Coronation Street star Sydney Martin has won praise from fans after responding to a healthcare worker who pointed out an inaccuracy in one of the soap’s recent hospital scenes.
Sydney, who plays Betsy Swain, has been at the centre of one of the ITV soap’s biggest storylines after her character suffered a stroke caused by damage to an artery in her neck following consensual strangulation during sex with boyfriend Dylan Wilson.
The storyline has been widely praised for raising awareness of the risks involved, but one viewer noticed something during a recent episode that they felt needed to be addressed.
Healthcare worker calls out 'drag lift' technique
TikTok creator Jessie, who explained that she works as a manual handling trainer, shared a video after watching the episode, highlighting the way Betsy was helped from her hospital bed into a chair.
The video began: ‘Any health care staff who watched Coronation Street tonight please ignore the way they manual handled Betsy from her bed to the chair. This manoeuvre is not allowed in the UK. It’s called the drag lift, and it was removed from care years ago because it can cause things like dislocation.’
Jessie went on to explain that her biggest concern was that viewers unfamiliar with healthcare procedures might assume what they saw on screen was the correct way to move someone recovering from a stroke.
In the caption, she added: ‘I know soaps such as Coronation Street do their research, but the drag lift for manual handling is not something that should be used by healthcare staff when assisting any patient with manual handling. It was condemned as unsafe practice by the RCN in 1981, and if staff are witnessed completing this manoeuvre, it can be reportable as a safeguarding incident.’
Sydney Martin responds with grace
Rather than ignoring the feedback, Sydney herself jumped into the comments with a thoughtful response that quickly impressed fans. She wrote: ‘Thank you for clearing this up, stroke advisors consistently on set, but clearly this wasn’t updated knowledge.’
Jessie was quick to reply, thanking the actress for taking the time to respond. She wrote: ‘Hey Sydney, thanks for messaging me, i really appreciate it, its disappointing that it was shown in such a big show but I totally understand its almost impossible to get every detail of every story 100% correct, but the consequences of a stroke for a younger person is a great storyline and I think you are doing an amazing job portraying the reality of this.’
Sydney then responded again, reassuring Jessie that the feedback wouldn’t be ignored. She said: ‘Thanks Jessie, I really appreciate it!! completely agree with you- I’ve been very thorough with my personal research. However, some details are out of my control; we film at a very fast pace and ultimately things manage to slip through the cracks, but I will pass this on to production as it’s very important to get right.’
Fans praise actress's maturity
The exchange has since been praised by fans, with many appreciating the way Sydney handled the criticism. The original post was later shared elsewhere online, with one fan writing: ‘Sydney’s response to the drag lift shown in yesterday’s Corrie. I love her maturity around it and that she is going to pass this on so incorrect practice isn’t shown again.’
Sydney has previously spoken about the amount of preparation that’s gone into portraying Betsy’s recovery, and her latest response suggests she’s been just as invested behind the scenes as viewers have seen on screen.
Betsy’s storyline has been one of Coronation Street’s most talked-about plots in recent weeks. The teenager was rushed to hospital after collapsing at home before doctors confirmed she’d suffered a stroke. Just as her condition appeared to improve, Betsy suffered a second stroke, with medics eventually discovering the cause was a blood clot linked to damage to an artery in her neck.
She later revealed to mum Lisa Connor-Swain that the injury happened during consensual sex with boyfriend Dylan Wilson, with neither of them realising at the time how serious the consequences could be. Since then, the soap has explored the emotional fallout for both families, as well as Betsy’s long road to recovery.
While Jessie felt one aspect of the hospital scenes missed the mark, she was also clear that she believes Coronation Street has handled the wider storyline well. And judging by the reaction online, fans were just as impressed by Sydney’s willingness to listen, acknowledge the mistake and promise to pass the information on as they were by her performance as Betsy.
