Gem Dean

Gemma "Gem" Dean is a porter who currently works in Holby City Hospital's emergency department. She is the younger sister of paramedic Iain Dean. During Gem's childhood, Iain went off to Afghanistan with the army. She didn't see him thereafter until 2017, when she recognised him as a paramedic. That April, she handed herself into the police after her car accident involving Lily, therefore distancing herself from Iain once more.

Biography
In January 2017, she hit her social worker over the head with a frying pan whilst on day-release from a young offenders' institute. She made her way back to the ED and found Iain at the ambulance station. She told him that it was their grandfather's funeral, but he insisted to get her checked out as she'd fallen down some stairs earlier. However, Gem was intent on attending the funeral and eventually Iain and Jez had to go and collect her. Once back at the ED, the truth about the earlier accident transpired and Gem was taken away by the police.

In February, Iain agreed to meet with Gem at the prison, but he was upset to learn that she'd been released the previous day. A day later, Gem and her mother Kim were involved in a run-in with some men whom Kim owed money to. In the scuffle, Kim fell down the gap between the staircase in a block of flats and was brought into the ED, much to Iain's shock. Gem was worried when she learned of her mother's drinking problems, but put herself in danger too when she returned to the flat, only to be trapped in a bedroom by the men from earlier. Luckily, Iain and Jez came to her rescue, and he offered up his spare room to her whilst their mother recovered.

The following week, Gem attempted to run away from Iain's house with some of his possessions, but he caught her in the act. Later that day, Iain tried to get Gem a job in the hospital's coffee shop but the manager was adamant that she'd need to go through the official application procedure, just like other candidates. When Iain later saved her life, the manager reconsidered and told Gem that all she'd have to do is complete an application form. However, Gem had no intent on doing so and stormed off, but Iain was able to reason with the manager later and secure Gem the job.

In March, Iain was furious to learn that Gem had been short-changing customers at the coffee shop. However, he later discovered that her lack of education meant she couldn't read or write properly, therefore explaining why she didn't want to fill in the form. Later in the month, Lily was furious with Gem when she accused a patient's father of negligence. However, the man later forgave Gem, and Lily let her get off lightly.

In April, Gem spent the day out with Iain and Jez as a form of work experience. However, Iain was once again angry with Gem when she moved a car which could have potentially put a patient's life in danger. Later that day, Gem helped Jez to catch a snake which was inside the ambulance. Later that month, Gem took her exam to determine if she could keep her job. However, Iain's pride in her was cut short when he discovered that she was the one who'd edited Alicia's face onto revealing photos and posted them online the week before. He told her to move out, and Lily had little pity for Gem, feeling that there was nothing she could do. Gem later rang Lily for support, and she agreed to meet with her. However, when Lily got to the hospital's underground car park, she discovered that Gem was drunkenly driving around in Iain's car. Lily stepped out in-between some parked cars and was struck by Gem. Gem stepped out of the car to see Lily lying unconscious on the floor, with blood pouring out of her nose.

Following the accident, Gem fled the scene. However, she soon let her guilt get the better of her, and she requested an ambulance for Lily. Lily was admitted to the ED, and Gem had sustained some eye injuries from the airbag. Dylan soon discovered this, and suggested to Iain that he thought Gem was responsible for Lily's accident. At first, Iain dismissed the claims, but later realised that Gem had left his car keys in a different place to where he kept them. They initially agreed to try to convince Lily to lie to the police, but Gem decided to hand herself in. Before she did, she spoke to Lily, who assured her that she had nothing to be sorry about.

In February 2018, Gem started her first shift in the ED following her release from prison. She initially failed to make a good impression on her boss Jacob when she missed a patient transfer. However, her reputation began to improve when she used her instincts to track down a missing vulnerable patient and saved their life. Iain later congratulated her for her good work, but she told him that she intended to move out and find a place for herself. In March, Rash accused Gem of trying to steal his wallet when he caught her looking through it. Feeling unjustly treated, she worked with the department's ancillary staff to get revenge by assigning him an intimidating patient. Rash realised what was going on and tricked Gem into believing that she killed a patient. They soon came to an understanding and called a truce. Later that month, Gem believed that a prisoner named Jack, who was admitted to the ED with a knife embedded in his thigh, was being abused by a prison guard, but the guard told Rash that he was trying to stop Jack from hurting himself. Later, Jack took Gem hostage and tried to drive to a hospice where his dying uncle was being cared for. Rash stopped him and informed him that his uncle had just died. Devastated, he let Gem go and was apprehended by police. After cleaning Gem up in cubicles, Rash was thrilled when she told him that he impressed her.

In April, Gem and Rash agreed to have lunch together, but Connie forced Rash to spend his lunch break carrying out research for her. Rash tried to make it up to Gem by offering to accompany her to Alicia's housewarming party, but Gem coldly told him not to come. In June, Connie tasked Gem and Rash with taking care of her pet goldfish Mrs B. When they found her dead in her tank, they panicked and decided to replace her with another fish. However, upon returning, they discovered that Noel had already put a new fish in the tank. As they questioned him, he cracked and admitted that he accidentally killed Mrs B after he spilled coffee into the tank. Later that week, Connie noticed that Mrs B had been killed and decided to wait for the culprits to reveal themselves. Gem, Rash and noel eventually cracked under the pressure and admitted their involvement, prompting Connie to remind them of the importance of transparency. In July, Rash plucked up the courage to ask Gem out for a drink, and he was delighted when she said yes and kissed him on the cheek.

Behind the scenes
Rebecca Ryan has portrayed Gem on Casualty since January 2017, making her one of the more prominent recurring guest stars of the show.