As the queue of patients waiting for care builds, a call comes in for a man who has been stabbed in the street. Advanced paramedic Ian is dispatched alongside multiple resources including an ambulance, two solo paramedics, an incident response officer and London’s air ambulance, HEMS.
Arriving on scene, the male patient is no longer breathing and requires emergency surgery at the roadside to give him any chance of surviving. HEMS doctor Dom leads on istering the pioneering care, and he and the team successfully manage to restart the patient’s heart against the odds. Still in a critical condition, the patient is transported on blue lights and sirens to the closest major trauma hospital.
Nearing the end of a busy day shift for London Ambulance Service calls are stacking, for dispatchers LJ and Sharlan. They have the difficult job of coordinating 65 ambulance crews working in north London, all of which are tied up caring for people or delayed at hospital. As pressure continues to build, a new life-threatening category one call comes in for a 77-year-old male who is having a suspected heart attack.
With no ambulances available in the area, LJ asks all crews if they can clear from their current jobs to attend the time-critical emergency. With a target response time of seven minutes, LJ is acutely aware that any further delay might significantly impact the patient’s chance of survival. Unfortunately, no crews are available, leaving her with no option but to dispatch Elise, one of London’s solo paramedics.
Elise quickly confirms that the patient, Colin, is suffering a heart attack and requires back-up from an ambulance crew urgently in order to transport him to hospital for life-saving treatment. But with no local crews available, dispatch are left with no choice but to call on colleagues at the neighbouring ambulance service, East of England. Thankfully, they have the capacity to send an ambulance to rapidly convey Colin to hospital.
As a new shift begins, Camden-based paramedics Ryan and Emma sign on. With all the local hospitals queuing, Ryan and Emma are dispatched to 83-year-old Shelia, who is struggling to breathe. Shelia tries to be stoic and resolute but soon becomes teary as she worries about the reality of being itted to hospital. In a bid to distract her, Emma notices a Mother’s Day card on the mantlepiece, which leads to a heartbreaking revelation from Shelia that both her children have ed away and her husband’s funeral was a week ago. Empathising with Shelia’s troubles, Emma reveals her sadness about losing her father to cancer when she was just two years old.
Meanwhile, Harry and Penny are dispatched to a 71-year-old female who is reportedly having a seizure. Upon arrival, the crew discover that Emine is struggling to breathe. The crew recommend a trip to hospital, but the closest A&E department, North Middlesex, has reached capacity and is not accepting patients. The crew must take the patient 10 miles to Barnet hospital. On arrival, they discover that it too is full, leaving Emine waiting on the back of the ambulance.
The Tuesday day shift commences with a call from a concerned wife about her husband, Joe, who has had sudden chest pain at breakfast. Advanced paramedic Nick is dispatched to the 56-year-old, and as he arrives, Joe goes into cardiac arrest. The team manage to stabilise Joe in the ambulance, and he regains consciousness. However, as the crew blue light him to hospital, Joe’s chest pain returns, sending him back into cardiac arrest. The paramedics perform R and shock his heart into restarting before he is taken to hospital for emergency surgical intervention.
Harry and Penny are then dispatched to an 87-year-old male who is suffering with a protruding hernia. Arriving at Joseph’s house in Enfield, the crew are shocked by the size of the hernia. They immediately decide a trip to hospital is the most appropriate course of action, but once again there are delays, and Joseph is left to wait in the back of the ambulance until there is room for him in A&E.
Emma and Ryan are then dispatched to help Jason, a 45-year-old male with chest pain. Jason confides to Emma that the pain is having a huge impact on his life. Jason reveals that thanks to the 999 call-out, he would now have to miss an appointment he had made to try and get to the root of his health issues. While listening to Jason’s concerns, Emma manages to speak directly with the clinic and reinstate the appointment straight away. The crew agree to drop Jason and his wife off at the clinic, leaving him moved to tears by their kindness.
