Final shift: Duffy leaves her job in tonight's Casualty

The character of Duffy was recently diagnosed with dementia and will be seen explaining to husband Charlie (Derek Thompson) that she wants to leave with her head held high before such time as her faculties become impaired.

Duffy's on-screen association with the Holby emergency department dates back to Casualty's first episode in 1986 and the charge nurse remains a beloved member of staff. However, troubleshooter Ciaran expresses the hope tonight that Duffy will opt to exit on a high note rather than wait for her quality of care to drop.

After revealing her plans to Charlie, he volunteers to break the news to the rest of the staff and tells them that Duffy will still continue to play a role at the hospital, albeit not as a nurse.

"Hanging up her uniform doesn't mean Duffy's out of a job," series star Cathy Shipton commented to Inside Soap recently. "They still want her involved in the ED, so another role is created for her."

Asked whether she thought Duffy had reached the right decision, the actress added: "Yes and no - I think she could have perhaps gone into other areas of nursing part time."

But as was revealed in the Casualty summer 2019, Duffy is soon to be seen telling Ciaran that she now doesn't totally trust herself, despite Charlie insisting that she remains "one of us". So for long can Duffy truly remain part of the team?