Derek Young
Dr Derek Young (2005-2012)
Charlie Hopkins
Episodes: 4090–5476
Occupation: Doctor
Derek was a young doctor who started work at Northern Districts Hospital on the same day that Flynn Saunders was retiring on health grounds. He asked Flynn for advice on an elderly patient, Evelyn Grey, whose test results had been coming back negative. After Flynn had spoken to Evelyn, he told Derek that sometimes old people were ill because they were lonely and had no-one to talk to. As Flynn left the hospital at the end of his shift, he saw Derek talking to Evelyn.
After that, Derek became one of the recurring staff at the hospital, often appearing when Summer Bay residents needed treatment and frequently working alongside Rachel and other staff like Julie Cooper. He treated Rachel herself for a combination of unprescribed medication and alcohol abuse and looked after baby Ella when she had a fever. He was also the one to inform Kim that he had been left infertile by a bout of mumps.
Among the others he treated were Sally after her stabbing by Rocco Cooper, Kit when she had a migraine after a car accident, James Dalton when he had had a psychotic break from drug abuse, Lily Nelson after her near drowning, Belle after she had drunk a juice that Kelli Vale had spiked with sedative, Kim after he suffered an electric shock at the surf club and Jules Munroe after he had crashed Alex’s bike. He restrained Lucas from attacking Denni Maitland after the car crash in which Lisa Duffy was killed and treated Henk Van Minnen after he had fallen down the stairs in a fight with Brad, wondering why he was protecting his attacker. He reluctantly agreed to transfer Henk to another hospital, unaware Rachel had revealed to her family that he had raped her.
He looked after Bruce Campbell when he was hospitalised with a heart condition, Pippa Saunders after she had been run over by Alf, Jack after he had been shot by George Watson, Reverend Hall when he was being treated for a brain tumour, Axel Hay after he was beaten up by Aden, Jai after he has been pushed off a wharf by Matthew Lyons, Nicole after her near-drowning at the hands of Elliot Gillen and Martha after her breast reconstruction.
In 2009, when Belle was writing the births, deaths and marriages column at the Coastal News, Rachel set up an interview with Derek, who was marrying one of their colleague, Jill Sato. At the time, Belle was taking a cocktail of drugs after becoming addicted to painkillers and separately talked both Derek and Jill into giving her sleeping pills. (It is not clear whether or not Derek and Jill did get married.) Derek looked after Belle when she suffered an overdose at Tony and Rachel’s wedding a few weeks later while simultaneously treating Roman, who had been left blind by a car accident. He later reassured pregnant Rachel when she began bleeding and successfully delivered baby Harry not long after.
He looked after Charlie when she was run over by Brett Collins and accidentally let slip to her family that she had had a caesarean in the past, before going along with Ross’ alternative explanation for the scar. He informed Rachel and Tony that the hospital was being sued after Jane Avent lost her baby. He treated Xavier for a mild concussion when he was pushed off the wharf by Derrick Quaid, Kirsty when she had a miscarriage, Marilyn when she nearly drowned while rescuing a baby who had rolled into the water, Xavier when he nearly drowned during a surfing accident, Xavier again, along with Summer Horgan-Jones, when they were in a scooter accident and Heath when he had a reaction to being tasered by Georgina Watson. He was the one that Irene went to on finding a lump, giving her a biopsy and informing her she had breast cancer. He also looked after Leah when she had a miscarriage scare during the great storm.
Derek’s last appearances were in early 2012. He looked after Irene when she collapsed from heart damage caused by her chemotherapy but refused to discuss the case with Sid, who had been suspended from the hospital for assaulting Stu Henderson. He later looked after Alan Henderson when he collapsed in front of Sid and confirmed that he had no history of heart disease, leading Sid to deduce he had been poisoned.
*In his 2011 and 2012 appearances, the character was credited as Dr Joel Young, even though he had previously been addressed as Derek on several occasions, including his first appearance. The name Joel was never used outside the credits.