All Saints is a popular Australian medical drama which airs on the Seven Network, and various international networks. The programme debuted on 24 February 1998 and soon became one of Australia's highest-rating dramas. All Saints also achieved popularity overseas, particularly in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The series is set in a fictional Sydney suburban hospital, All Saints General Western Hospital. Its stories originally focused on the lives of the nurses of Ward 17, which was also known as the "garbage ward" because it took the overflow of patients. In 2004, after a year of low ratings, producers drastically overhauled the series, shifting focus from Ward 17 to the Emergency Department. A new set was established, many old characters were dropped and many new ones introduced. With this change, the series also came to focus more upon the lives of the doctors, as well as the nurses as it had in the past.