A newly commissioned Channel 4 documentary will take an inside look at what life is like for families with children on life-support machines at Southampton Hospital's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and the doctors who care for them.
Southampton’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit treats around 1,000 patients annually and has one of the highest survival rates in the country.
The two-part series, My Baby’s Life: Who Decides?, is a tender account of families' struggles as they are forced to confront what it is like to have a very sick child who can be kept alive but will most likely never be cured.
"This series is among the most important we will broadcast this year," noted Nick Mirsky, Head of Documentaries at Channel 4, "Set inside Southampton’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, the medical team and Ethics Committee offer a window on some of the most challenging dilemmas facing today’s doctors.
"It is real privilege to be able to reflect the thought and compassion of the team that work there, and I am delighted to have such an experienced and accomplished filmmaker as Kira Phillips leading the project."
The documentary was filmed during the same year that the Charlie Gard case dominated conversations about sick children's lives. It will cover the heartbreaking topic of the possibility of having to end an ailing child's life.
"This programme is a landmark moment in engaging the public with the discussions that take place between clinicians, patients and their families on a daily basis and the value of strong relationships and communication for everyone involved in the care process," said Dr Peter Wilson, consultant in paediatric intensive care at Southampton Children’s Hospital.
He also added, “It is also an opportunity to reflect on the situations surrounding recent high profile cases and how the details of these decisions can be distorted during public debate as the circumstances are often much more complex than they seem to those not directly involved."
Do you plan on tuning in when the documentary comes out?
