New series of Saving Lives in Cardiff

Posted on 9 April 2025 • Education, languages and health, Health, TV and radio

A new six-part series of the OU/BBC co-production, Saving Lives in Cardiff, airs today, 9 April, at 9pm on both BBC One Wales and BBC Two. 

The new series follows the daily decisions made by clinicians at the Cardiff and Vale University Hospitals, as they seek to transform the lives of their patients in South Wales, against a backdrop of mounting waiting lists.

Featuring observational filming and in-depth interviews, the programmes reveal the full scale of clinicians’ caseloads, and the heart-rending, hard-headed decisions surgeons must make before tackling the day job of changing people’s lives.

Dr Una St-Ledger, Staff Tutor, Nursing and Kirsten Bashir, Lecturer in Nursing at The Open University, were the academic consultants for the series.

They said:

“As Open University nursing academics, we were delighted to work on this latest series of ‘Saving Lives in Cardiff’. Viewers can expect to be drawn into the real lives and stories of patients, families, and surgical teams on healthcare journeys that encompass receiving medical diagnoses, long waits for surgery, intricate and innovative high-stakes surgical procedures, and post-operative recoveries.

“The programme shines a light on the challenges and ethical dilemmas faced by patients, families and healthcare staff, and the impact on them as people and on health outcomes, as they navigate lengthy waiting lists and pressurised limited resources.

“And yet viewers will be warmed by the fortitude and humour with which people face their medical conditions and delays for treatment, the loving support and concern of family members, and the compassionate interactions and efforts of advocating healthcare teams.”

This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies with particular relevance to:

R39 | BSc (Honours) Nursing | Open University

R26 | BA (Hons) Health and Social Care | Open University

Q96 | BSc (Hons) Healthcare and Health Science (open.ac.uk)

• Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast and Partnerships

• Academic Consultant/s: Dr Una St-Ledger and Kirsten Bashir

• Media Fellow/s: Professor Erica Borgstrom

• Broadcast Project Manager: Poppy Ross

• Supporting Online Content: Steff Easom

Supporting Online content:

Visit our Broadcast website OU Connect where you can find where you can find an interactive of a “pairs” card game that shines a light on the stressors, challenges and experiences that healthcare professional and their patients have in common

(NB: this site may not be live or complete prior to broadcast)