Lily Chao

Lily Chao is a doctor who currently works at Holby City Emergency Department. She joined the department in 2013 as a junior doctor, and became a registrar in 2015.

Time in the Emergency Department (2013-)
A&E is a pre-requisite for a junior doctor, but it is not part of Lily Chao’s long-term plan. She has her sights set on dermatology, a good match in marriage and a financially rewarding private-practice. An intelligent, logical, high-achiever, Lily finds the theory easy, but she continues to struggle with her bedside manner. Perhaps her short stint in the ED will teach her a few lessons.

Lily comes from a hard-working family who like to boast about their doctor daughter, but have never really told her they are proud of her. As such Lily is confident, accomplished and focussed, but really all she wants is for someone to say ‘well done’.

Lily’s world is a meritocracy where you can have whatever you want if you work hard enough for it. She doesn’t care that she’s not well-liked as she’s ticking-off competencies and learning new medical skills. She’s technically brilliant and is definitely someone you’d want as your doctor – as long as you’re not easily offended.

When Connie greatly increases the training doctors' workloads in her urgency to improve standards, Lily works the hardest, losing sleep in her efforts to impress Connie. She appears in the ED 'dead on her feet', inattentive and potentially a danger to herself and her patients. Connie ignores the warning signs, but Dylan eventually persuades Lily to go home, but against his judgement she decides to make her own way on her scooter. Lily nods off while driving and hits a jaywalking girl; the girl's father admonishes her and Lily is devastated. She attributes the accident to her own carelessness, and leaves Connie a letter of resignation. However, Connie catches up to her before she leaves and rejects her resignation, telling Lily that she is a good doctor.

Personal life
Throughout her time in the ED, Lily has been shown to have a romantic interest in co-worker Ethan Hardy. Despite this, many things have got in the way including studying for exams to become a registrar and the arrival and return of Honey Wright, the ED's coffee shop barista.

Trivia

 * Lily’s parents own a restaurant.
 * Lily lives by her twenty-year plan and nothing will deviate her from this course… or will it?

Behind the scenes
Crystal Yu has portrayed Lily in Casualty since her arrival in August 2013.