- 1 day ago
999 - On the front line S14E01 (22nd Feb 2026)
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00:01Ambulance service is patient breathing.
00:04There's a lot of blood all over the kitchen floor.
00:07I've just coughed and something went off.
00:11It's absolutely horrendous.
00:16There's been an accident. Motorbikes come across the road.
00:19We've had a collision.
00:21Righty-ho, let's get them bad boys on.
00:24West Midlands Ambulance Service looks after
00:27almost six million people.
00:28I love the fact that not just every shift's different,
00:32every job's different.
00:33Do you remember everything that's happened?
00:36It looks like you're having a heart attack.
00:39Saving lives and making a difference every call out.
00:43Is she breathing normally?
00:45Water variability of how we live.
00:48Embedded with eight emergency crews.
00:51Could be anything, couldn't it?
00:53OK, OK.
00:55Filming simultaneously across the region.
00:58Time's everything in our job.
01:00Just relax.
01:01Relax for me.
01:02Can you open your mouth as wide as you can?
01:05Capturing life.
01:06How's your vision?
01:08You got it?
01:09On the front line.
01:10I go to work every day and I make a difference.
01:21Bloody warm in here.
01:23That needs to turn it off.
01:24Too warm for you?
01:2528 degrees.
01:27No thank you.
01:30Morning.
01:31Morning.
01:32How was your holiday?
01:33Oh it was good thank you.
01:35It was a nice rest.
01:36Just not great weather.
01:38Oh dear.
01:39Could have been a bit sunnier but here we are.
01:42Absolutely.
01:44Good morning.
01:45Morning.
01:464077.
01:47Booking on now.
01:49Have a good shift.
01:51Yeah thanks.
01:52Hope you have the same.
01:56So what do you prefer?
01:58Do you an early bird or a night owl?
01:59I'm not a morning person at all.
02:01It takes plenty of caffeine to get me through a day shift.
02:04Has been noted.
02:06Has it now?
02:07Yeah.
02:07I hate the initial wake up.
02:09It's just.
02:10It's torture.
02:11You're never going to catch me in the morning.
02:13Oh my days off.
02:14Honestly.
02:15I probably wake up about half ten.
02:17It's awful innit.
02:18Trying to sleep through the sunshine.
02:21Yeah.
02:21That's hard.
02:22Very true.
02:23My mum will get the vacuum out.
02:24She'll start vacuuming whilst I'm trying to sleep.
02:27Do you realise I need some sleep?
02:42If you were off today, what would you be doing right now?
02:46I'd be hiding in the house because it's too hot.
02:48With a salad.
02:49With cold slaw.
02:50Cold slaw?
02:51Why do I say that?
02:52Cold slaw?
02:53Cold slaw.
02:54That's something you're in.
02:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:56Cold slaw.
02:56Ooh.
02:57No, that's still sounding a bit slaw-y.
03:04Cold slaw.
03:06Cold slaw.
03:06No!
03:08Has cold slaw got a lot of calories in?
03:10You can get a reduced fat one, but get it by a bus tomorrow.
03:13You never know what's going to happen.
03:22Ambulance service.
03:23Is the patient breathing?
03:25Yeah, he's breathing.
03:26And what's happened?
03:27There's been an accident.
03:29So I pulled out on the road and motorbikes come across the road and we've had a collision.
03:33Is he in the road still?
03:34Yeah, he is, yeah.
03:37So we've got a category two.
03:39Appears to be an RTC.
03:41Patrol said somebody knocked off a motorbike and police are en route.
03:45That's never good.
03:47When a job comes through involving a motorbike, I get a little bit more nervous than I would, say, a
03:52car accident.
03:53Yeah.
03:53Just because they're less protected and it could be quite bad.
03:57Yeah, definitely.
03:58If we go to one that includes a motorbike, then we are looking at a bad job normally.
04:04Right, so someone sat there.
04:06Airbags are deployed.
04:07Oh, okay.
04:08The circle's on the floor.
04:10The support in his head, helmet's still on.
04:20Do you know what's happened?
04:22Yeah.
04:23White car's pulled out to the junction.
04:25Yeah.
04:25Sun's a factor.
04:27Yeah.
04:27Not seeing the motorbike.
04:28Head on.
04:30Bike has gone over.
04:32Okay.
04:32All sorted.
04:34My name's Kyra and I've got Nick with me.
04:37Hi.
04:37What's your name, Ducky?
04:38Roman.
04:39Roman.
04:40How do you feel at the minute?
04:41I'm okay.
04:42You're okay?
04:43Do you remember everything that's happened in this...
04:45No.
04:46Okay.
04:46Do you have any pain anywhere?
04:48No.
04:49No?
04:49Okay.
04:50Nothing to your head or neck?
04:51No.
04:5437-year-old Roman usually drives HGVs for a living, but today his motorbike has collided with a car.
05:02Can you move your legs?
05:04There you go.
05:05Yeah?
05:05Brilliant.
05:06Bring this left leg down so it's next to your right one.
05:09I'm just going to get you so you're completely straight on your back.
05:13Because Roman had been on a motorbike and he'd been thrown a distance, I was very concerned that there would
05:19be damage to his neck and spine.
05:21Therefore, we have to be extremely careful.
05:23So, did you actually see it happen, sweet?
05:26After witnessing the accident, van driver Don stopped to help.
05:31Straight over his ankle bars.
05:34Right.
05:35And then he's literally landed how we...
05:36No, he landed face down.
05:38Right.
05:39And then he sort of rolled over.
05:41Okay.
05:42We're just going to take this off, all right?
05:47Because we knew that Roman had hit the floor face first means that there could have been quite a lot
05:54of damage to his neck.
05:55So, we do have to really think about what we're doing because any wrong movement could potentially make his injuries
06:03worse.
06:04Keep your head still, Roman, okay?
06:20Right, go get a salad box.
06:22And then go around to Delicatessen and get some nice ham.
06:25See, I like the hot chicken and stuff that they do, but I'm going to be good.
06:29You know, because health kick and all that.
06:31I'm going to the gym later.
06:33I know, I'm on health kick and gym and that sort of stuff, but you still need to like...
06:36Eat.
06:37Eat.
06:38I've lost the store and a half, Adam.
06:41So, them jeans that were a bit tight a few weeks back aren't so tight.
06:44Yeah, I don't need to undo them now to get them down.
06:47I think you're better at this losing weight than me.
06:49I've stuck to it better this time.
06:50Yeah, I'll give you that one.
06:51There's been times I haven't, but this time I've...
06:54I have seen you in the crew room one week going, I'm losing weight and you've got a salad box
06:58in front of you.
06:59A week later, there's a kebab and chips.
07:00Oh, yeah.
07:01Got to be done though.
07:03You've got to give in to them cravings every now and again.
07:06I do that every week.
07:07I know, that's the issue.
07:08Yeah, that's the problem.
07:09I'm like well further along in my belt loops as well.
07:11The hole which you've never used before.
07:12Yeah.
07:21Ambulance service, is the patient breathing?
07:23Yes.
07:25My husband's had a fall, he's in the kitchen on the floor.
07:28And there's a lot of blood which is all over the kitchen floor.
07:35Bleeding wound.
07:36Birch's head.
07:37Guessing we've got no age, no nothing yet on this one?
07:40Nothing, just a male with a bleeding wound.
07:42Hopefully we'll get an update in a minute.
07:44A head injury can vary from being a very small minor problem to being something a lot more significant and
07:50more life threatening.
07:52We don't know what that is on the way, so our main priority is to just get there as quick
07:56as we can.
08:00Morning.
08:01My name's Colleen.
08:02This is Adam.
08:04What's happened this morning, darling?
08:08I'm just going to have a little look at your head okay, darling?
08:13Yeah, one sec.
08:16Ooh, that's going to need a stitch or two.
08:19While making a cup of tea, 71-year-old Pete suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed, hitting his head on the
08:26kitchen wall.
08:28Is this slurred speech normal for you at all?
08:34Do you remember falling, Peter?
08:37Yeah.
08:37You do.
08:38What happened around that fall then?
08:39Do you feel sick, dizzy?
08:41Your balance is worse.
08:43You've got poor balance anyway?
08:45Yeah.
08:46Pete suffers with a condition called ataxia, which affects both your speech and your balance.
08:51Unfortunately, on this occasion, it had caused Pete to have a fall.
08:55He'd sustained quite a significant head injury.
08:57There was quite a lot of blood and it was very important for us to look at that wound as
09:01soon as we could to see how we were going to treat it.
09:03I'm just going to have a quick feel of your neck, okay?
09:05Is it sore here at all?
09:06No.
09:07No?
09:08No.
09:08From looking at it at the minute, I do think you're going to need some stitches, sweetheart.
09:12Mm-hmm.
09:12Did you knock it on the corner of the wall?
09:15Yeah.
09:15Yeah.
09:16Done a proper job of it, haven't you?
09:17Yeah, done a proper job there, haven't you?
09:19Pete had smacked the back of his head on the tiled wall and, unfortunately for Pete, falling backwards is probably
09:26one of the worst ways for him to fall because you don't get that hands out.
09:30You don't save yourself.
09:31Yeah.
09:32So, banging the back of your head on the tiled wall, that can be absolutely devastating.
09:36I'm just going to have to pop some stickers on your chest, darling. I'll lift your top up, you just
09:40stay as you are.
09:41Yeah.
09:42Oh, you're a little bit hairy, so you're going to get a bit of a wax on the way off.
09:44Yeah.
09:45Just relax them down, darling.
09:48Colleen runs an ECG to check on Pete's heart.
09:52Wife Kathleen was shocked to find her husband covered in blood and rang 999.
09:58Yeah, I'm fracturing or anything.
10:00Not that we can see any evidence of.
10:03And observations are pretty perfect, to be fair.
10:06You see, your initial heart rate was a bit quick, but it's...
10:09It's coming down.
10:10Slowing down a little bit.
10:11It's your head up a little bit, Peter.
10:13I just want to make sure that that's just dripped from your head.
10:17There you go.
10:18Now, you're going to get a fancy bandage.
10:25Well, you look a little bit better now.
10:29What we need you to do in a minute is shuffle your bum so it's right in the middle of
10:33there,
10:33with your legs facing this way.
10:35What we don't want is for you to potentially fall and have another injury.
10:40With a new dressing on his wound, Colleen and Adam use an inflatable cushion to safely raise Pete off the
10:46floor.
10:48Oh, he's leaking again.
10:50Oh, he really is.
10:51When we moved him, the wound started to bleed through our initial dressing.
10:56Yeah, quite a lot.
10:57Yeah.
10:57When I saw that, I thought, has he nicked a small artery, a small vessel in the head?
11:02And is that now leaking?
11:04But a bleed that big can be quite significant.
11:08And he definitely needed to be taken to hospital for further treatment.
11:23Right, then, we have got a blanket just behind you.
11:28If you want to do a bit of a roll, because we've got a lovely position there for his head.
11:33Right, and then if you just relax your head, just relax.
11:39Amazing.
11:41On a busy junction ten miles west of Stoke, paramedics Nick and Kyra are with motorcyclist Roman, who's collided with
11:50a car.
11:52I'm just going to have a little feel of the back of your neck.
11:55Please tell me if there's any pain, OK?
11:57Anything at all?
11:58No.
11:58No, OK.
12:00I'm going to have a quick listen.
12:02Nice big breaths in, Ducky.
12:06Once we've done these checks, Ducky, we're going to get you on the ambulance, OK?
12:09OK.
12:10A concern for us when we go to a motorbike accident is the potential for an internal injury or bleeding.
12:17Internal bleeding can be very dangerous for a patient.
12:19There's a lot of things that can happen inside of the patient's body which we may not be able to
12:24see.
12:25Roman, I'm just going to have a feel down your hips, all right?
12:27OK.
12:28Any pain at all?
12:30Nothing?
12:31There's no pain, but I can't feel you.
12:33You can feel me?
12:34Yeah, yeah.
12:34Good.
12:35That's what we want.
12:36I'm just going to go down each of your legs, all right?
12:38Tell me if any of your sensations altered at all, all right?
12:41A little bit of pain.
12:42A little bit of pain, OK.
12:44Anything this side?
12:45No.
12:46No? Good.
12:46Let's just pop the T-shirt down.
12:50It's going to be shoving something just under your back, Ducky.
12:54To get Roman onto the ambulance, Nick and Kyra use a scoop stretcher.
12:59This splits in two, so they can slide it underneath him.
13:04Whilst we do roll, if we can hold him, have a quick feel down his spine.
13:08Yeah.
13:09One, two, three, roll.
13:15Anything there?
13:16No?
13:18Good, right.
13:20Awesome, guys.
13:21Amazing.
13:22Well done.
13:22Brilliant stuff.
13:23We've got you.
13:25Nick uses a strap to stop Roman from moving his head and neck.
13:31One, two, three, lift.
13:37Amazing, thank you.
13:38Awesome.
13:39Thanks so much, guys.
13:40Yes.
13:41The public being there as well, getting hands on, help to keep Roman in that natural alignment.
13:47You know, we literally were supporting him from his head right down to his feet.
13:50Definitely.
13:51Because the last thing we want to do is move somebody without the right support.
13:57I need to get a good blood pressure without this jacket on.
14:00Would you mind if I cut it?
14:01Of course.
14:02OK.
14:03Do you remember any of it?
14:04No.
14:05No.
14:05What was the last thing you remember before now?
14:10Do you remember going out the house this morning?
14:13Yes.
14:13Yeah?
14:14You remember being on your bike?
14:16Yeah.
14:18Roman, am I right to cut your trouser leg?
14:20OK.
14:21It was important that I cut off Roman's clothes.
14:24We'd already checked his head, but we needed to do a top-to-toe assessment
14:27to make sure there was no further injuries that we may have missed.
14:31It's a bike crash or someone crashing to me.
14:33Your bike is directly in front of the bonnet.
14:37It's completely across.
14:39How you're lying here talking to us, I have no idea.
14:43Yeah.
14:44With the damage to your helmet and the car, you must be built of concrete duck, honestly.
14:50It was quite surprising that we couldn't see any outward injuries on Roman,
14:55especially with the amount of damage to the car, his bike and the distance he'd been thrown,
15:00but that didn't rule out any internal injuries.
15:03The only way we can find out about this is if we get him to hospital
15:06so we can have the appropriate scans and x-rays.
15:13In the UK, an average of six motorcyclists are killed,
15:18and more than 100 seriously injured every week.
15:21Almost half of the fatalities are caused by a collision with a car.
15:26Like I say, the main thing is that you're OK,
15:28and that bike can be replaced with you can't.
15:37At Royal Stoke University Hospital, Roman will have x-rays and scans.
15:43These will check for any internal injuries that aren't obvious.
15:47Take it steady over this bum.
15:59He was a very lucky gentleman.
16:02Yeah.
16:03I couldn't see one scrape, abrasion, anything on him at all.
16:09Yeah.
16:09It took me what felt like an hour to take them to cut everything off.
16:13I was going out for ages, yeah, like I just couldn't...
16:16It was that good and high-quality stuff with all the padding in it.
16:20But it's for a reason.
16:21It's worth every single penny.
16:24Yeah.
16:24When you see that compared to when we go to crashes with bikes,
16:31when they've not got any of that on, it's such a difference.
16:42Ready?
16:43Go, go.
16:43Yeah, sure.
16:45I'm just going to steady here.
16:46As it lifts you up, darling, just bend your legs
16:48so then you're sat in, like, a seated position.
16:50There you go.
16:53In Stoke, paramedics Colleen and Adam are treating Pete.
16:57He fell hitting his head on the kitchen wall, and now it won't stop bleeding.
17:04Right, we're up.
17:04I'll get the chair and then we'll get him standing up.
17:07Yep.
17:07And then I'll do his bandage on the ambulance.
17:08Yeah.
17:09Just going to apply a bit of pressure to this, okay, Pete, while we're here.
17:12When I realised Pete's wound had started to bleed through the bandage we'd applied,
17:16it was very clear to me that we needed to do something about that,
17:19and pretty quickly, as we didn't want him to lose any more blood than he already had.
17:22What we needed to do was apply pressure to that wound as quick as possible
17:25and to get a new dressing on there.
17:27Where is it?
17:28I've got the chair.
17:28If you can stand up whilst holding this for us, I'm literally right behind you.
17:33Now, there's a chair going to be right behind you in a minute.
17:36It's quite low, but it is there.
17:38Trust us, okay?
17:39Ready?
17:40Sit down.
17:41Keep going.
17:42Keep going.
17:43Keep going.
17:44And you're on.
17:44Then push your bum all the way back for us.
17:46Ooh, watch your elbow.
17:48Is that the funny bone?
17:49Don't need any more injuries.
17:55You'll be all right.
18:01Watch your elbow, fella.
18:03There you go.
18:03You've landed.
18:06Okey-doke.
18:06Let's see what started this bleeding again.
18:10This don't want to stop, Peter.
18:13I think we'll put a bit of a different bandage on.
18:15Couldn't get it as a compression bandage.
18:17Yeah.
18:17If I take this off and you, like, put it on.
18:19Yep.
18:21All right, go.
18:24The compression bandage we put on is actually from the military.
18:28It's designed for major traumas to be put on and stay on,
18:33and it applies pressure, so it does the job of our hands
18:36without having to actually hold it, so it frees us up to do more things.
18:43Are you ready?
18:44Yeah, all ready.
18:48How did you meet the wife, then, Peter?
18:50I was, um...
18:52Frenchy, I think.
18:53No, but I thought it would be aside for me.
18:57Oh, bless you.
18:58Well, 51 years of marriage, you must be doing something, right, mustn't you?
19:01Yeah, yeah.
19:03Colleen and Adam arrive at the nearest trauma centre,
19:07Royal Stoke University Hospital.
19:09Couple little bumps as we come down.
19:11Yeah.
19:13Here, doctors will stem the bleeding to Pete's head
19:15and check for any internal injuries.
19:26Oh, Pete, bless him.
19:28Not what he wanted for his morning.
19:30Poor fella was just trying to make a cup of tea.
19:32Oh, it could have been so much worse, though, if he had the hot kettle in his hand.
19:35I know, I'm glad you didn't.
19:36That would have been horrendous.
19:37I know.
19:38You've had two trauma jobs, then.
19:40Got away with that one, luckily.
19:56At least the sun's trying to come out to top your tan up.
19:58Yes, I need it.
20:00Well, to give you a tan, not to top it up.
20:02I can't even say I've got dodgy tan lines.
20:03I think I've got, like, one little faint strap bar, if that.
20:07If I get back off a holiday, I still look as white as I did when I left.
20:10Yeah.
20:11I sit in the shade when I go abroad anyway, so...
20:14I don't know.
20:14I'm not really one for tanning.
20:16I'd say...
20:17I'd say this is me tanned at the moment, but...
20:18This is me tan now.
20:20Hmm.
20:21No, there's no point in having a tan in the West Midlands.
20:27I'm starting to rain.
20:38Ambulance services, the patient breathing.
20:41There's one lying on the floor, and then there's two that are not responding.
20:44Were they breathing?
20:45They're all breathing, but they're just out of it.
20:47They're really bad.
20:48Do they look like they've taken anything?
20:50Yeah, definitely.
20:52Okay.
20:53I'm more concerned about the one on the floor is unconscious.
20:58Two patients on the floor, not responding, but breathing regular.
21:01One patient standing, but froze state, not responding to caller.
21:05When spoken to, caller believes they're taking something.
21:08Are they outside?
21:09Yeah, outside.
21:11When we get a call with a possible drug overdose,
21:13I'm thinking, what drugs have they taken?
21:16And then, potentially, they could go into respiratory arrest,
21:19which is, if they've taken too much, they can stop breathing.
21:22We have to think of our safety as well, because you don't know what paraphernalia you're going to find on
21:26scene.
21:27Needles.
21:28Other users could still be on the premises, so...
21:31Patient could be violent themselves.
21:32Yeah.
21:32You just never know, do you?
21:33No.
21:36See if he'll get off.
21:38Yeah, you are.
21:39Hello, are you OK?
21:41All three of them have had mamba.
21:43He is currently...
21:44Well, he's now responding.
21:47There are three patients, but only one who is lying on the ground.
21:52Amy and Mark are the second crew to arrive.
21:58What was in it? What have you taken? Mamba?
22:02Spice?
22:05Alcohol?
22:06So what have you taken to put you in this state?
22:09It's not yours?
22:12Mamba is a form of synthetic cannabis that can leave users in a zombie-like state.
22:19What have we taken?
22:21Do you take it regularly?
22:23I think Mamba is becoming a big issue for the ambulance service.
22:26It's known as the zombie drug, so the effects it has on people are quite severe.
22:32It's very draining on the service.
22:33We're seeing an increasing rate of Mamba use in the public with a lot of overdoses happening.
22:40Come on, then. On the back of the truck. That way.
22:45Come on, then. Watch you don't fall over.
22:48You're going to get on the ambulance?
22:50You're getting on? You've taken something.
22:53So what are you going to do?
22:57I can't leave you there, though, mate.
22:59It's too dangerous.
23:00It's too dangerous. You're going to get run over?
23:02You're going to get on the back with me?
23:03No, no, no.
23:04So what are you going to do?
23:06I can't leave you there.
23:07The risk to him not getting on the ambulance is he could walk away, get hit by a car, cause
23:14an accident to an innocent person, genuinely collapsing the street, resulting in other people phoning for us to come back
23:21again.
23:22We'll have to wait here for police, then.
23:35Across the West Midlands, we're following eight paramedic crews simultaneously as they work a typical 12-hour shift.
23:54In Birmingham, paramedics Amy and Mark are with a patient who is suspected of taking mamba, a powerful man-made
24:02form of cannabis.
24:04It's up to you.
24:05Do you want me to speak in all language with him?
24:07You can do, mate, if you don't mind.
24:09The passerby was really useful to be at the scene.
24:12We were getting nowhere with the patient with sign language and language barrier issues.
24:18The passerby spoke the same language as the patient, so we were hopeful he could encourage the patient onto the
24:24ambulance.
24:35You're not safe to walk, mate.
24:37I'm explaining to him that you're looking after his health.
24:39Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
24:40And you're going to drive him home.
24:41I'm not going to drive him home.
24:43I'll take him to hospital.
24:44Yeah, yeah, no, I appreciate that, mate.
24:47He's saying I'm all right.
24:48Well, someone found you and you weren't responding to them.
24:51You were on the floor when I came.
24:55He's saying I'm all right now.
24:57But you're not.
24:58You can't stand upright.
24:59Are you going to walk with your friends?
25:01He's saying I don't want to go.
25:02I'll just go walk home.
25:03OK.
25:04Come on, let's have a walk.
25:05Let's see how you walk.
25:06Thank you, guys.
25:08We can't force them to go to hospital.
25:10If they don't want to go to hospital, they can make that decision.
25:13So we had to let him walk.
25:15Come on, then, have a walk.
25:16Come on, then, walk with me.
25:17Walk.
25:19No, I'm not laughing.
25:20I'm not finding it funny.
25:22It's annoying when the patient laughs at the situation.
25:26We're a professional medical service trying to help him.
25:29So it's a little bit he's throwing our help back in our face.
25:33You're going to hold on to each other so you don't fall?
25:38Which way's home?
25:46They're going home now.
25:47All three of them.
25:51I think the NHS and the ambulance service are stretched to the limits at the moment.
25:55So to have two ambulances for effectively one patient is very frustrating.
25:59It's a selfish world at the moment and there's patients desperately need our help.
26:03And we're wasting two ambulances on one guy that doesn't want to even consider hospital.
26:08It's like cases like that, that they'll walk around the corner now.
26:12Yeah, yeah.
26:12They'll fall over again.
26:14Somebody else will call.
26:14And then someone else will call and phone.
26:16So it's like, what do you do?
26:18But it's also when you get to the point where they're laughing at you, that they're finding
26:22it funny that they're wasting a resource like ourselves.
26:25You know, you have to be very professional and bite your lip and not say what you're really
26:30thinking sometimes because you've still got to treat them if they need treating.
26:35But unfortunately, when drugs are involved, it's a tricky situation.
26:39Definitely.
26:54Are you struggling with your mental health at the moment?
26:57You're feeling quite down.
26:58What symptoms are you having?
27:01On average, 4,000 calls are received by West Midlands Ambulance Service every day of the year.
27:08To be a good call assessor, I think one of the most important qualities is patience because people panic
27:15and don't understand why you're asking them all these questions.
27:18Ambulance Service, is the patient breathing?
27:21I don't know.
27:23Are you with them?
27:24Yeah.
27:25Have a look.
27:26Can you see them breathing at all?
27:28I think I can feel a heartbeat, but I'm not sure.
27:30So not a heartbeat.
27:31I'm asking if she's breathing.
27:33I don't think so.
27:35OK, I'm going to tell you what to do.
27:36OK.
27:36As quickly as you can, my lovely.
27:38Are you OK?
27:38Just get her onto her back on the floor.
27:41I don't know how to.
27:42Just grab, can you grab onto her clothes and just give it a, give it a pull?
27:46Don't worry about hurting her.
27:48I don't think I can.
27:49That's OK.
27:50Is she on her back, is she on the sofa did you say, or on her bed?
27:54On the sofa.
27:55It can be scary when the caller is a family member of the patient because they've got a
27:59personal relationship with this person and it's up to them essentially to kind of save
28:03their life in some cases, and that's a lot of pressure to put on somebody that they love.
28:09OK, so I need you to kneel by her side and put one hand flat in the centre of her
28:13chest.
28:14Put the other hand on top and lock your fingers together.
28:17Push about two times a second and say, push out loud with every push so I know how fast you're
28:21going.
28:22And you're going to go at this rate.
28:24Push, push, push, push, push, push.
28:26Do that now for me.
28:27Keep pushing hard and fast, OK?
28:30Push, push, push.
28:32That's it.
28:32And you said you're on your own with her there?
28:35Yeah.
28:35All right.
28:36You keep going, OK?
28:37Don't stop until the crew tell you to at that same rate.
28:39Push, push, push, push, push, push.
28:43Push, push, push.
28:45Doing CPR is really, really tiring, especially if you're not used to doing that.
28:48So you can hear oftentimes on the phone how tired they are and you just have to keep encouraging
28:53them to keep going.
28:54Push, push, push.
28:55Well done, my lovely.
28:56You're doing really, really well.
28:57Keep going.
28:58Push, push, push, push, push.
29:00I'm going to stay with you until the crew are directly in the room with her, OK?
29:03So you don't stop until they tell you to.
29:05Push, push, push, push, push.
29:09I've literally no response.
29:10That's OK at the moment.
29:11Don't worry about that.
29:12We're just going to keep going with the compressions, OK?
29:15I've got to get this from the door.
29:16All right.
29:17That's fine.
29:19I can give you the instructions again if you need them.
29:23Can you get her onto the floor now that there's two of you there?
29:25Yeah, there's two of us here.
29:26OK, I need you to work together.
29:28Get her onto the floor on her back for me, quickly as you can.
29:31It was a massive relief because there was an extra set of hands then to carry on with
29:34CPR, to swap over if they needed to, and just to make sure that the CPR carries on until
29:38the crew get there.
29:44Is she on the floor?
29:46Yeah, I'm on the floor.
29:47All right.
29:49That's perfect.
29:50Well done.
29:50Don't stop until the crew tell you to, OK?
29:53You're doing really, really well.
29:54If you get tired, you can swap over, but keep going with those compressions, all right?
30:00They're just pulling up now, so is the door open for us?
30:05In the room.
30:06All right, I'll leave you with the crew, OK?
30:13You don't know the outcome of the call, but you just kind of get used to it because as
30:17soon as you hang up with that caller, a few seconds later, it beeps again in your ear
30:20and you've got the next one to deal with, so you don't really have time to reflect.
30:41What's the difference, right, between Dubai and Abu Dhabi?
30:46Go on.
30:48Dubai, don't like Flintstones.
30:50But Abu Dhabi do.
30:53You like that one, didn't you?
30:54I can tell.
30:55I have got some bright, cheesy, vintage old jokes.
30:59You have?
31:00Yeah.
31:01You've got an endless list of them.
31:02Two snowmen in the field, and one goes, can you smell carrots?
31:20Ambulance service, is the patient breathing?
31:24Yes.
31:25My 11-year-old daughter epilepsy attack.
31:30Is she having a seizure?
31:31Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Second time for today. We want as quick as possible.
31:43We're going to a cat one now. Cat one. Voice except. A patient fitting.
31:47Oh, 11-year-old child fitting. 11-year-old child.
31:50I think for a parent or carer, to witness a child having a seizure can be quite scary for them.
31:55Well, it is for us. It does.
31:57When we go, especially if it's a young child, you know, even though we're trained paramedics, it's still scary.
32:03But for a parent, I can imagine it's tenfold because they don't know what to do.
32:07They don't know what to do, do they? No.
32:19This is Dave. And I'm Mick.
32:21Hiya, you OK? OK.
32:25Your head hurts. How long has your head been hurting for?
32:29Oh, come down here.
32:31Since this morning, how long did the seizures last for?
32:35About five minutes.
32:37About five minutes.
32:39In the early hours of the morning, 11-year-old Lena had a seizure.
32:44When she had another fit just 15 minutes ago, Dad Darius called 999.
32:51Can I do a couple of little things with you?
32:53Put something on your finger, if that's all right.
32:55Put your finger in there for me.
32:57That's it.
32:58We'll put this one to your arm, all right?
32:59It's like a little balloon that squeezes it.
33:01It's going to get a little bit tight on your arm, OK?
33:05Have you bit your tongue at all?
33:07I don't think...
33:08And that...
33:09Does it hurt when you...
33:10No, no, he's not hurt, because Dad put some...
33:17Something...
33:17Does she normally fit and healthy?
33:19Something...
33:20Apart from...
33:22You show me.
33:23Yeah, you show me.
33:26Oh, no.
33:27No, don't do that.
33:29No?
33:29No, she'll break her teeth.
33:31If she bites down hard enough.
33:33She's breaking teeth if nothing...
33:35No, I know.
33:36The thing is, though, putting that in there, it'll cause problems with the jaw.
33:39It'll break...
33:40It can break it.
33:42So, if ever it happens again, just roll onto a...
33:44Don't stop it.
33:46Put it in a safe place.
33:47Make sure it doesn't bang her head or anything, but roll her onto a side.
33:49And anything that's in the mouth will just drain out naturally.
33:51But don't put that in the mouth, OK?
33:54That'll just cause you a few problems, that one.
33:57During a seizure, years ago, people used to put objects into people's mouths
34:01to stop them biting the tongue.
34:03But as we know these days, that when you bite down, you bite down hard,
34:08which can cause damage to teeth and the mouth itself.
34:11And also put part of that object into the airway.
34:15So, when she was having the seizure, what was she actually doing?
34:18Were her eyes rolling?
34:20Were her arms moving?
34:21Her legs moving?
34:23She's just gone stiff and drooling from her mouth?
34:26OK.
34:41But we, like, as a teenager, we have proper goth.
34:45I was a bit of an emo.
34:47Yeah.
34:47I used to wear two belts.
34:49One to keep my trousers up, and one, like, below my bum, like, a studded belt.
34:53Two belts?
34:54That was the fashion, honestly.
34:55How did it stay on the trousers?
34:57Well, I had one in the belt loop, and then one just hanging round,
35:00behind me, basically, just round my bum.
35:03Of course, I'd get into my emo gear right now.
35:05I'd go right back to the phase.
35:07Two studded belts, skinny jeans, everything.
35:10The band t-shirt, I used to dick-dye my hair, the big fringe.
35:14I've nearly got it going on now.
35:16Once an emo, you're always an emo, and you can't change it.
35:19It always comes back.
35:20I was in a band myself, actually.
35:22I used to play guitar, and I was a bit of a rocker.
35:24I'm kind of surprised, and then not at all.
35:27No, a lot of people aren't surprised.
35:28I still have the music taste.
35:30As soon as I turned on the radio, everyone was like,
35:32you were an emo.
35:33And I'm like, yeah, I was.
35:42Ambulance service is a patient breathing.
35:45Yeah, it's me.
35:46OK, what's the reason for the ball?
35:48I've just coughed, and something went pop.
35:52Oh.
35:53Oh.
35:54I've had this pain underneath my ribs for a week.
35:58It's absolutely horrendous.
36:05What have we got?
36:07Pain in ribcage, a 56-year-old female, chest and upper back pain,
36:12previously diagnosed heart condition, previous bypass.
36:17OK, well, not far, four minutes.
36:20On the way to this call, when it caught with chest pain,
36:23I was thinking a range of things.
36:24Could be a heart attack, could be a blood clot in the lung,
36:27could be a torn muscle, could be a popped rib.
36:29We just don't know.
36:37Hello.
36:38Oh.
36:40Oh, come in round the back, are we?
36:42All right.
36:46Oh, bless you.
36:47If you ever sit down...
36:51Oh, bless you.
36:54End of the start.
36:55I've had a bad cough and pain all week,
36:58but I coughed earlier, and it was like something went pop.
37:03OK.
37:03I've had it all week, as I say, but since the pop...
37:06It's got worse.
37:07Much worse, OK.
37:08It's all here.
37:09For a week, 56-year-old Lydia has been struggling with a cough,
37:14but today, when the pain in her ribs became unbearable,
37:18she called 999.
37:21Can I do some checks on you while you're talking?
37:23Is that OK?
37:24Yeah.
37:24What does it feel like?
37:25Oh, my stomach.
37:26Does anything make it worse other than the movement?
37:31It couldn't get no worse.
37:33When I saw Lydia was in so much pain and she was bent over,
37:38panting, in pain, I thought we really need to get some painkillers into her
37:41and we really need to get it under control.
37:44Have you taken any of the pain? Have you had any paracetamol or anything?
37:47Are you allergic to anything?
37:48Morphine.
37:49OK.
37:50And do you take any other medications?
37:53Loads.
37:53Loads.
37:54Whereabouts are they?
37:55In the bedroom.
37:56In the bedroom.
37:56OK, am I OK to go and have a look?
37:58Yeah.
37:59Or just do some basic checks and we'll get some pain relief for you, OK?
38:03Have you had any of these cocodamol today?
38:06No.
38:06I'll get you a glass of water, OK?
38:10Cocodamol is a strong painkiller combining paracetamol and codeine.
38:15Lydia takes this drug on prescription from her GP.
38:19You've had this cough for a week?
38:21I've had a chest X-ray, chest X-ray, two weeks ago.
38:27Did they say what it was?
38:28Is it a chest infection or something?
38:29I haven't had any...anything back yet.
38:32And why did they send you for the X-ray?
38:35Oh, because they wanted to check for anthracetamol.
38:39OK.
38:41Oh!
38:42Have you got anything else, like asthma or anything like that?
38:45I've got...automia and hepatitis.
38:48OK.
38:48Liver failure.
38:50Oh!
38:58All right, let's find your toes, wherever they've got, and they're up to under there, aren't they?
39:03In Stoke, paramedics Mick and Dave are with 11-year-old Lena, who's just had a seizure.
39:10They suspect she may have undiagnosed epilepsy.
39:16Who's this?
39:18Who's that young lady?
39:19I don't know.
39:20And who are we?
39:23That'll do.
39:24That'll do me.
39:25Following the epileptic seizure, people have what is called a post-ictal moment,
39:30which basically, their brain is scrambled, they can't remember stuff or they get things confused.
39:35So we ask them, do you recognise somebody in the room?
39:38I'm going to shine a light into your eyes now.
39:40Have a quick look at your eyes.
39:41So look at my nose for me.
39:46That doesn't hurt at all, does it, when I shine the light?
39:48No.
39:50Pupils are three and reactive.
39:53So far, Lena's observations are all normal, but epilepsy is very difficult to diagnose with certainty.
40:01You've got no funny feelings in your fingers or your toes?
40:04You don't feel like they're tingling?
40:06No.
40:07Can you wiggle your fingers and your toes?
40:10When she had the seizure last time, is it just the one seizure she's had?
40:14Last year?
40:15Yeah.
40:15Two times.
40:16So she had two at the same time last year?
40:18Yeah.
40:18OK.
40:19How's your headache?
40:21Is it still hurting now, as bad, or is it going off a little bit?
40:25Is it the front, the back, the top?
40:28All across the front?
40:30OK.
40:31To help with the headache, Mick gives Lena some liquid paracetamol.
40:37Do you think you know when you're going to have one? Do you have a funny feeling or a funny
40:41sensation?
40:43Like a taste or a smell or...?
40:46I'm sleeping.
40:47No.
40:47And then when I wake up, I have a seizure.
40:52When will she wake up?
40:53She's very...
40:55Confused.
40:56Afraid, yeah.
40:57Yeah.
40:57Yeah.
41:04So while the brain is settling down, they don't know where they are, they don't know what's going on.
41:08Which is why they become scared.
41:10We'll take you up to the hospital.
41:12See one of the doctors up there.
41:13OK.
41:14Just because they've happened today, they can keep a track of how many you've had.
41:18That way we can try and find out what's causing it.
41:20All right.
41:22You OK with that?
41:24The decision was made really for me to take Lena to the hospital because she was having repeated seizures
41:29and there was no underlying root cause and no diagnosis of epilepsy.
41:35Jump on there for me.
41:37That's it.
41:38Push your bottom right up here for me.
41:41There we go.
41:42I'm going to fasten you in in a minute, put some seat belts and all sorts on.
41:48Ready when you are, Dave.
41:52In the UK, over 100,000 children and young people are thought to live with epilepsy.
41:59That's two in every primary school.
42:03How was your headache?
42:07A little bit better.
42:13Right.
42:14We're here.
42:15We've arrived.
42:16Think of a little walking for us?
42:19At Royal Stoke University Hospital, Lena will be seen by paediatric specialists,
42:25who will investigate what's been causing her seizures.
42:33I'm just going to pop these on you, all right?
42:35And I'm going to go outside and get you some pain relief, OK?
42:38In Albury, to the west of Birmingham, paramedic Sian and student paramedic John are with Lydia,
42:45who's struggling with severe pain in her ribs.
42:49Have you had gas and air before?
42:52Yeah.
42:52Yeah.
42:53There you go.
42:54That's for you.
42:55Slow, deep breaths, OK?
42:57That's it.
42:58I know it's hard to take deep breaths when it hurts, but...
43:01After assessing Lydia's chest, Sian gives her gas and air, pain relief normally used during childbirth.
43:10What would you say the pain was out of 10?
43:1520.
43:1620.
43:16And what about now?
43:18Now it was 10.
43:19It was probably just a nine-nip.
43:21Okey-dokey.
43:22Oh!
43:24Just going to have a listen to your chest, OK?
43:26OK.
43:31And can you just lean forward for me?
43:34That's fine.
43:35I'll just work...
43:36You stay where you are.
43:40Perfect.
43:41That all sounds good.
43:42So, Lydia, I think where we're at at the moment is I think we need to get you up to
43:45the hospital
43:45for some more tests anyway, given your history with this long cough and the pain before.
43:52It does sound like you've maybe pulled a muscle when you've been coughing.
43:55And that's possibly what's going to pop.
43:59But we can't rule out anything else, so it's probably best we get you checked to make sure it's not
44:03anything more serious, OK?
44:08Oh!
44:11Oh, my God!
44:13Oh, thanks.
44:14So, I'm going to pop your seatbelt over you, OK?
44:21Let me know when you're ready.
44:22Yeah.
44:25Oh!
44:26You just keep taking that gas in the air, OK?
44:29Oh, my God!
44:36At Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, Lydia will have further x-rays and tests to try and identify the source of
44:45the pain.
44:54Lydia spent the next six days in hospital.
44:58I was on intravenous antibiotics and oxygen.
45:04I was diagnosed with pneumonia and an eighth rib fracture.
45:10I'm back at home now and feeling loads better.
45:14Motorcyclist Roman, who collided with a car, was diagnosed with three fractured ribs.
45:20After treatment, he was able to go home the same day.
45:25Pete, who fell in his kitchen, had blood drained from underneath his scalp.
45:31He needed eight stitches in his head wound.
45:35And Lena had several tests in hospital, but her diagnosis of epilepsy was not confirmed.
45:46Next time...
45:47I'm going to be sick.
45:49Oh!
45:51..the woman collapses on a narrowboat.
45:53It could be that she's having a bleed.
45:55It did concern us a bit.
45:56She wasn't getting better.
45:57She was actually deteriorated.
46:00Oh, that sounded like a bit of a bang.
46:02The patient is having multiple seizures.
46:05When I heard that bang, I'm thinking, has the patient fallen over?
46:08Is she OK?
46:09Is she injured at all?
46:10And, ultimately, I was hoping that she wasn't having another seizure.
46:13Hello!
46:15What's going on?
46:16She's not responding.
46:18And paramedics are called to a woman under arrest.
46:22Just sit her here for a moment.
46:24She was chanting.
46:26It sounded like religious chanting.
46:28I had never seen anything like it before.
46:31I hail you!
46:41One more.
46:42One more.
46:50One more.
46:53One more.
46:56One more.
46:57Two more.
47:01Transcription by CastingWords