- 5 months ago
999 On the front line S13E04 (3rd Aug 2025)
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00:00Ambulance says it's patient breathing, he can't move, he's virtually paralysed.
00:08I'm not sure if he's banged his head or if he's fallen down.
00:12He's locked on the floor. He says he thinks he's having a heart attack.
00:17Well you know what I say, we'll see when we get there.
00:22We're on board with the paramedics of West Midlands Ambulance Service.
00:26You can make a massive difference to someone's life.
00:28I think there's just something not right with your heart.
00:30No response to pain.
00:32I'm sorry, I was really scared.
00:34Saving lives and making a difference every day.
00:37That's why I'm asking if you've got a dressing on it because I want to help you.
00:41In a medical emergency, six million people rely on them.
00:46We've never been busier. Give her a little bit of oxygen, I'd rather be safe, sorry.
00:50You're seven, you're a lover, and you rang the ambulance on your own.
00:54Any pain where I'm pressing?
00:56Filming simultaneously with seven paramedic crews.
00:59Haven't been to that before.
01:00He couldn't breathe. Lips went blue.
01:02Capturing life on the front line.
01:06If we don't get to a patient on time, ultimately they could die.
01:10Oh, last night's shift then, Sam.
01:20Indeed, hopefully it'll be a good one.
01:22Hopefully, yeah. And I cannot wait for my days off.
01:25Neither can I. I think I need a rest.
01:27Shall we get going? Indeed.
01:28Come on, then.
01:32It's 6.30 in the evening, and the paramedics of West Midlands Ambulance Service
01:37have a full 12 hours ahead of them.
01:40Good evening, mate. Booking on Ryan and Tom to half past six.
01:43Well, many thanks. How's it looking out there?
01:46We've got 16 that we've been holding in the car area, across the region, pushing 300.
01:54Woo-hoo! We've got some work to do tonight.
01:56Good night.
02:02As they start what promises to be a busy shift,
02:05thoughts turn to one particularly special aspect of the job.
02:10Have you ever delivered a baby?
02:13Yeah.
02:14I've done 18 since I started.
02:17Not bad.
02:18Most memorable?
02:20In a school.
02:21In a school?
02:22Teacher.
02:24Secondary school teacher.
02:25Ooh.
02:26On a science room table.
02:28Second ever shift.
02:29Your second shift in living a baby?
02:31Second shift out on the road.
02:32We got there.
02:33We were first on scene, and as we walked through, the baby was pretty much out.
02:38It's quite nice, because, like, you're bringing life into the world for change.
02:41I mean, it's, like, a really emotional time for the parents.
02:43Very eye-opening, for sure.
02:44Oh, yeah.
02:45I felt very glad to be a man, but...
02:47LAUGHTER
02:48Well, I've got a question for you.
03:01OK.
03:02Hit me.
03:03Right.
03:04If there was a book written of your life...
03:06Yeah.
03:07...would you read that book?
03:09Do I have to read the entire book?
03:11You can't dip in and out.
03:12You either commit to reading it, or you don't.
03:15Then no.
03:16Why not?
03:17Because I quite like every day being a mystery.
03:21That's why I love this job so much.
03:23I don't know whether I'm going to a car crash, or a birth, or someone who's fainted.
03:29I would love an exclusive peek at your life story book.
03:33I would read it so happily.
03:35And do you know what?
03:36I would let you read it.
03:37Read you?
03:38Mm-hm.
03:39Really?
03:40As long as you didn't tell me anything about it.
03:41Deal.
03:42Yeah, we can do that.
03:43Yeah.
03:44There's lots you don't know about me saying, cos you're too young.
03:47Oh, yeah.
03:48Barely eating my stomach.
03:49Is the patient breathing?
03:50Are you the patient?
03:51Ah!
03:52What's the emergency?
03:53What's going on?
03:54He says he's got heart pain and he's collapsed on the floor.
03:55And he says he thinks he's having a heart attack.
03:56We're now going to a nail.
03:57Chest pain, fighting for breath.
04:17It says he's exposed to the element so I wonder if he's outside.
04:23wonder if he's outside maybe this is like some sort of party or something when a person phones
04:29up with difficulty in breathing accompanied with chest pain it can indicate problems with
04:33your heart with your lungs very serious call chest pain difficulty in breathing oh these
04:40people here do you think oh dear you're looking a bit uh a bit of pain there hello guys shall we get you
04:51on all right why can't he stand up you know speed yeah okay come on chick you'll be all right the
05:03patient can hardly stand the man helping him says it's because he's been taking drugs right just
05:09before you sort of collapse there hang on hang on let's get your coat off what have we taken well
05:17speed at the minute stick your legs up there chick swing your legs around seeing that the patient was
05:24a little bit agitated is a bit of a red flag for us if a patient is agitated they can become quite
05:29aggressive with us which can obviously put us at risk also in the ambulance is a relative of the
05:35patient who called 999 what's been going on so heart pain chest pain all right let's get a 12 million
05:59on down Sam runs an ECG to check the electrical activity of the patient's heart
06:05have you got pain anywhere
06:08yes yes or no no pain yeah any pain here
06:18it was quite hard to find out what was going on with this patient he wasn't entirely consistent
06:29with his answers we had to try and figure out what was going on and if there was anything that we needed
06:33to deal with like urgently but I think because of the state he was in it just made just made everything
06:38that a little bit more complicated for us is chick normally fit and well no what medical problems does he have what heart problems
06:48what heart problems have you had when you find out somebody does have a history of heart problems
06:57we need to really find out what they are what medication are they taking so it's very important to find out from relatives the medical history of the person
07:06how long did you have the pain in your chest for
07:09how long did you have the pain in your chest for
07:11it's come back has it yeah just show me where it is are we talking about here
07:17do you have a favorite siren I think just the normal one the nice long one oh I never remember the name of them because they have got names haven't they yeah so this one is the rail rail this one's called like phaser or laser yeah that's the one I was looking for
07:24that's like my favorite one yeah I think I like the whale it's just classic
07:35I think just the normal one, the nice long one.
07:38I can never remember the name of them because they have got names, haven't they?
07:41Yeah, so this one is the whale.
07:43Whale.
07:44This one's called like phaser or laser.
07:46Yeah, that's the one I was thinking.
07:48That's like my favourite one.
07:50I think I like the whale, it's just classic.
07:52Yeah.
07:53You know, it does the job.
07:55It's not too bad, is it?
07:56No.
07:58The phaser siren is my favourite because it's really annoying,
08:02it's really short, it gets the job done, everyone moves, everyone looks.
08:05See, I like the whale because people can pick it up from further away,
08:08so some people are a bit more proactive with it
08:10and do sort of pull over a bit earlier.
08:12Oh, yes, some people, that's the key word.
08:20Ambulance service is a patient breathing.
08:23He is, and what's the reason for the call?
08:26He had a hip replacement yesterday
08:29and he's been discharged about an hour ago
08:34and we've got home and he's just gone downhill.
08:40Would he be able to speak to me?
08:42He's vomiting at the moment.
08:48New assignment.
08:50Discharge from hospital an hour ago, vomiting,
08:53hip replacement at George Eliot yesterday.
08:56Or two.
08:58The fact that he'd only been discharged an hour ago
09:00and he's had recent surgery.
09:01Yeah, it's very uncommon to get someone to call an ambulance
09:04when they've just been discharged from hospital.
09:06Yeah.
09:07So, clearly, there's something...
09:08Yeah, something's gone on.
09:10There we go.
09:13Play the vehicle on shoulder.
09:18Oh.
09:21Hello.
09:22Hello.
09:23My name's Ryan, I'm Mr Tom.
09:24How can we help you?
09:26Blood pressure really dropped last night
09:28while he was in hospital.
09:29OK.
09:30Just feel your wrist while we're in hospital.
09:31That's just when he went for an exercise.
09:33They've moved him from a bed onto a trolley
09:36and then when they moved him, when he came back,
09:38it was the butt tail.
09:39OK.
09:40Back, erm...
09:41In bed.
09:42Do you have a discharge form?
09:43Yes.
09:44Discharge form's in there, Mum.
09:46And then tonight...
09:47You're feeling at the moment.
09:48He's vomited loads.
09:49OK.
09:50And sweat was pouring off him.
09:5275-year-old retired welder John is with his wife Anita
09:57and daughter Elizabeth.
09:59Were you vomiting in hospital as well?
10:01Yes.
10:02Yeah.
10:03I was going to be discharging him up the corridor.
10:05Oh, bless.
10:06He was very sweaty and pale in colour.
10:08And I was very concerned whether this was, like,
10:11a cardiac issue.
10:12Is he known to have any heart issues?
10:14Like, atrial fibrillation or anything like that?
10:16No.
10:17To check the electrical activity of John's heart,
10:20Tom runs an ECG.
10:23Since we've been home, have we had anything to eat?
10:25No.
10:26We've only been home.
10:27About 15 minutes.
10:28Well, we haven't even eaten.
10:29Not long when it started.
10:31With the vomiting, how's that at the moment?
10:33Is it getting a bit better?
10:35Is it still just as bad?
10:36I want to vomit, but there's not so much coming in.
10:39OK.
10:40It was really powerful, wasn't it?
10:42Projectile vomiting.
10:44And it went everywhere.
10:47It was on the floor, on the bed, on him.
10:52One of the sort of lesser known signs and symptoms of a heart attack
10:56can actually be sort of nausea and vomiting.
10:58So we need to be careful with patients who've got vomiting
11:01that it might have some sort of cardiac cause.
11:04So looking at his heart-tracing,
11:06it looks like he has something called atrial fibrillation
11:09and that can cause you to have like a regular heartbeat
11:12and sometimes it goes a bit fast uncontrollably
11:15and can make you feel quite poorly.
11:18John's irregular heartbeat is a sign that his heart
11:21isn't working as efficiently as it should.
11:23So it sounds like this is a new onset.
11:25All right.
11:26I'm going to do it.
11:27So because of that, you're probably best to pop him up.
11:29Everything's OK.
11:30We'll get him sorted and get back home.
11:32You'll be fine.
11:33He looks like a fighter.
11:35He'll be fine.
11:36John's heart kept changing
11:38and he'd have these episodes where he'd have this really irregular rhythm.
11:42That's something that definitely needs checking out
11:44by a cardiologist at hospital.
11:46Feeling OK, John?
11:47Have we got pain in your chest?
12:01No.
12:02I did.
12:03I did.
12:04But you haven't now.
12:05In Coventry, student paramedic Sam and paramedic Chris are with a young man who's complaining of chest pain.
12:14Any drugs tonight?
12:15Yeah.
12:16Yeah, what have you had?
12:17Amphetamines?
12:18Yeah.
12:19Amphetamines?
12:20Yeah.
12:21Do you normally take amphetamines?
12:22Regularly.
12:23Regularly?
12:24All right.
12:25Have you taken more today than usual?
12:27Possibly.
12:28Possibly, yeah.
12:29I don't even remember.
12:31You don't quite remember.
12:33No worries.
12:34I want you to concentrate on your breathing.
12:37Your heart's a muscle.
12:39Amphetamines will speed up this muscle of your heart.
12:43If muscles work harder, they become achy, like our legs when we go for a run.
12:48So this chap's heart was working harder than normal and it was causing him pain.
12:54He was also really, really anxious as well, which I think was a side effect from him taking the amphetamines.
12:59That can give you pains in your chest. That can give you shortness of breath as well.
13:04Try and slow it down a bit.
13:07Shut your eyes and have a little think about something nice.
13:11And have a think about your breathing, all right?
13:13Yep.
13:14And then we'll be able to talk to you.
13:18Let's have a little peep in your eyes.
13:19Look at me shoulder.
13:21Where you been tonight?
13:23I don't know. I've been out for weeks.
13:26Been out, what, for days?
13:28Have you been on a bit of a...
13:30Have you been taking drugs, sort of...?
13:33No.
13:35We found out from the patient that he'd had a three-day party
13:39and probably hadn't been sleeping for three days.
13:42You're doing really well on your breathing.
13:44Your heart does going really fast.
13:47Oh, really?
13:48Yeah, it's going to be what you've taken, isn't it, you know?
13:50I don't know.
13:51You had it happen before?
13:54Yeah, it stops and it goes.
13:56Yeah.
13:57Blood pressure's okay, we're just tachy.
13:59But we're jumping from about 100 to about 140, 150.
14:03When the heart suddenly beats much faster than normal,
14:06it's known as tachycardia.
14:08Many things can trigger it, including taking drugs.
14:12Shall we pop you down to Wallsgrave?
14:14Get everything to calm down a little bit.
14:17Yeah, make sure you're feeling better.
14:20We needed to take this gentleman to hospital.
14:22He'd got chest pain, his heart was going extremely fast,
14:26much faster than it should have been,
14:28and definitely his heart would have needed to slow down
14:32for him to be safe.
14:36How long ago did you take it?
14:38Four of them.
14:39Okay.
14:40Your breathing's speeded up a little bit,
14:50so why don't you close your eyes
14:53and have a little think about slowing it down.
14:55Can you do that?
14:56No.
14:57No?
14:58Why not?
14:59I don't know.
15:00I don't know.
15:01Give it a try, because you did it before
15:04and it worked really well.
15:07Treating people who have deliberately taken drugs
15:09or deliberately taken overdoses
15:11or done something to themselves
15:12can be really quite challenging.
15:14But also we have a duty of care to help these people.
15:16We're here to help.
15:17Whether you've done it yourself
15:18or whether it's happened naturally
15:19will help you the same.
15:21So you take speed quite regularly.
15:27Yeah?
15:29But this doesn't happen all the time.
15:32Have you taken more than usual?
15:35You have.
15:39After a ten-mile journey, Sam and Chris arrive
15:41at University Hospital Coventry.
15:47Right.
15:48Shall we go and tell the nurses about you?
15:50All right.
15:51You are looking a lot better.
15:53Right matey, head that way, chick.
15:58Here the patient's heart rate will continue to be monitored
16:00until the effects of the amphetamines wear off.
16:03Well, he was a pleasant enough lad, weren't he?
16:08But I think he probably needs to stop taking speed.
16:11Doesn't seem to be fun.
16:12No.
16:13He was all over the shop when he got in.
16:15Feeling okay, John?
16:25Feeling okay?
16:27Feeling okay?
16:28Feeling okay?
16:29Not soon.
16:30Are you okay?
16:31Yeah?
16:32Not soon.
16:33Not soon.
16:34Not soon.
16:36To the east of Birmingham, paramedic Ryan and technician Tom
16:39are with John.
16:42Yesterday he had hip replacement surgery
16:45and today he's showing signs of an irregular heartbeat.
16:50Little sharp scratch, ready?
16:51One, two, three.
16:53This just checks for your sugar levels.
16:55All right, if you just pinch that then for me till it stops bleeding.
17:007.1, mate.
17:02It appeared that John was deteriorating while we were assessing him.
17:06His speech and his actions were slowing down.
17:09It's important that we consider the likelihood of his condition getting worse.
17:14This vomiting, it may be also like an infection after the operation as well.
17:19So I still think going to hospital would be best if that's okay with you.
17:22Yeah?
17:23How's your hip pain at the moment?
17:26It's not bad.
17:27Not bad?
17:28Fantastic.
17:30Have you been able to move it okay?
17:31Yeah.
17:32Do you feel like you're going to be sick at all?
17:33Do you want this?
17:35Pop that there for 30 seconds, just in case you need to.
17:39I'll probably give you some antisickness as well, just to help you stop being sick.
17:43Is that okay?
17:44Yeah.
17:45Fantastic.
17:47Put this on if you're on.
17:48Start scratching your wrist, John. Okay.
17:53With the antisickness medication starting to take effect, Ryan and Tom can move John to the ambulance.
18:02There you go.
18:03Beautiful.
18:04Lucky.
18:05Yeah.
18:06Fantastic.
18:07Wife Anita will come with John to hospital.
18:08How long have you two been married then?
18:0955 years.
18:10You get less for murder don't you?
18:11No.
18:12No.
18:13After a 15 mile journey, Ryan and Tom arrive at George Elliot Hospital in Nuneaton.
18:17All right mate, we're at the hospital so take these bits off now for us.
18:31You get left for murder, don't you?
18:36After a 15-mile journey,
18:38Ryan and Tom arrive at George Elliott Hospital in Nuneaton.
18:42All right, mate, we're at the hospital,
18:44so I'll take these bits off now for you.
18:48Here, doctors will investigate John's fast heartbeat
18:51to see if this could be the reason why he's been so sick today.
18:57You got the bed, yeah? Got the bed.
19:01MUSIC CONTINUES
19:08How was John in the back?
19:10Oh, he was lovely.
19:11Can you imagine just having surgery?
19:13Like, you've woken up, you've been vomiting all the time,
19:15you just feel horrendous and rank.
19:17Yeah, a bit more trying to rest up.
19:20But, yeah, it seemed lovely, it seemed lovely. Yeah.
19:22MUSIC CONTINUES
19:26How much did you sleep today?
19:39I slept well, to be honest.
19:40The idea of being awake until quarter past seven in the morning
19:43was dawning on me. Stop it.
19:45So I was like, I need to have a nap. So I had an hour nap.
19:48MUSIC CONTINUES
19:49With a cup of tea.
19:50I don't drink hot drinks.
19:52I don't like them.
19:53Weird, are they?
19:54I just hate hot drinks.
19:56I could not.
19:57No.
19:58I don't know what it is.
19:59I just don't like the taste.
20:00The first thing I want is a cup of tea.
20:02No.
20:03And some biscuits.
20:04Maybe it's like the way we've been brought up.
20:06Did your mum and dad have cups of tea instead?
20:08Yeah.
20:09They still do all the time.
20:10That is weird.
20:11I don't know how you can get up in the morning
20:13and not fancy a cup of tea.
20:15I couldn't think of anything worse.
20:17I don't think I'm that mature yet.
20:18I need to grow a couple more years
20:20and then maybe I'll start liking it.
20:22My tie spuds aren't developed yet.
20:24MUSIC CONTINUES
20:29BUZZER
20:32The services are patient breathing?
20:33Yes.
20:34And what's the reason for the ambulance?
20:36She had a thought and she's banged her head
20:38and she's hurt her back.
20:40MUSIC CONTINUES
20:4482-year-old fallen, head and back injury.
20:47Unable to get off the floor, bless.
20:50She's been on the floor for like four hours now.
20:53Already got a broken shoulder, had a stroke last October
20:57and is on blood thinners, so she's now a long lie.
21:00Lying on the floor for a long time
21:02can lead to a serious condition called rhabdomyolysis,
21:06also known as long lie.
21:08She's going to be in pain if she's already got a broken shoulder.
21:12No.
21:13Now she's done her back in her head.
21:15Patient had hit her head and she was also on blood thinners.
21:18Now, this is really concerning for us.
21:20It makes the patient more susceptible to having a hemorrhage in the brain,
21:23which can be life-threatening.
21:25SHE BLOWS
21:31Hello.
21:32Where are we?
21:33Upstairs, from the landing.
21:35Hello, sweetheart.
21:37I'm Chloe.
21:38This is Chelsea.
21:39What's your name?
21:40Sheila.
21:41Sheila.
21:42How have we ended up down here?
21:43Sheila?
21:44So I was on my own on the landing.
21:45Oh, bless you.
21:46Oh, bless you.
21:47OK.
21:48And I had my walker.
21:51Yeah.
21:52And I just went down.
21:53Did you fall like this on your right side?
21:56No.
21:57I just can't remember.
21:5982-year-old Sheila fell and now can't get up.
22:04Sheila's is the 5,039th call received today.
22:10This level of demand is one reason why it's taken over four hours
22:14for a crew to become available.
22:16She did look like she was in a really uncomfortable position
22:19and she already had one of her arms in a sling.
22:22This was concerning and she could have potentially damaged
22:25that injury further.
22:26Is this the shoulder that's broken?
22:28Yeah.
22:29How long have you been on the floor?
22:31Since about half nine.
22:32Since half nine?
22:34It's 20 to two now.
22:36Being on the floor for over an hour can put you at high risk
22:39of rhabdomyolysis, which can produce a lot of toxins
22:42into the blood and can put you into organ failure.
22:52As the West Midlands sleeps,
22:57we're on board with seven paramedic crews simultaneously
23:01as they work a typical 12-hour night shift.
23:06All of this contraction, eh?
23:08Just for you.
23:09What if it works?
23:10Brilliant.
23:11It is going to work, don't worry.
23:13In Birmingham, paramedic Chelsea and student paramedic Chloe
23:16are with Sheila.
23:18She's fallen and has been lying on the floor for over four hours.
23:22That's it, sweet.
23:23Well done.
23:24Well done.
23:26How does it feel to be upright?
23:28Much better.
23:31Start bending your legs once you can feel yourself coming up, OK?
23:34Hold on to this arm.
23:37So I'm going to get that into the chair now?
23:39Yeah.
23:42That's it.
23:43We can see your face properly now.
23:45Yeah.
23:48So in terms of your past medical history,
23:50I've got atrial fibrillation, hypertension, previous stroke,
23:53is there anything else?
23:55I think that's enough, isn't it?
23:56I know.
23:59Although Sheila is up off the floor,
24:01what caused her to collapse tonight
24:03remains a mystery.
24:05Will she have to go to the hospital?
24:06It's recommended because, obviously,
24:08she's been on the floor for so long
24:10and if she's bumped her head
24:12and she's on blood thinners,
24:13then it's better to just go and get it checked over.
24:18Sheila did need to go to hospital
24:19due to the fact that she had had a bang to the head
24:22and she was on blood thinners,
24:24therefore increasing her chances of having a haemorrhage
24:26on the brain.
24:28How young are we?
24:3083.
24:31You're not 83.
24:32You're having us on there, aren't you?
24:35You don't look in your 80s at all.
24:36You don't.
24:39I'm surprised about that.
24:41I'm surprised you haven't aged 10 years in two days.
24:44In the UK,
24:46around half of people aged 80 and over
24:49have at least one fall every year.
24:52And like Sheila,
24:53those falls often result in a trip to hospital.
24:56Right.
24:57Another little bump.
24:59There we go.
25:00There we are.
25:01In the warm.
25:02Of course, thank you.
25:03There we go.
25:04Well done, girls.
25:07Have we earned our kin there?
25:09Oh, yes.
25:10Definitely.
25:11I reckon we've earned a double.
25:12Yeah.
25:14At this time of the morning,
25:16it won't take long for Chelsea to cover the seven miles to hospital.
25:20What did you guys used to do for work?
25:22Well, Sheila was a teacher.
25:23Was she?
25:24Primary school.
25:25What did you teach?
25:26In the primary school, you have to teach everything.
25:28Oh.
25:29Yeah.
25:30And when Sheila told me that she was a primary school teacher,
25:32I could see it, definitely.
25:34I could see that teacher look that she'd give to Richard
25:37when he wasn't behaving.
25:40It's not a far drive, is it?
25:44Arriving at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coalfield,
25:47Sheila will be taken for x-rays to see if she's broken any bones.
25:51She'll also have scans to make sure there's no bleeding on her brain.
25:56Right by the door.
25:57Straight in.
26:11That's what I want to be like when I'm older.
26:13Like, she's just been on the floor four and a half hours
26:16and she's still cracking jokes.
26:18She was lovely.
26:19She was.
26:28When ringing 999, it's often the case that someone is panicked
26:32and doesn't know what to do.
26:34Have you lost any blood from anywhere at all?
26:36Where are you hurting?
26:37Is it your arm?
26:39They place their trust in the person on the other end of the phone,
26:43but that person rarely gets the chance to find out how the story plays out.
26:47I do wonder what happens when the phone call ends.
26:50I always wonder, is the patient OK?
26:52Has everything been all right on the scene?
26:55Yeah, I think with every call, no matter what sort of call it is,
26:57you're always sort of curious.
27:00Ambulance service, is the patient breathing?
27:03Yes, but he's talking.
27:06Is the patient conscious?
27:08Yes.
27:09OK, what's the main reason for the call?
27:12I'm with my mate and I don't know what's happened to him.
27:15He's not breathing and he can't talk and if I'm asking him if he's all right,
27:19he's giving me hand signals, he's breathing really bad.
27:22I'm driving to the hospital as quick as possible but...
27:26What's the...
27:27What's the address?
27:28OK, are you still driving or are you stopped at a safe place?
27:32I'm driving but what it is, I don't know...
27:34OK, sir, I'm going to need you to pull over in a safe place
27:37in order for us to get the address.
27:39Do you know how long he's going to be because he's not responding?
27:42If he's not responding, I'm going to need you to stop the vehicle
27:45in a safe place immediately and give us the address of where you're at now.
27:49The reason why we got him to stop is because he stated
27:52that the patient wasn't breathing and that he was also unconscious.
27:57So in that situation, he does need to stop immediately and carry out CPR.
28:03Have a look at his chest, put your head towards his nose and mouth.
28:06Right, can you hear and feel breaths coming from his nose and mouth?
28:10Yes, sir, can you?
28:11Has he been injured?
28:14Yes, he had to fight it in your arms today.
28:16OK.
28:17Has he got any blood loss?
28:20He's had blood loss because he got hit today.
28:22He's got teeth missing, so of course he's lost blood.
28:24He's lost quite a bit of blood.
28:26No, heavy, heavy blood loss.
28:27Has he lost enough blood that can fill a mug or two?
28:30Yes, I think so, yes.
28:32I don't know what's happening, I'll be honest, if you're panicking.
28:35The help has been arranged for you.
28:37I'm going to need you to calm down for me.
28:38Just keep a check if he's breathing
28:40and keep his head gently and firm tilted back.
28:44Yes.
28:45It is a struggle to keep the caller calm in such a serious situation like that
28:51because they're panicking, so obviously that could be like a loved one
28:54or in that situation he was his good friend.
28:56What's happening?
28:57He's telling me to call you up and drive to the hospital.
28:58No, no, wait for the crew.
28:59We're not far now.
29:00Just wait for the crew.
29:01I can see some blue light coming, but I don't know if he's the ambulance.
29:02OK, the crew are around the corner.
29:03Just keep a lookout for them.
29:04I'm flashing on.
29:05I'm flashing on.
29:06Can you see the crew?
29:07Yeah, yeah, I'm here now.
29:08OK, are they with the patients?
29:09Yeah, he's in the passengers.
29:10No problem at all.
29:11I'll leave you with them.
29:12Thank you very much.
29:14Bye-bye.
29:15No problem.
29:16Bye-bye.
29:17Bye-bye.
29:18Bye-bye.
29:19Send you that way.
29:20I don't know.
29:21Can you see the crew?
29:22Are you with the crew?
29:23Yeah, yeah, I'm here now.
29:24OK, are they with the patients?
29:25Yeah, he's in the passengers.
29:26No problem at all.
29:27I'll leave you with them.
29:28Thank you very much.
29:30Bye-bye.
29:31No problem.
29:32Bye-bye.
29:45Send you that way.
29:47I don't know.
29:48Kelly, I follow the sat-nav.
29:50It tells me where to go and I go.
29:53If it told me to go to bed, that's where I'd go, that's for sure.
29:59Without a sat-nav and just using a map, I would not be able to find where I needed to go.
30:05No.
30:06Absolutely not.
30:07I think I would flap and panic, especially if it was a big job.
30:11God, can you imagine?
30:12I'd end up on the side of the road just sort of rocking like...
30:15I can get under this bridge, can't I?
30:18Yes, you can.
30:19Thank you for confirming that.
30:21I would have been very sad.
30:23Donk.
30:24Donk.
30:25Donk.
30:34Ambulance services, patient breathing?
30:37I think so.
30:38He's collapsed.
30:39He's quite intoxicated.
30:40And he is breathing?
30:42Yeah, looks quite shallow though.
30:44Okay, is he conscious and awake?
30:46No, he's not.
30:47I'm not sure if he's banged his head or not, whether he's fallen down.
30:56We've got a male who is unconscious outside.
31:01It says possible head injury, possibly intoxicated.
31:04Okay.
31:09It's frustrating dealing with people under the influence of alcohol.
31:13I would probably say 80% of unconscious related jobs are related to alcohol.
31:20Yeah.
31:21They're so unpredictable as well.
31:23You don't know what they're going to do.
31:25Yeah.
31:26They might be really nice and chilled or they could turn into violent drunk quite quickly.
31:31Yeah.
31:34There's a man in the chair who looks asleep just there.
31:46This one here?
31:47Okay.
31:50Yeah, it's the man that's sitting down there.
31:56Hiya.
31:59Hey, buddy.
32:00Hello.
32:03Hello.
32:05You okay?
32:09Someone's called an ambulance for you, darling.
32:12Do you want to come onto our ambulance where it's a bit warmer?
32:17Shall we get you in the back of the ambulance, mate?
32:19You've got to speak to us, darling.
32:20Come on.
32:21Let's get you off and in the back of the ambulance, shall we?
32:23Yeah.
32:24Let's go.
32:25Come on, mate.
32:26Ready?
32:27One, two, three.
32:28How long has he been here?
32:29More than an hour.
32:30More than an hour.
32:31More than an hour?
32:32Okay, thank you.
32:35The patient is not responding.
32:37After more than an hour outside in the cold, there's a risk his body temperature could be dangerously low.
32:44That's it, sweetie.
32:45Oh, you're frozen.
32:47Shall we get you on the stretcher?
32:49You're struggling to walk, aren't you?
32:52Let's take your bag and your coat off, shall we?
32:55Then we can get some checks done on you.
32:57When we first spotted the patient, we could see that he was completely out of it.
33:02When we felt him, he felt really, really cold, so we knew we had to get him onto the back of the ambulance as quickly as possible.
33:07I think we're very drunk, aren't we?
33:09Yeah.
33:10You're okay?
33:11Oh, no.
33:13Do you think we could get some ID out of your pocket so we can try and work out where you live and things?
33:19And what your name is?
33:22Sean and Kelly want to access the patient's medical records, but to do that, they first need to know who he is.
33:30Oh, there we go.
33:31That's it.
33:32That's it.
33:34Let's get him laid down.
33:36Oh, he's going.
33:37He's already going.
33:40There you go, sweet.
33:43I'm just going to do some checks on you, okay?
33:50What's your name?
33:52Can you tell me your name?
33:55Feels like there might be a wallet or something in this pocket.
33:58While Kelly keeps an eye on his condition, Sean searches for clues to his identity.
34:04He's got nothing with his home details on.
34:08It's very frustrating when we can't identify people like this gentleman, because we don't know what his past medical history is.
34:15We don't know if he has allergies.
34:17There might be an underlying condition that's actually causing him to be this way.
34:21The alcohol could be masking it.
34:23Any past cases?
34:24I can't trace it because of my name.
34:26Oh, yeah. No address.
34:27No address, yeah.
34:34I'll tell you what, I really want a dog, but doing this job doesn't exactly lend itself well to dog care and maintenance, does it?
34:42I'm not a doggy fan.
34:43You're not.
34:44Have your mum and dad got a dog?
34:46We did, but my brother's allergic, we found out.
34:49Oh.
34:50It was get rid of the brother or get rid of the dog.
34:52I voted to get rid of the brother, but that didn't go down very well and we kept him and got rid of the dog.
34:58Aww.
35:00I'd like to know what your mum and dad's opinion would be on dog or brother.
35:04Well, they obviously chose my brother.
35:06I chose the dog and they obviously vetoed that idea, so I think they obviously picked my brother.
35:11I wonder how they would feel now, as he's growing up a bit.
35:14Oh, I'm sure they picked the dog, they picked the dog all day, every day.
35:18Probably cheaper.
35:19wanted to go...
35:22Yeah.
35:24Umbulence Service, is the patient breathing?
35:27As far as I know, yes.
35:29OK, and is the patient conscious?
35:31Yes.
35:32What's the reason for the call?
35:34He can't move. He can't do anything.
35:36He's virtually paralysed.
35:38He can't move at all.
35:39We are off to an 87 year old John who's believed to be having a stroke, is unable to move, has
35:51pain all over, is unable to get off the sofa, however it also says no probable injury.
35:59So I'm not really sure whether we're going for a stroke or sepsis.
36:07Yeah. Yeah. You know, unable to move. Maybe.
36:13It's quite normal when we are on our way to a job for us to not be clear to exactly what
36:18we're going to, but there's some things that can be quite life threatening, things like
36:23sepsis, a stroke, very time critical, so we do need to get there to work out what is happening.
36:37Near Warwick, student paramedic Sam and paramedic Chris have arrived at the home of a man who's
36:44unable to move and may be having a stroke.
36:47Hello. How are you? Not bad. What's your name?
36:52John. John. My name is Sam. This is Chris.
36:55Hello, John. What's occurring?
36:57It's myself, actually. I've got no energy. OK.
37:01Erm, if I go to the toilet, I can't grip myself up. OK.
37:08Eighty-seven-year-old John has been struggling with his mobility and tonight he's been unable to stand up.
37:14And that's unusual for you. You're normally able to get up, move about quite sprightly.
37:20Yeah. But we were really concerned about the fact that he'd had a reduction in mobility.
37:25Sudden loss of mobility can include causes such as a stroke or sepsis,
37:29things that we really need to treat and get on top of it.
37:32Has it got gradually worse over the last couple of days? You've been feeling weaker and weaker?
37:36Weak. I've got about weak. I couldn't hardly remember that I can't.
37:41I have a job now to lift myself out of this chair.
37:45John's nephew Peter has come over to support him.
37:48In the past two weeks, he's took a downturn, let's say.
37:53I'm not sure he can cope independently, if that makes sense.
37:58We've had a discussion this evening about a long-term plan, because this can't go on.
38:05John's family was really struggling and trying to figure out whether to keep John at home
38:09or put John in a care home and what was best for his needs.
38:12This can be a real challenge for families, because they want to balance keeping
38:15that family member's independence, but they also want to make sure they're cared for properly
38:19and looked after.
38:20Do you have any carers, John?
38:23No.
38:24Have you been able to get up at all today, John?
38:28No.
38:28Have you been stuck on your settee?
38:30Yes.
38:31All day?
38:32Yeah, since 10 o'clock this morning.
38:35Your heart is a little bit slow.
38:38Yeah, it's got a pacemaker fitted.
38:40How long ago did you have your pacemaker fitted?
38:42Eight, ten years ago.
38:44But I had a replacement 12 months ago, you know, to a larger one, you know.
38:53If your heartbeat is still going quite erratic, despite having a pacemaker,
38:57our thoughts would be, is the pacemaker working correctly?
39:01Has it been checked lately?
39:03Because it is a vital piece of equipment to keep that heart rate nice and steady.
39:08Do you ever feel dizzy?
39:09Yes.
39:10All the time, or...?
39:12No, if I try to do too much, then I get dizzy, you know,
39:16and that's when I fall over, mainly.
39:18When did you last fall over, John?
39:20Errrr...
39:25It'll be about...
39:26Monday.
39:26Six weeks ago.
39:27No, John.
39:28Eh?
39:29No.
39:30You're saying you fell over on Monday?
39:32Did you fall on Monday?
39:33Oh, yeah.
39:33Yeah, I fell over Monday in the kitchen.
39:36I'd like to take a tracing of your heart, so I need you to sit lovely and still for me.
39:42Chris and Sam rule out a stroke, but they need to look at John's heart to see if this might be the
39:48reason why he's been falling over recently.
39:52How does your breathing feel?
39:56Terrible sometimes.
39:58Terrible.
39:58How do you mean?
40:00Bit short of breath?
40:01Yeah.
40:02How many do you smoke a day?
40:05About 25.
40:06OK.
40:09Well, no, I'm not supposed to, but I get so bored, you know.
40:13How long you been smoking?
40:16Long time.
40:17It's a hard habit to break at this point, isn't it?
40:20It is really, I suppose.
40:22Your heart rate, John, is going quite low at times, and then it goes back to normal,
40:29then it goes low again.
40:30I think we'd be advising a trip up to hospital.
40:36It might be a good idea if they give you a bit of a general checkup because of your mobility,
40:42as well as checking your pacemaker to make sure that the ticker's all good.
40:45Yeah.
40:46Does that sound like a plan?
40:48Yeah, that's fine.
40:50The hospital will be able to treat this, and it's important that we do treat it,
40:54because John's life will be difficult if he lives with a slow heart rate.
41:01He's going to be very prone to dizziness, to falls, to shortness of breath,
41:06and that's going to make life very difficult.
41:07Oh.
41:14Get your legs up, and a little bit of a shimmy.
41:19Perfect.
41:20Shall we sit you up a little bit?
41:22Yeah, if you like.
41:22Oh, that's that.
41:23Yeah?
41:24I'm coming over with you.
41:25Oh, yeah?
41:25Oh, good time.
41:26Take you back, man.
41:27He's going to follow us in the car.
41:30Nephew Peter will make his own way to the hospital.
41:33Are you in any pain?
41:37No.
41:38Good.
41:39After a 12-mile journey, Chris and Sam arrive at Warwick Hospital.
41:46We're at hospital now.
41:47Yeah.
41:48Then we'll get you sorted.
41:53Should we get you in?
41:54Yeah.
41:55Right then, John, in we go.
41:57Couple of bumps.
41:58Here, the cardiology team will check John's pacemaker and monitor his heart.
42:17Sweetie, I need to do your blood pressure, and then I'll cover you up.
42:23In Nuneaton, paramedic Sian and technician Kelly are treating a man who was found unconscious in the street.
42:32Have you been drinking today?
42:35Is it a lot?
42:37What were you drinking?
42:41Vodka?
42:43Yeah?
42:45Do you drink a lot?
42:48Yeah, every day.
42:49Hold still, hold still, hold still, hold still.
42:51I'm doing your blood pressure.
42:52OK.
42:53You're all right.
42:53Calm down, you're safe.
42:55So just try and relax, OK?
42:57Yeah, we're done in a minute.
43:01Nearly there.
43:05It can be frustrating looking after intoxicated patients, because we understand how over-stretched
43:10our hospitals are, and how flat out everybody's working at the moment.
43:14However, he is still entitled to our care, because potentially he could become very unwell if we leave
43:19him where he is.
43:24You're welcome.
43:25You're welcome.
43:26Just hold still, darling.
43:28All the patient's observations are normal.
43:33Careful with that grip, buddy.
43:34He's got a good grip.
43:37Are you all right?
43:39Yeah, yeah, it's just a tight grip.
43:42I don't think he means any harm.
43:43No.
43:44We're going to go to hospital, darling.
43:49Get you checked over.
43:54He's got hospital socks on.
43:56Has he?
43:57Yeah.
43:57Interesting.
44:00Might have been recently discharged then.
44:01OK.
44:02We're on our way to the hospital, OK?
44:16We'll be there shortly.
44:20After seven minutes, Sian and Kelly arrive at George Elliott Hospital in Loneaton.
44:25Stand clear.
44:30The ramp is in operation.
44:31How are we doing?
44:33All good.
44:36Here, the patient will be kept under observation until he's sober enough to be discharged.
44:41He was a bit drunk, wasn't he?
44:53Just a bit.
44:54You could smell it on his breath.
44:56It was really strong.
44:57He just wasn't safe to be left.
44:59No, no, no.
45:00But it puts such a strain on the NHS at times.
45:03There's a bed being taken up now until he sovers up, bless him.
45:06Yeah.
45:11John, who couldn't move, spent two weeks in hospital.
45:17He was discharged with a care package.
45:20But three months later, John sadly died.
45:25Sheila, who fell on her landing, hadn't broken any bones.
45:29Arrangements were made for physiotherapy, and she was back home the same night.
45:35And John, who was vomiting and had an irregular heartbeat, was diagnosed with bladder problems.
45:41Once these were addressed, he was allowed home.
45:46Next time.
45:47My throat's a bit sore. It's like razor blades.
45:50A man inhales chemical fumes.
45:53It can cause burning to your airway. If your airway swells up, you're not going to get air in.
45:58So is that pain worsening as you're trying to move now?
46:01It doesn't.
46:03And a patient has severe chest pain.
46:07When he was taking a big, deep breath in, it made the pain worse.
46:10This could indicate a serious infection that we needed to treat quite quickly.
46:22This could indicate a significant illness to 2nd of a 2nd of 2nd of time.
46:24Let him diesel in theaper.
46:25That he was buying up and for just aсч отopsy thief to suit you aboard.
46:27That helps him take emergencies, and shut down.
46:27That will throw up for you all anybar.
46:28That's bonk man inside.
46:28That might sound good.
46:29That's it.
46:29That it was acision guard.
46:31And that sounds good.
46:31That's good.
46:32I love that story of ONE.
46:32dirbn univers.
46:32But I'm just going to take the right to the sector of the어설?
46:35And that's going to be a survival feed TV OFF.
46:37Lucky will be a tool make literal.
46:37It will be a tool for you.
46:39And that's not going to stop and avoid that.
46:40Anyway, let's not talk about it anymore.
46:41You