A THURROCK man described as a 'real life Charlie Fairhead' after the character on TV drama Casualty has produced a book that not only charts the highs and lows of his 40 years a nurse, but also tells the story of Orsett Hospital.

Gary Jones CBE of Hogarth Road, Stifford Clays, was born in Grays in 1953 and trained as a nurse at Orsett and has gone on to accumulate more than 40 years of nursing experience in emergency care.

The correlation with fictional nurse Charlie Fairhead is a very strong one.

Gary, who was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to emergency nursing, was an advisor on long-running BBC drama and the character was actually based on his own managerial role experiences.

His book 'It's Not All Blood And Guts' charts his early days as a hospital cadet, through to running his own consultancy, expert witness and training company.

It tells some fascinating, sometimes shocking, patient stories and readers travel with Gary as he heads for Canada and the USA, returning with ideas that not only transformed the care at Orsett but also influenced A&E nursing and paramedic development across the UK.

In particular it tells how the first paramedics were established in Essex and, working nationally, Gary helped roll out paramedic training across the country.

It is also a story about the challenges Gary faced moving into a predominantly female profession. Even on a school visit to the hospital the careers officer sent Gary with 'the girls'.

The book costs £9.99 plus P&P and is available through: Waterstones, Amazon books, eBay books or direct from Gary who can be contacted on [email protected].

Learn more about the book and Gary's story on Facebook.