Exclusive: 'Casualty' and 'Holby City' donate medical equipment to NHS staff amid coronavirus outbreak

Casualty and Holby City are to donate medical equipment to the NHS to help in their battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

The BBC medical dramas – which announced last week they were ceasing to film during the pandemic – are in discussions with local NHS services to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks.

Simon Harper, executive producer of Casualty and Holby City told Yahoo UK: “Casualty and Holby City are all about celebrating NHS heroism, so we are only too happy to help out and do what we can for the courageous and selfless real life medics battling this situation.

“We are in discussion with local NHS services and will be donating personal protective equipment (PPE) and other useful medical items to assist them.”

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Casualty is filmed in studios in Cardiff, South Wales, where it relocated from Bristol in 2002. The University Hospital of Wales and Cardiff Royal Infirmary are situated nearby. Holby City is filmed in Elstree.

Last week senior NHS figure Jason Leitch pledged that distribution of PPE needed by frontline health professionals dealing with COVID-19 will “get better over the next few days”.

The move by the BBC shows follows that of US medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and spin-off firefighter series Station 19.

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Executive producer Krista Vernoff told Good Morning America: "At Station 19, we were lucky enough to have about 300 of the coveted N95 masks which we donated to our local fire station.

“They were tremendously grateful.

“At Grey’s Anatomy, we have a back stock of gowns and gloves which we are donating as well.”

US drama The Resident has also donated medical equipment to Grady Hospital in Atlanta.

Casualty and Holby City announced last week that they were to suspend filming, along with all BBC long-running dramas including EastEnders. But as the shows are filmed in advance they are continuing to air for the time-being.