Angels

- Season 2

(1976)

A new year brings changes for many of the nurses including a new positive attitude from the previously disaffected Pat Rutherford. However she and the other nurses have their work cut out coping with a young boy suffering from meningitis and his mother who is struggling to come to terms with his serious illness. Sita Patel receives an unexpected ticking-off from one of the Sisters while Shirley Brent also finds her conduct causing concern after she snaps at a patient's relative.

A harrowing incident with a patient leaves Sandra Ling very shaken but she is shocked by the sense of detachment of one of her colleagues. Joan White organises a get-together to mark thirty years in nursing for Heather Windrup. Is this though really a cause for celebration or an opportunity for soul-searching? Is Heather still able to connect with the students of today?

Shirley Brent is having great success connecting with the patients on the geriatric ward, showing a liking for such work unlike most of her colleagues. However things are going anything but smoothly for the previously accomplished Alison Salter whose erratic performance is giving cause for concern, perhaps because she has matters other than nursing very much on her mind.

Shirley Brent has a difficult time dealing with Diana, a drug addict, squatter and a frequent patient. Diana has some harsh things to say to Shirley who struggles to keep composed. However Shirley has more success with another regular patient, the elderly Miss Buckle, whose ailments may not be all they seem.

The nurses are working with elderly patients, encountering a range of characters and experiences. Pat Rutherford develops a close relationship with Dodie but other patients prove rather more difficult to handle. In one instance one of them suffers a broken leg, apparently when being moved, and the possibility of negligence or even abuse rears its head.

Maureen and Pat decide to find their own flat outside of the nurses' quarters but are they really suited to living together? The solitary Heather Windrup gets a rare chance for some company but will her visitor live up to expectation? The weekend though is still a working time for Jo Longhurst and she tries to raise the spirits of a depressed patient by arranging a rare visit from her brother but should a nurse visit the home of a patient's relative?

The older patients attend a concert but it is not for all of them an enjoyable time. Jo Longhurst replaces Shirley Brent on the shift and finds it an eye-opening experience. Shirley is away sharing an evening with a male friend who is about to go away but will it prove a night to remember?

Maternity is the theme. Mrs. Clark is rushed to hospital in labour and is worried to discover that her birth will be more complicated than usual. Sandra Ling - who is interested in a career in occupational health - discovers that a sixteen year old factory worker called Barbara Swainson is pregnant. Barbara is very concerned about her father's reaction; Sandra tries to make this easier for her but will she be successful?

Sandra Ling has to deal with an emergency at her factory when a worker suffers life threatening injuries when equipment malfunctions and sprays him with the dangerous chemical phenol. The malfunction was no accident and was caused by another worker's sabotage. Meanwhile both Jo Longhurst and Shirley Brent are having uneasy relationships with more senior staff. Jo feels constantly criticised by Sister Ashton while Shirley's motives for working on the Psychiatric Ward are questioned by Dr. Berry.

Maureen and Pat get the chance to return to their families for a break. Maureen is particularly pleased to return to Ireland, including seeing boyfriend Michael, but notices a tension with her younger sister Kate. Pat visits her upper middle class family near Bath and hears some alarming revelations about her parents.

Pat Rutherford tries to arrange a wedding ceremony for Mrs. Sheppard who is terminally ill but her well-intentioned plan meets a number of obstacles. Jo and Sita have their work cut out dealing with the prickly Keith Aldiss, a very well-informed but awkward patient. Sister Bodinetz gives Jo a run as nurse in charge but being in authority has its pitfalls as well as its benefits.

Life on the psychiatric ward can be a trial for everyone, with the patients frequently at each others' throats. Shirley sees this as her vocation but Pat Rutherford mocks her involvement and Shirley herself starts to wonder if she is really cut out for such work.

Maureen joins community health nurse June Morris on her rounds. In contrast to the cheery June, Maureen seems very unimpressed with the patients and their dour environments. Pat Rutherford detects a change for the worse in the previously non-judgemental Maureen; however a visit to retired teacher and alcoholic Jack Knight gives her pause for thought.