Cartoon Reproduced with permission of http://www.glasbergen.com

Now here’s the official reply:

30th January 2019

Dear Mr Robinson

Thank you for contacting us about the episode of Holby City on 8 January. Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying.

Having raised your concerns with the production team, they explained there are two ways in which CPR can be carried out. The first is CPR with basic life support, including the use of an Ambu Bag and cardiac massage. The second is Hands-Only CPR and this is the best option to use when CPR is required for a short duration of time – as was the case in this scene.

In this story, Dominic was seen complying with the Hands-Only CPR guidelines set out by the British Heart Foundation. A video illustrating how Hands-Only CPR should be carried out, produced by the British Heart Foundation, can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O92KL1mw77c

Of course, performing Hands-Only CPR for real on an actor would be unsafe and could potentially result in broken ribs and other complications. Holby City has on-set medical and nursing advisors to advise on how to portray medical procedures such as this, and they would always advise against anything that might risk any injury to the cast.

 Thank you once again for taking the time to contact us.

 Yours sincerely

 Sarah 

Complaints and Service Advisor

BBC Audience Services

 www.bbc.co.uk/complaints