History of the National Health Service Emergency Ward 10 was first broadcast in 1957 on ITV and ran until 1967 and followed the life and loves of the staff and patients of the fictionalised Oxbridge General. ITV later followed this up with General Hospital which borrowed much from Emergency Ward 10 in terms of its themes and focus. The idea of a medical hospital as a suitable and popular setting for a soap opera continued to take root in the 1980s. Casualty, set in an A&E department, was first broadcast in 1986 and has since become the longest running medical drama in the world. At a
General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital (commonly abbreviated GH) is an American daytime television medical drama. It is listed in "Guinness World Records" as the longest-running American soap opera in production and the second longest-running drama in television in American history after "Guiding Light". Concurrently, it is the world's third longest-running scripted drama series in production after British serials "The Archers" and "Coronation Street", as well as the world's second-longest-running televised soap opera still in production. "General Hospital" premiered on the ABC television network on April 1, 1963. Same-day broadcasts as well as classic episodes were aired on SOAPnet from January 20,