A teenage boy is brought into the Royal having fallen from a cliff, but it soon emerges that the incident was a suicide attempt as evidence of extreme depression comes to the surface. Cheriton contacts the youngster's psychiatrist but is taken aback when electroshock therapy is suggested as a form of treatment, so ventures to the family home to recommend an alternative — only for tragedy to strike. Meanwhile, a hypochondriac causes chaos at the hospital when she insists her dog be treated following a snake bite, and a heart-to-heart between Weatherill and Ormerod leads to a passionate kiss.

A frantic mother and father bring their daughter to the Royal for whooping cough treatment, and Cheriton is shocked to hear the girl hasn't been vaccinated because of her parents' fears of the side-effects. Tragically, the youngster dies - leaving the worried staff to cope with an influx of children in need of immunisation.