and at home, Heather admits she found it easy to just forget about them and carry on with her job.
"I kind of forgot about [the cameras] and just got on with it. For me what you see on camera is just me, that's what I'm like and having watched it back genuinely everyone who is featured is just like that in work. We had quite a lot of TV crews and news crews in as well over the pandemic as we were the epi-centre so we were used to that aspect but not on this scale. This was a bit more intimate as the cameras followed us at home as well.
"It was quite cool to watch it back because you don't realise the impact you might have on other people, so it was quite nice to see that and see how people appreciate what you're doing because at the time, it's not always evident. It's such a fast-paced department so you might not see someone ever again after you've dealt with them.
"I think that's what I love about A&E as well because you're either super, super sick and we get you to a point where you're well enough to go to a ward. Not necessarily saved someone's life but you've made them better, or ultimately you've made someone well enough to go home which is amazing," added Heather.
Hospital Chief Executive Pippa Nightingale said: “We often see senior NHS figures appearing on TV and it’s quite right to highlight the work of our younger colleagues.
“They have made an extraordinary contribution during the past two years and it’s important for the public to see the pressures they face every day. The NHS is in safe hands with people like them, and I’m proud that their work is being shared with a wider audience.”
Emergency Nurses is now showing every Sunday at 8pm on ITV2, with Heather's episode set to air this week, July 10.
READ NEXT:
Meet the NI woman aiming to improve cancer treatment with new technology
Belfast mum's delight as breastfeeding website scoops top award
Meet the Co Antrim mums taking the stress out of eating out with your baby
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
