In the breast centre at University Hospital Llandough, health worker Michaela has been a patient for almost a decade, treated throughout that time by clinical lead Eleri Davies. Michaela had a double mastectomy but is among the ten per cent of women with breast cancer who unfortunately see their cancer return. Eleri prioritises Michaela for this third life-saving operation, knowing she only has a small window to do so. In the same hospital, 68-year-old Garry, a retired water inspector and grandfather, has been on a waiting list for a new hip for over two years. The orthopaedic department has more than 4,000 patients waiting for surgery, with almost a quarter for hip replacements. Compounded by an ageing population and impact of Covid, orthopaedic consultant Phil Thomas has never witnessed anything like it. As he fights to reduce the ever-growing number of patients, he is concerned Garry's surgery could be far trickier if his arthritis has worsened while waiting. Meanwhile, over at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, ear, nose and throat consultant Stuart Quine is preparing for a complex operation on a rare benign tumour in the neck of mum-of-three Sharon. The operation is high-risk due to the tumour being so close to the carotid artery, the vessel which supplies blood to the brain.