‘Utterly devastating to watch because it’s so real’: Viewers are left ‘in bits’ by new Jodie Comer drama Help as they slam ‘disgraceful’ government for the lack of PPE for staff who were forced to watch residents die from Covid-19
- Viewers of Channel 4’s Help were left ‘in bits’ by the ‘scarily true’ scenes
- Told the moving story of young care home worker Sarah, played by Jodie Comer, and a challenging patient during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic
- Highlighted struggles for care home staff and the desperate need for more PPE
Help viewers were left ‘in bits’ by the ‘scarily true’ scenes in Jodie Comer’s new drama as they slammed the ‘disgraceful’ government for the lack of PPE for staff who were forced to watch residents die from Covid-19.
The Channel 4 drama, which aired last night at 9pm, was set in a fictional Liverpool care home and told the moving story of young care home worker Sarah, played by Jodie Comer, and a challenging patient during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic last year.
Intelligent social misfit Sarah unexpectedly found her calling as a carer with a special talent for bonding with residents – in particular Tony, 47, played by Stephen Graham – whose onset Alzheimer’s resulted in moments of violent outbursts.
But when the coronavirus pandemic struck just six weeks into her probation period, the urgent need for more PPE and staff became only too apparent.
And emotional viewers were quick to take to social media to explain how the harsh reality of the moving scenes had left them ‘in bits.’
The Channel 4 drama, which aired last night at 9pm, was set in a fictional Liverpool care home and told the moving story of young care home worker Sarah (pictured), played by Jodie Comer, and a challenging patient during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic last year
In poignant scenes, family members were shown speaking to loved ones through glass windows (pictured)
Taking to social media, one person penned: ‘Don’t think I had a dry eye through the whole thing. People should never forget how care home patients and staff were treated’
‘Don’t think I had a dry eye through the whole thing. People should never forget how care home patients and staff were treated,’ wrote one, while a second penned: ‘In bits the whole way through! Amazing performances from the two best actors in the country.’
A third added: ‘The fact the average wage for a care worker in the UK is £8.80 an hour shows just how unbalanced the social care system is. The way people in care have been treated the past 2 years is disgraceful! Jodie Comer & Stephen Graham did an amazing job of bringing this to light in #Help.’
During the show, panic hit when Covid-19 was brought into the care home by one of the ‘bed-blockers’ the hospital delivered in a bid to free space for the increasing number of patients being diagnosed with the virus.
In one particularly poignant moment the ambulance crew who brought them asked where the staff’s masks were, to which they replied: ‘We were told we didn’t need them.’
As the poignant drama progressed, residents around Sarah were seen dying and with the government offering all PPE to hospital, care homes were left in desperate need.
Sarah (pictured, played by Jodie Comer) is only six-weeks into her probationary period when Covid-19 strikes across the nation
As the poignant drama progresses, residents around Sarah are dying (pictured) or falling ill, with the government offering all PPE to hospital, leaving care homes in desperate need
When Steve made several urgent phone calls to try and get his hands on some PPE for staff, he eventually had no choice but to settle on some dust masks he managed to get hold of from a builder friend.
And as things took a turn for the worse, Covid distancing rules resulted in the laundry service being reduced and bedsheets being washed less than usual, while residents were banned from the communal area and had to be fed in their rooms.
Eventually, when Steve and other care home staff caught Covid-10, Sarah was left on her own to deal with all of the residents including Kenny, who fell seriously ill.
With the local surgery not answering her calls, she found herself in a queue to be answered by 111, and when she rang 999, she was told an ambulance would not arrive for hours.
With no other option, she asked Tony for a helping hand to turn Kenny on his front to help him breathe more easily, something which she said she had ‘read about on one of the forums.’
One person took to social media and penned: ‘Thank you to Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer for doing such a poignant project that’s very much needed for everyone to watch . Amazing performances’
While many who tuned in were left in tears due to the poignant scenes, others praised the brilliant performances of the actors.
‘#Help is a brilliant, but sad watch. Learning the reality of what carehomes suffered during Covid was shocking. Jodie Comer & Stephen Graham are geniuses,’ wrote one, while a second commented: ‘Watched #Help last night and wow. What a gut wrenching heart warming film.’
‘Thank you to Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer for doing such a poignant project that’s very much needed for everyone to watch . Amazing performances.’
A third added: ‘Fantastic programme, but truly heartbreaking,’ while a fourth penned: ‘Powerful TV viewing and a real damning look at how governments treated care homes.’
Elsewhere, a fourth commented: ‘So, @channel4’s #help was an absolute masterpiece. It’s beautifully produced with impeccable performances all round. Utterly devastating to watch because it’s so real. It happened. It happened right here in our care homes just over a year ago under.
Source: Read Full Article