Jan Jenning has never been the kind of leader who craves the spotlight.

She leads from the front, tough as nails and fiercely loyal, the backbone of Holby’s paramedic service.

But beneath the uniform and the no-nonsense attitude, Jan is carrying a mountain of pressure — and lately, it’s threatening to crush her.

This week, Jan faces her biggest battle yet: keeping her team together while she’s barely holding herself together.

Everyone’s Anchor

For years, Jan has been the steady hand guiding Holby’s ambulance crews through everything the city throws at them — mass casualties, violent assaults, endless heartache.

She’s the one who checks the rigs before anyone else. The one who makes sure the green recruits don’t crumble under the first real trauma they face. The one who backs her people, even when the higher-ups push back.

Jan wears a thousand responsibilities like armor.

But that armor is starting to crack.

Mounting Pressures

The demands on the paramedic team have never been greater.

Staff shortages mean longer shifts. More dangerous calls. Less backup.

Every radio call feels heavier, every scene more hostile. And every time one of her team takes a hit — physically or emotionally — it lands squarely on Jan’s shoulders too.

She fights for better support. For equipment. For recognition.

But bureaucracy moves slowly, and the emergencies never stop.

Every day, Jan watches her team get stretched thinner and thinner.

And every day, she silently wonders: how much more can they take?

How much more can she?

Personal Sacrifices

Jan’s job isn’t just her profession — it’s her life.

It’s cost her relationships, time with her family, even her health.

She shrugs it off, the way she always does. “Part of the job,” she mutters when anyone asks.

But late at night, when she finally drops onto the couch in her empty flat, the silence is deafening.

She misses the people she’s lost along the way. She misses the version of herself that wasn’t always so tired, so burdened.

There’s a loneliness to leadership that no amount of camaraderie can erase.

And Jan feels every aching second of it.

A Terrifying Incident

Everything comes to a head after a brutal call to a chaotic multiple-vehicle collision.

Teddy Gowan and Iain Dean are first on scene, battling to triage a mess of casualties. One reckless move by a panicked driver almost costs Teddy his life — and Jan is left frozen for a split second when she hears the emergency alert from his radio.

The thought of losing one of her own — of failing to protect them — hits her like a punch to the gut.

Even though Teddy walks away shaken but physically unharmed, Jan feels like she’s the one left battered.

Later, in the station’s quiet locker room, she grips the edge of a bench, fighting back tears.

She’s supposed to be the strong one.

But right now, she feels anything but.

The Mask Slips

It’s Iain who notices first.

He’s been there — to the edge and back — and he knows the signs.

He doesn’t push. Doesn’t pry.

Just sits beside Jan after the shift, offering a silent truce.

After a long moment, Jan speaks, voice hoarse with exhaustion.

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” she says.

It’s the first time she’s admitted it out loud.

It feels like betrayal. Like weakness.

But Iain just nods, understanding in his quiet, steady way.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” he tells her.

And for the first time in a long time, Jan believes him.

Choosing Herself for Once

The next morning, Jan does something she hasn’t done in years.

She calls in backup.

She delegates. She trusts her team — the ones she trained, the ones she believes in — to carry some of the weight.

And she takes an afternoon for herself.

Not to run errands. Not to fix anyone else’s problems.

Just to breathe.

To remind herself that she’s more than her uniform. More than her duty.

She’s Jan Jenning.

And she deserves saving too.

The Heart of Holby’s Ambulance Service

Jan isn’t stepping back completely.

She’ll always be there — fighting, protecting, leading.

But from now on, she’ll do it with the understanding that being strong doesn’t mean being invincible.

It means knowing when to lean, when to rest, when to heal.

The battle isn’t over. It never really is.

But Jan isn’t alone.

And that, more than anything, gives her the strength to keep fighting.

Not just for her team.

But for herself.

Because Holby needs Jan Jenning.

And maybe, just maybe, Jan’s finally ready to believe it too.