Complaint
This episode included a storyline in which Sharon Watts was told that her four year-old son Albie had Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). A viewer with the condition complained that the programme gave a misleading impression that AATD was not serious. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the ±«Óãtv’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The doctor who had diagnosed Albie said “The condition can mean a predisposition to liver and lung disease later in life, but it’s not serious, and many people who have AATD will never even know about it or be affected by itâ€. While accepting that AATD could have serious health implications in some cases, the ECU noted that the scripting reflected advice from the team’s medical consultants and from the charity Alpha-1UK and reflected a likely scenario for Albie’s circumstances. In a context where viewers would not expect medical information to be comprehensive, this seemed to the ECU to satisfy the requirements of due accuracy, while a scene in the next episode where Albie’s uncle went into more detail about the need for his condition to be monitored and his possible susceptibility to liver damage guarded against any impression that AATD was inconsequential.
Not upheld