BBC Two’s Saving Lives in Leeds: Brand new medical series to feature top doctors and surgeons at NHS hospitals

Top medical practitioners at NHS hospitals in Leeds will be featured in a brand new BBC Two series, ‘Saving Lives in Leeds’. The eight-part documentary will follow a group of world-leading doctors and surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital.

BBC Factual, which commissioned the documentary, said the show will focus on their daily routine as they “battle through their ever-increasing waiting lists to transform the lives of their patients and decide who to treat next” over the eight episodes.

It added: “Lifting the lid on the challenging decisions clinicians have to make every day the programme will explore their patients’ emotional journeys and the real impact on their lives and families, against the backdrop of one of the longest waiting lists in NHS history.”

The series, which was filmed last year with exclusive access to the hospitals, also features in-depth interviews and life-changing operations where each clinician’s caseload will take viewers to the heart of compelling patient stories, including operating on brain tumours and performing cardiac surgery on babies.

Emma Loach, Commissioning Editor, BBC Documentaries said: “Saving Lives In Leeds will bring us closer than ever before to the clinicians facing difficult dilemmas on a daily basis and show us what they need to overcome before tackling the day job of changing people’s lives.”

Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Saving Lives in Leeds really shines a light on the outstanding people working at Leeds Teaching Hospitals carrying out remarkable and world-leading surgery.

“It highlights some of the challenging decisions they make on a day-to-day basis as they work to ensure our patients get the best possible care. It’s been a really positive opportunity for us to explain the complexity behind some of the decisions we take when managing waiting lists and highlight that we always have our patients’ best interest at the heart of everything we do”.

Producer Label1 co-founder and Exec Producer Lorraine Charker-Phillips said: “Label1 is proud to bring viewers this eye-opening new medical series with extraordinary, touching and life-affirming stories, shown through the eyes of consultants and their patients as they decide who to treat next on their waiting lists.

“Filmed across the whole of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, it gives unique insight into the variety of work being done across their departments, at a time when decisions around how to tackle the growing backlog have never been more important.”

The documentary will be aired on BBC Two and iPlayer, with a release date yet to be announced.