Outback ER, an 8 x half hour observational documentary series, premieres on Thursday 12 February at 8 pm on ABC.
From the red earth of Broken Hill comes a look at one of the most unusual emergency departments in the country. Experience just how different a life-threatening crisis can be in one of the most isolated locations on earth.
The series introduces viewers to the emergency response team who live and work in this remote region – the staff from Broken Hill Base Hospital Emergency Department, the Ambulance Service of NSW, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
From snakebites and amputations to farm accidents and heart attacks, every admission brings a new challenge. Witnessing real human drama and meeting some extraordinary characters, Outback ER offers an intimate and moving insight into the diverse population of Broken Hill, and the realities of life and death in the Australian outback.
This unforgiving desert landscape breeds a population of no nonsense locals who live hard and play hard – some will even wait days before getting a broken bone treated. Remoteness, lack of resources and staff recruitment are all major challenges at the Broken Hill Base Hospital. It definitely takes a special kind of medical team to work in a place like this.
A Screentime (a Banijay Group company) production for ABC TV made with the financial assistance of Screen Australia and Screen NSW. Created by Simon Steel, Outback ER is produced by Tony De La Peña and executive produced by Screentime’s Jennifer Collins and Simon Steel with ABC TV’s Commissioning Editor Andrea Ulbrick.