Goldblatt's descent

Talented but obstinate, Dr Goldblatt has almost destroyed his career before it has properly begun. It increasingly appears that his inability to temper idealism with pragmatism means that his new but temporary position at a London hospital represents his last chance in the NHS. Yet this hospital is depressingly similar to all those he has temped in before - dysfunctional and bureaucratic, a place in which a concern for patients seems secondary to a concern for reputations. As Goldblatt attempts to hold on to his job in the medical chaos of Floor Five, overseen by the monstrous ego of Professor Small, he finds himself sinking dangerously towards a point of no return, where it feels as though self-abnegation is killing him and selfdestruction seems like the only remedy.