Watch the trailer for new three-part drama Breathtaking
The final episode of Breathtaking aired on Wednesday night, with a hospital team having to tackle a new Covid-19 winter wave at the peak of the pandemic.
Heartbreaking scenes saw doctors breaking down in tears as the pressure became unmanageable for them as beds became unavailable for patients in unprecedented circumstances, and medical staff were forced to prioritise patients as they worked countless hours under extreme conditions.
The real-life drama also highlighted how poorly NHS staff were treated by protestors who did not believe coronavirus was a real disease, with one scene showing a member of the public spitting at a doctor leaving a hospital.
Viewers were heavily impacted by scenes where patients died of the illness alone without their loved ones beside them due to restrictions and social distancing guidelines enforced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.
Near the end of the final episode of the series, Joanne Froggatt's character, Doctor Abbey Henderson decided to take action and voice the pandemic's full effects on the NHS to the public. While Abbey is a fictional character, the scripts have been adapted from a memoir of the same name, written by Doctor Rachel Clarke.
Abbey phoned a local radio station as she wanted to be interviewed about working on Covid wards through the pandemic to explain just how difficult it has been for medical staff. Abbey told listeners: "We are overwhelmed with Covid, old people, young people. There are pregnant women with Covid on ventilators... We can't give everyone the care we need."
When asked if she was choosing between who lives and who dies by the radio host, she replied: "Yes, if you have cancer and you need an ICU bed you might not get it as people are dying with Covid."
She added: "We are genuinely struggling to give people the care they need." Abbey then blamed the Government's decision to come out of lockdown "too early" on the many deaths caused by Covid that winter.
Abbey was later contacted by NHS England about her whistleblowing, but she stood her ground on her decision to speak out on the radio before real-life footage from the pandemic aired of the late Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas speech.
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At the end of the episode, it was revealed that hundreds of NHS staff died from Covid and 60,000 healthcare workers were reported to have suffered from PTSD due to the pandemic.
ITV viewers have been flocking to X, formerly known as Twitter, throughout the week to express their thoughts on the traumatic series, with many commenting on the drama's "sickening" ending on Wednesday.
It ended with statistics about the toll of the pandemic on medical staff. As the credits rolled, Ian wrote: "60,000 Drs and nurses with PTSD OMFG. #BREATHTAKING."
Alice said: "#BREATHTAKING was an amazing drama and everyone involved deserves recognition. So PLEASE don’t run the credits so fast that we can’t read them."
Mace added: "60,000 healthcare workers reported having symptoms of post-traumatic stress! #BREATHTAKING."
Jake shared: "The amount of doctors and nurses the world lost to mental burnout is insane and sickening #breathtaking."
Gary added: "#BREATHTAKING was a remarkable and timely drama. I hope it renews our support for those who work in the NHS and to hold to account those who lied and profited from the pandemic."
Breathtaking is available to watch on ITVX.
