Cardiac Arrest

The first scene sees Dr. Rajesh Rajah waking up in the bed with Nurse Reece after having had a skinful the night before. A fresh faced Dr. Andrew Collin arrives on the wards finding himself unprepared for the situations with which he has to deal, including that of the asbestos patient, Albert Gray. The suited consultant surgeon Mr. Betancourt also makes his first appearance. He is revealed to be Maitlands lover and heavy critic of SHO Monica Broome.

Andrew overlooks a potassium reading and believes he is negligent over the death of an eldery lady patient, Ada Pitkin. At a hospital party, Dr. Mortimer plays a joke on Raj, and sets him up with a transvestite. This episode also introduces Diane and her child, friends of Dr. Maitland. The child later re-appears in episode 6. Raj has an encounter with Nurse Whitecoat. At the end of the episode, Raj forgets about taking a heart pacemaker out of someone who is being cremated

Attention turns to Monica, who fails her fellowship exam. Despite appealling to management, Dr. Collin is expected to work another night when a locum cannot be found to cover. Betancourt reveals to Claire that the hospital did not even attempt to find cover, and that because Andrew has worked an illegal number of hours, he cannot be paid. During Andrews long night, the hospital manager Alex Legg is brought in suffering from a heart attack.

Due to a bomb scare at the General, the hospital is overrun with patients. New doctors are introduced. Phil Kirkby (played by Andrew Clover) is eager, but tries too hard to impress. Smedley (Peter OBrien of Neighbours fame) is the new registrar, who impresses the other doctors with his knowledge. In the same episode, he saves a patient who has a collapsed lung. Dr. Collin is no longer a beginner and is now one of the experienced doctors. He is now married, and is often taking personal phone calls from his wife, Alison. The hospital manager Alex Legg (from series 1) makes a brief appearance, only to be killed off from a heart attack. Adrian DeVries (Jack Fortune) is the new consultant surgeon - he can perhaps be seen as this series replacement for Mr. Betancourt. Incidentally, for the first time, the cameras move outside to show DeVries driving his car.

In this powerful episode, the main storyline is that of Heather Parsons, a girl who brought in with flu, but later develops meningitis and dies. The blame for misdiagnosis is laid at the door of the blundering GP, Dr. Wilson, although it is Andrew to has to carry the can. Andrew takes some small revenge on Dr. Wilson by pretending to be a patient experiencing symptoms of diabetes, and then turning the tables when Wilson clearly fails to recognise them. Maitland starts to question whether or not she wants to be a doctor anymore. Nasreen, a police officer, and an old school friend of Raj is introduced

The investigation continues in to the death of an elderly patient. Nurse Chandley is interrogated by the hospital manager Paul Tennant. Eventually Andrew finds out from a conversation with Alf Grocott that it is the patients niece who was responsible. Alf is sent home. Dr. Turner, Dr. Yates and Tennant agree to cover up the death of a second patient.

Dr. Mortimer is diagnosed with AIDS. His diagnosis is leaked, and the hospital manager Tennant tried to convince him to take a leave of absence, but he refuses. DeVries gets some blood from Sister Pereiras child whom he believes is his son. Alf Grocott is re-admitted to the hospital, and is told that the cancer has spread to his liver. He dies on Christmas day. Dr. Collin starts an affair with Caroline. Kirkby draws up chemotheraphy wrongly. He seeks advice from Dr. Turner, although is told to carry on even though he doesnt know what to do. The patient suffers from a reaction and dies.

A young wife brings her husband in to the hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage, and he is not expected to survive. The issue of organ transplant is raised. At first the wife says yes, but later changes her mind. David, a recurring character who needs kidney dialysis is introduced. He has a more informal relationship with Maitland, whom he affectionately calls ""slapper"". After Raj gives a patient a cigarette, the patient decides to smoke it when he is taking oxygen, and there is an explosion. A few new characters are introduced. Sarah Hudson the new consultant (it seems in place of Barry Yates who does not appear in series 3), and a new doctor is Liz Reid. Almost straight away, Liz is shown to want to dump most of her duties on other doctors and nurses as much as possible. Two elderly gentleman are brought in - one has bit off and swallowed the others finger. Raj starts on the GP training scheme.

Dr. Collin is told by Dr. Turner to continue with a procedure to fit a temporary pacemaker even though he has only seen one done once before. When he gets stuck, Claire who is not on call has contacted at home and brought in to help. Dr. Mortimer is pursued by a journalist about his HIV status. Raj has collision with DeVries car, and thinks he has got away with it, but DeVries finds out and in order to pay for the damage, Raj goes to work in a private practice for a day. Caroline informs Dr. Collin that he needs to take a HIV test, because Caroline and Luke slept together before. Sister Landers has an accident with a needle. Dr. Turner is told by Tennant to restrict his private practice. Mr. Docherty decides to stand as a replacement for Graham Turner as the chairman of the consultants committee

A patient, a Michelle Elliot is brought in who appears to be suffering from sharp pain in her stomach. Lots of tests are performed on the woman throughout the episode, however at the end it is Maitland who establishes that she does not have any actual illness, and is faking her symptoms. She is in fact suffering from a kind of illness - Munchausens syndrome. Mrs. Trimble asks Mr. Docherty to move in with her. Sister Landers reports that she has not caught hepatitis, although her fortunes turn for the worse, when after appearing on a television chat show to criticise management, she is suspended from duty. Phil Kirkby starts to become frustrated about jibes he is receiving about his medical competence since the inquest, and tension mounts between him and Dr. Turner. It is revealed that Tennant has had a previous relationship with Novac. Tennant is suspended.

A man covers himself with flammable liquid in casualty and threatens to set himself alight. Sister Novac eventually persuades the man to stop. At the same time a criminal called Binns (accompanied by the police) is brought in with a stab wound. His stab wound is treated and he is supposed to be discharged in a short time, however the wound fails to heal properly. It is revealed later that Binns attempts to put off his discharge from the hospital by deliberately infecting the wound himself. New student nurses start at the hospital, including Kirsty (played by Lisa Harkus). Raj takes a fancy to Kirsty. Dr. Collin treats Edith Channing the Parkinsons patient. At the start of the episode she appears extremely confused and difficult to deal with, although at the end of the episode she has completely transformed for the better. Caroline gives Andrew an ultimatum to leave his wife Alison or they stop seeing each other. Novac and Smedley finally get it together.

Mr. Docherty plans on proposing to Mrs. Trimble. In a bad day for Mr. Docherty, he accompanies a patient in an ambulance over to the General, however finds that he does not have a lift to return him afterwards. A boy is admitted and an appendectomy performed. When the child complains of leg pain after the operation, Dr. Mortimer examines the boy, however there is trouble when the boys (almost unbelievably prejudiced) father learns that it is the HIV positive Mortimer who is treating his son. He demands Mortimer is sacked after making a completely false allegation about Mortimer supposedly touching the boy inappropriately. The nurse who observed Mortimer examining the boy can easily confirm there was nothing untoward in his examination, but is told by Tennant not to back up Dr. Mortimer. Later, Mr. Docherty delves into the incident, and the truth is revealed. Smedley, Novac, Raj and Kirsty try to help three children affected by smoke inhalation. During the procedure, Kirsty is told by

David the kidney patient returns again as an emergency case. They have reached end of line with dialysis and he is told that he needs a transplant fairly urgently or he will die. Liz asks Rod to phone for some results. A verbal misunderstanding follows, and Liz tells the patient he doesnt have cancer, however the results are in fact cancer, and Liz is in error of judgement again. A drunk driver and his victim are brought in. In an uncharacteristic act, Smedley deliberately ignores treatment of the drunk driver, although Raj realises in time to save him when Smedley reveals that his wife died from a drunk driver some years before. Sister Novac (above right) questions her relationship with Smedley. Raj gets it together with Kirsty the student nurse.

A suspicious looking doctor starts doing the rounds at the hospital. The staff hold a surprise party for Mr. Docherty who is getting married the next day. Caroline is shown to be violently vomiting, and later she tells Andrew that she is pregnant. Rajs father is being treated for a heart attack. Dr. Mortimer is diagnosed with pneumonia. Smedley gets back together with Claire. In the final scenes, Dr. Collin visits Liz Reid, who has previously suffered a mental breakdown. Andrew answers the door to what he thinks is a diabetic patient requiring advice, however the patient suddenly stabs Dr. Collin with a needle containing insulin. Raj realises who the man is, and arrives shortly after to bring the maniac under control. In the meantime Maitland, Smedley, Mortimer and Raj attempt to treat Dr. Collin, whose life is clearly in great danger.