Play Synopsis

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the UK, the influx of critically ill patients hit intensive care units like a tsunami. Suddenly four women who are ICU nurses must cope with the huge changes and challenges that the pandemic brings to their working and personal lives.

Frankie a newly qualified nurse had only worked in critical care nursing for a matter of months prior to the pandemic, is moved to the intensive care unit. Excited by the prospect of learning more and potential career progression, she dons her PPE but struggles to get to know her colleagues, new equipment and procedures whilst being responsible for multiple desperately ill patients at once, treating a disease that no-one knows anything about.

Morgan, a more experienced critical care nurse and mother of a 5 year old and a newborn ends her maternity leave early to support her team, despite the risk of bringing the virus home to her vulnerable family. Sam, a senior nurse and carer for her elderly Mum must process her experiences and the ill health of her Mum alone as she returns to her empty house, and ICU Sister, Alex has to find a way of negotiating the logistical and medical challenges that the virus poses whilst holding herself, her family and her team together.

Life becomes even more difficult for the team when Morgan is brought onto the unit having caught the virus. The personal protective equipment they endure cannot protect them from the unforgettable personal and professional trauma of the pandemic. The women are confronted with the question: when is the right time to prioritise their own wellbeing over that of their patients?