0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello. If you can hear me, but can't speak, could you tap on the phone?
0:00:05 > 0:00:0964 million people, 365 days
0:00:09 > 0:00:12and 31 million calls to 999.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17That's the scale of the task faced by Britain's emergency teams.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And for one exceptional year,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22we'll be following their front-line workers.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Not just our police, our firefighters and our paramedics,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31we've been with our other critical emergency teams as well.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Teams we rely on sometimes without ever noticing.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37The specialist teams that keep our railways moving
0:00:37 > 0:00:41despite the dreaded leaves on the line.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Notting Hill binmen with just seven hours to clean up
0:00:46 > 0:00:48after our liveliest carnival.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54National Grid controllers responsible for powering
0:00:54 > 0:00:5720 million homes, 24 hours a day.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The Greater Manchester Police Dog Unit,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05controlling 75,000 fans at the height of the football season.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Lifeboat crews at Britain's busiest station,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14with just 90 seconds to respond.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21We'll show you how these specialist teams work under pressure
0:01:21 > 0:01:25to protect us from danger on their most demanding days.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29This is the story of one year with our emergency teams.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32A year with the heroes Keeping Britain Safe.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Tonight it's spring.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Longer days and warmer weather.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49But it's still a season of extremes.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Spring sees the number of accidents increase, so we are
0:01:54 > 0:01:57behind the scenes of the largest trauma centre in the Midlands...
0:01:57 > 0:01:58Aaargh!
0:01:58 > 0:02:01..to see how they cope with this seasonal rise.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And the life-saving essential none of us can do without.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Julia investigates what it takes
0:02:10 > 0:02:14to ensure that blood is always there when we need it.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18What a hero! He's doing it in his lunch break.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20But first...
0:02:23 > 0:02:26It takes a lot of manpower to keep Britain safe,
0:02:26 > 0:02:27and the odd animal too.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32This is the Manchester Police Dog Unit, home to 38 German shepherds
0:02:32 > 0:02:34who are used to track criminals,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37find missing persons and control crowds.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40These dogs are perfect for police work.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43They have a phenomenal sense of smell, they are a good size,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45as in they are quite imposing, and they are very agile.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49They are also very noisy. Aren't you? Yes.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Across Britain, there are about 2,500 police dogs
0:02:55 > 0:02:57attached to just about every police force.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03And spring is one of their busiest times, mainly because of this.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09The football season is reaching its climax.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12The crowds are on the increase and tensions are rising.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16It's April and we are in Manchester for the derby match
0:03:16 > 0:03:19between Manchester United and Manchester City.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Violence between these two teams has been an issue in the past.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30Last season, 145 United and 95 City fans were arrested.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34For Sergeant Nicholas Forshaw and the dog unit,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37policing the event is a major undertaking.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40You're looking in excess of 200 police officers.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Then you've got your support units, such as the mounted
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and ourselves as the dog unit.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49So you've got 75,000 people plus, and 200 of you.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50You seem a little short-staffed.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Yes, well, there's 75,000 people, 99 percent of them
0:03:54 > 0:03:56come to watch a football game.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00The minority of trouble-causers probably don't outweigh our numbers.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03So, when you do come across trouble
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and you know something is happening, what do you do?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08We don't really want the dogs to bite.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10If truth be known. They will bite.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13If they get in contact with the public, they will bite.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16But what we want them to do is disperse the crowds.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18CHANTING
0:04:18 > 0:04:21The first role of the dog unit is simply to act as a deterrent
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and intimidate the crowds.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The officers park their van up with the doors open
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and the dogs bark at passing crowds.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Meanwhile, the officers keep an eye on the crowd
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and try to disperse any troublesome fans.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Elsewhere, the police have officers acting as spotters
0:04:37 > 0:04:38observing crowd behaviour.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Above, a helicopter relays aerial pictures
0:04:41 > 0:04:43to commanders on the ground.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44Keep moving, mate.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Move, keep moving!
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Move! Keep moving.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54The dogs can do the work of 10, 20 officers
0:04:54 > 0:04:56because they are so fast at what they do.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59People are aware that the police dogs are there,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01they can hear them barking
0:05:01 > 0:05:06and in their shoes, I wouldn't want to cause any disorder.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08So the best-case scenario for us today
0:05:08 > 0:05:11is that we don't get the dogs out of the van.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15To get them out, it would be because something serious has happened
0:05:15 > 0:05:18that we need to get a grip of straightaway.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27The game has finished and the City fans have the bragging rights,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29beating their rivals 2-1.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32But just outside the main stand, opposing fans are mixing.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Police commanders fear clashes.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Let's get the dogs through.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48The dogs form a barrier to keep the two rival sets of fans apart.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Go round, please. Go round the dogs.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Just go around the dog line, mate, don't go through.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Don't go through the line of those, go around those officers, please.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Last season in England and Wales, 39 million fans turned out
0:06:03 > 0:06:08to watch a football match, with only 2,456 arrests.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12At Old Trafford tonight, there's been a crowd of 75,500,
0:06:12 > 0:06:13but thanks to the dog unit,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16the game has passed without any major incidents.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19It's a high-octane situation.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22The tempers got frayed and fans were trying to get towards each other,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24so the dogs were deployed.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Within five minutes,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29you could see that the crowds did get onto the coaches.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32So to me, the dogs' tactics worked 100 percent.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37In the UK, the German shepherd is the most popular breed
0:06:37 > 0:06:38for this kind of police work.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Primarily because they are easy to train.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44But this is a partnership.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48These dogs and their handlers have to be tremendously disciplined.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Might be time to go.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So what does it take to make the grade?
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Meet Jerry, a 14-month-old German shepherd dog,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03and his handler Paul Jackson.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10They're training to become new members of the Greater Manchester Police Dog Unit.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18He's very energetic, really enjoys the work he does.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21So we're learning together, really, so he's a novice dog.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22A novice dog handler.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27There's a lot to take on board.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30You've got to get the bond from the dog, get the dog to love you,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34so you've got to build the trust between yourself and the dog.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38A police dog performs many different roles,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41from tracking suspects to crowd control.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45If successful, Paul and his dog Jerry hope to graduate together this spring.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49The dog's acute sense of smell is said to be 10,000 times
0:07:49 > 0:07:51better than ours.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Release the dog!
0:07:53 > 0:07:55As part of a training exercise,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Jerry's nose is put to the test, tracking down a criminal.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02It's the middle of a wood, found the hidden man,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04barking until the handler gets there.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06For the first six weeks,
0:08:06 > 0:08:07we couldn't get Jerry to bark,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10so what he's just done there is a massive step forward.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15I'm really, really pleased with Jerry today, that was fantastic.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Ya-hay!
0:08:21 > 0:08:24The police raise these dogs themselves from pups.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27When a dog is paired with a police officer,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29he then lives at home with his handler.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32But it's raised as a working dog, not as a pet.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Paul and Jerry passed the course with flying colours.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Three months after they joined the unit,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50I've come to Manchester to find out how they've both been getting on.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55One of the first jobs when we turned out was an armed robbery,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58where two lads had gone into a working men's club
0:08:58 > 0:09:02and used an imitation firearm against the people that work there.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05They then made off from there and we've attended.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07On attending, I set Jerry up the track.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10And he coped with it very well, he led me to an apartment block
0:09:10 > 0:09:13where we've gone in and we've been able to arrest the two offenders.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16From there also, Jerry has done a search on the outside
0:09:16 > 0:09:20of the building where we've been able to locate the firearm. Incredible.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23And with Jerry being a young dog, only 20 months old,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27these two hope to have another seven years of work ahead of them.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Up and down Britain,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43the NHS deals with more than a million patients every 36 hours.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Each year, there are almost 10 million operations undertaken.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51It's a remarkable organisation,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54but it would struggle to function without one thing,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57donated by selfless volunteers -
0:09:57 > 0:09:58blood.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Do you want to look the other way now? Yes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07It's not hurting too much? It's fine. You must tell me if it is.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Each year, the NHS gratefully receives almost a million
0:10:11 > 0:10:15litres of blood, donated by one and a half million donors.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19How does it feel, Marina, giving blood? It feels fine.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23It's not something that you or your family have needed? Never.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25But you never know, do you? No, absolutely not.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30In Britain, there are 31 donation centres, like this one,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33which is attached to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36And across the country, additional mobile units travel
0:10:36 > 0:10:39the length of the country collecting supplies.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Why do you do it? Saving lives, basically.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I can actually fit this in in my lunch breaks
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and still get back to work and complete the toil, if you like.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55What a hero! He's doing it in his lunch break, that is brilliant.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Donors can give blood if they're between 17 and 65
0:11:00 > 0:11:02and weigh over 7 stone 12 pounds.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08You can give blood every 12 weeks for men, and 16 for women.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10And it only takes 10 minutes to donate.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19But this is just the beginning of a massive logistical operation.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Now, the donated blood has to be screened, tested,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25packaged and distributed.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28But it's all got to be done quickly.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34Even if it's refrigerated, blood is good for just 35 days.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37And so, across Britain,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41there are eight blood processing factories and five testing centres.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43And the biggest of these -
0:11:43 > 0:11:46in fact the largest facility of its kind in the world -
0:11:46 > 0:11:49is Filton Blood Factory, here in Bristol.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Look at the size of this place.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57Here, they package and process up to 850,000 blood donations in a year,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01which then get distributed to hospitals up and down the country.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Filton supplies 100 hospitals across England and North Wales.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16There's the grouping side, that's to test your blood group.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19If you're an established donor we'll just run you through once, because
0:12:19 > 0:12:22we've got your blood group on record.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25If you've never given blood before, which is about 12
0:12:25 > 0:12:30to 13% of the population, then we'll do it twice and make sure that they both match.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36This is the lab where they do the testing. Vital screening for numerous viruses.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43The three main viruses we test for are Hepatitis B,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Hepatitis C and HIV.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51They are the three that can be transmitted by blood, and if so can cause problems to the recipient.
0:12:51 > 0:12:57I think for most people, their primary concern about giving blood and receiving blood is safety,
0:12:57 > 0:13:02so this is the most important lab to them. It is, it is. We can't get it wrong, it's got to be safe.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11We all fall into one of four main blood groups - O, A, B or AB.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Each of these groups can either be rhesus positive or rhesus negative.
0:13:17 > 0:13:2044% of people in Britain will be blood group O.
0:13:23 > 0:13:3142% are A. The rarer groups are B with 10%, and blood group AB belongs to just 4% of the population.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38In case there's a spike in demand, they hold reserves of each blood type.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43A couple of weeks ago we had people from the MOD coming in and telling us
0:13:43 > 0:13:46what an important job we are doing and how we affect the blood supply
0:13:46 > 0:13:51in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, so, that felt really nice.
0:13:51 > 0:13:57It is amazing to think that when we donate blood it can end up going all over the world.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02But the vast majority of it is used closer to home.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06In Britain, around 9,000 blood transfusions are carried out every day.
0:14:07 > 0:14:14It is...fantastic, is the right word, and, um, deeply reassuring. Good.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20At Southmead hospital in Bristol I'm meeting Michael Paraskiva,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23whose very life depends on donor blood.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Hi, Michael. Hello. How are you doing?
0:14:25 > 0:14:26Yeah, good, thanks.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29So how often do you come here? Every four weeks.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32And you're not giving blood, you're receiving blood. Yeah.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35For a blood disorder I've got called thalassaemia.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40My red blood cells don't reproduce themselves, so I need to have three units of blood every 3-4 weeks
0:14:40 > 0:14:42in order to survive, basically.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Blimey. It takes about six hours.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And how long have you had the condition? All my life.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50So you've been doing this your entire life? Yeah.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55And you must know everybody here. Yeah, I've been coming here for 20 years.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59And what would happen if you didn't get the blood? Leading up to the transfusion, when I need the blood,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03I know I need it because I'm tired and achy and a bit energy-less.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And that would continue if I didn't get the blood.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12So ultimately, you would die if you didn't get the blood? Yes, yeah.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I'm grateful, when I'm coming up and getting three pints of other people's blood.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19And grateful to all the donors out there. Definitely, yeah.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Usually you think about blood circulating around the body,
0:15:28 > 0:15:33but when you see a place like this, you consider the size and complexity of the operation,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37to circulate donated blood around the country.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43The blood processed at Filton is shipped around the country by a fleet of trucks.
0:15:45 > 0:15:53But at weekends or in an emergency, the NHS relies on a team of volunteer motorcycle couriers.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58A bike can get to its destination quickly, and this is a service that costs the NHS nothing.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04In Glasgow I'm meeting up with Jason, Kenny and Sarah Jane.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08They belong to a group of volunteer blood bikers on call
0:16:08 > 0:16:1224 hours a day, to keep Scotland's hospitals supplied.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16We're the invisible people. You know. People just assume when they go to hospital
0:16:16 > 0:16:19that particular building has everything it needs, when in fact
0:16:19 > 0:16:21it can be spread out over 20-30 miles,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25and there's no transport infrastructure to get things from A to B.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27What you've done is, you've indentified a need
0:16:27 > 0:16:31and also identified the fact that bikers will go for a ride
0:16:31 > 0:16:33for any reason at all.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37This is just an excuse for long rides. No!
0:16:37 > 0:16:40It isn't really about the bikes - the reason we all volunteer
0:16:40 > 0:16:42and the reason we started this in the first place
0:16:42 > 0:16:45is to benefit the NHS.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54There are 20 blood bike charities in Britain with hundreds of riders
0:16:54 > 0:16:55ready to respond.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59It's a service that's been running for over 40 years.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05This team in Glasgow is made up of 15 bikers, sharing a fleet of five motorcycles.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And there's something they recently started to deliver
0:17:10 > 0:17:13that's making a big difference to many people's lives.
0:17:14 > 0:17:22Donated breast milk. Some maternity nurses use it to help premature babies in their first weeks.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Because breast milk helps develop a baby's immune system,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31reducing the risk of allergies and infections.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38The first milk bank opened 75 years ago and there are now 17 in Britain.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42As I'm a biker myself, I've signed up to help collect supplies
0:17:42 > 0:17:48for Scotland's breast milk bank, located at Glasgow's Yorkhill hospital.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Debbie Barnett is the milk bank co-ordinator.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Looking at babies that are premature,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57specifically, what is it about donor milk that could help them?
0:17:57 > 0:18:03it's much, much easier for these babies to digest breast milk.
0:18:03 > 0:18:09And there is evidence that shows that we can get these babies feeding more quickly,
0:18:09 > 0:18:11we can hopefully get them home a bit more quickly.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13I can only imagine that it is valuable,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15otherwise you wouldn't be sending men in high-vis all over Scotland!
0:18:17 > 0:18:21We've been sent to collect a supply of milk from a donor mum.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32For those of you who have never ridden a motorbike, the advantages are clear. If this was an emergency
0:18:32 > 0:18:38and we needed to get something vital somewhere in a hurry, I'd just be going straight through this.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Hello, you must be Lynette? Yes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53And is this Logan? It is. You are gorgeous!
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Let's get some filled ones from your fridge. Yeah.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57Do you want me to...
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Lynette makes sure Logan has all the milk he needs
0:18:59 > 0:19:04and the rest she expresses and stores in sterile bottles in the freezer.
0:19:04 > 0:19:10To be a breast milk donor, your baby needs to be less than six months old when you start to donate,
0:19:10 > 0:19:16your caffeine and alcohol intake has to be moderate, and you can't smoke or be on medication.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Left holding the baby, literally left holding the baby.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Do you ever think about the end user of this milk
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and what it means to them?
0:19:27 > 0:19:32To think about the little babies who might well be benefiting from it, yeah,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35I think it's a nice thought to think that you could be helping
0:19:35 > 0:19:37a little sick baby, yeah, I think that is nice.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Once we've got the milk we need, our work here is done.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Thank you so much, Lynette! Bye-bye, Logan. No problem.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55If I say to my wife, "Darling, I'd just like to go out on my motorcycle for a bit,"
0:19:55 > 0:19:57she won't be all that impressed.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02But if I say to her, "Darling, I have to deliver milk to premature babies that need it,"
0:20:02 > 0:20:05she's got to let me go!
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Lynette's milk will be screen, pasteurised
0:20:11 > 0:20:17and stored back at the bank until it's needed to help a premature baby somewhere in Scotland.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Babies like Rowan and Richard Hill's triplets,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32they were the first babies born at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee
0:20:32 > 0:20:34to receive donor breast milk.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40They spent the first two weeks of their life in incubators,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44and being fed through tubes and being assisted with their breathing
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and on drips and everything else. It was quite emotional, really, to see it.
0:20:49 > 0:20:55Seeing your babies in incubators, as tiny as they were, with all these wires and oxygen,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57yeah, it's really scary.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02With them being so early, my body wasn't ready for them to be here yet
0:21:02 > 0:21:04so it took a while for my milk to come through.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07So with having the donor milk it took all that pressure off
0:21:07 > 0:21:09and I knew they were getting the right vitamins and protein that they needed.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16It was amazing that we had the donor milk and we couldn't have asked for more with them.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The only thing that scares me is knowing that
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I'm being trusted with three small babies!
0:21:23 > 0:21:26But, uh, they'll turn out all right!
0:21:26 > 0:21:34And thanks to the donor milk and the support they've received here, babies Oliver, Amelia and Joseph
0:21:34 > 0:21:36are now ready to leave hospital.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Still to come, the sun is out and so are we.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Just going to lift your leg up, buddy.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49We're with the Midlands Air Ambulance And Trauma Centre
0:21:49 > 0:21:53as they experience a whole range of new challenges this spring.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Hello again, John.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Hello, this is the police emergency number, do you need the police?
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Hello, if you can hear me but you can't speak, could you tap on the phone?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09999 is the world's oldest emergency call service.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Today control centres like this one receive 31 million calls a year.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17And almost half are made to the police.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19We're going to get the police round to the address.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23There were over 700,000 crimes in the capital last year.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28And of the ten most crime-ridden postcodes in Britain,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30six are here in London.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Among the worst offenders are the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and Euston Station.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43So today, across the capital's 32 boroughs, the Metropolitan Police
0:22:43 > 0:22:45is launching its spring offensive.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Nice and controlled as we go in, detain anybody there.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Use of force, obviously...
0:22:52 > 0:22:58Called Operation Big Wing, this is a high-profile, highly visible crackdown on crime.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03The Met has over 31,000 officers and over a 24-hour period
0:23:03 > 0:23:06they'll be taking part in a series of operations.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Nice and slow and easy.
0:23:10 > 0:23:17Since the initiative was launched back in 2011, there have been over 6,000 arrests.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21We don't want to upset too many people. We will have some PCSOs coming along afterwards,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25to do some reassurance to other residents and letting them know what's going on.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33This morning, over 800 operational activities are planned across London.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I'm basing myself here in Wandsworth because this is one of
0:23:37 > 0:23:41the largest and one of the newest custody suites here in London.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44And as Big Wing gets going, this place should be jumping.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Hello, mate, how you doing? You all right? Buzz us if you need anything.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58My main role is to speak to the prisoners as they come in
0:23:58 > 0:23:59I would generally book them in.
0:23:59 > 0:24:06I don't get involved in any of the investigation whatsoever, my main concern is to make sure they're safe,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09they're well and they're looked after correctly while they're here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13there's a microphone above your head and there's microphones all around this custody suite.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Once you're arrested, the process follows a standard protocol,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21replicated in custody suites like this one up and down Britain.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I've asked Damon to take me through exactly what happens.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29OK, so here I am, I've just come in,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31make up a charge, what have I been doing?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Shoplifting, let's go with something simple.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38OK, so I'm a shoplifter, allegedly. Yeah. I've been shoplifting.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41I will ask you a whole load of questions about your health,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44have you been drinking? Have you taken drugs?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46All those questions come into it because we then have to
0:24:46 > 0:24:49assess how we're going to care for you while you're here.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51You've also got human beings across the desk.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Are you able to kind of make sense of that?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Do you look at them and make a judgment at that stage?
0:24:56 > 0:24:59You know, whether you've been arrested for a very minor offence
0:24:59 > 0:25:04or a very serious offence, it's still a human being in front of you.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Put me through the process. Where do I go next?
0:25:07 > 0:25:10You'll go from here and my colleague would then take you off
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and take your fingerprints, your photograph, your DNA.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I'm going to stick with this hand,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I'm going to do the individual fingers.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'When you're brought into custody the police have the right, without your
0:25:21 > 0:25:25'permission, to take fingerprints, a DNA sample, and to photograph you.'
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Cool, that's it. Can read your palm.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32'This information is then stored on a vast police database,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36'which they can then refer to for other investigations.'
0:25:36 > 0:25:38No numbers, nothing like that?
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Not the Hugh Grant...? No.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44OK, erm, this is a cell here you're going to be placed in.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47OK, come in. Thank you.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Right, everything in here,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51there's CCTV just up there watching you all the time, OK?
0:25:51 > 0:25:55You've got the toilet. So, yeah, so you'll remain here now.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Thank you very much, I think. Thank you.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Ooh.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08From the outside it kind of looks chic. On the inside,
0:26:08 > 0:26:14it's very bright, there's a constant whine,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17there's a slight smell of something that's a cleansing fluid.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I don't like it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31All over the cell, it's got little messages to remind you
0:26:31 > 0:26:35that there are ways you can make your life a bit easier.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Have your other crimes taken into consideration,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40what I believe are known as ticks.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45I would imagine the first time that you come in here,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49it would be quite intimidating.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51All you can do is think about the unknown
0:26:51 > 0:26:54which is what's going to happen to you next.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58You know there's a process going on out there where the
0:26:58 > 0:27:03police are trying to gather enough evidence to make, you know,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07a conviction stick, and you're in here and there's nothing you can do.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09SHUTTER CLANKS Oh, God!
0:27:09 > 0:27:13You know, even just for five minutes in there,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17and I know this is an exercise and I can get out at the end of it,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21but for five minutes I thought, "OK, I'm getting my head around this,"
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and then suddenly the shutter went on the door and you're looking in...
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Yeah. And I think to myself, "No, I am not in control here."
0:27:29 > 0:27:31That's it, there's no privacy.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35First-time offenders, especially young sort of children here,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37you may, as you're putting them into the cell,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40you explain it all to them, and then when you close the door,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42you may just want to give it that little bit of a harder push
0:27:42 > 0:27:44so it makes that real slam effect, it makes them
0:27:44 > 0:27:47think about what they're here for.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50'Many of these cells are currently unoccupied.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53'But the police involved in Operation Big Wing are beginning to
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'arrive at the unit with detainees.'
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Should have had some general strip search to do that, yeah?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Yep, if we go straight through there please.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Erm, so, time of arrival please?
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'Keeping an eagle eye on proceedings is Officer Charlotte Wall.'
0:28:08 > 0:28:10What's your name, sir?
0:28:10 > 0:28:14'She's in charge of what they call the Pod. It's here that she
0:28:14 > 0:28:19'monitors the cells and corridors on CCTV in case of an incident.'
0:28:19 > 0:28:21VOICE ON RADIO INAUDIBLE
0:28:21 > 0:28:22OK, I'll open the gate, don't push it.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25'And she controls access in and out of the custody suite.'
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Don't push it, don't push it.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36'Through their intercom, detainees can also request food and drink.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39'There's a choice of tea, coffee and hot chocolate
0:28:39 > 0:28:42'along with five different microwaveable meals.'
0:28:44 > 0:28:47People obviously think it's the Holiday Inn in Wandsworth
0:28:47 > 0:28:49cos they ask for visitors
0:28:49 > 0:28:51and they ask for people to come in and see them,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53and we don't do slippers or dressing gowns
0:28:53 > 0:28:56but everything else is probably catered for quite nicely.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58People come in with all sorts of bizarre stories.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01The guy that came in, when he went to bed, we said,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03"You need to go to sleep." He said, "Can I have a bedtime story?"
0:29:03 > 0:29:05I was like, "I'm not reading you a bedtime story."
0:29:05 > 0:29:07So we played some music for him
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and then he decided to dance around the cell for about half an hour.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11I mean, he wasn't a bad man.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14I'm not going to read him the Three Bears but if I can play him
0:29:14 > 0:29:16a little bit of disco music and he's happy with it
0:29:16 > 0:29:18then that's fine. Made my night.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Could Number Two have some water please?
0:29:21 > 0:29:22Right...
0:29:22 > 0:29:25The offence? Attempted robbery. Commercial premises.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28'At the custody desk, there's a new arrival.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31A man suspected of robbing a convenience store.'
0:29:31 > 0:29:36He has leant over the counter and attempted to take the till.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38OK, sir, do you understand the reason
0:29:38 > 0:29:39as to why you've been arrested?
0:29:39 > 0:29:42You've understood everything the officer said, yeah?
0:29:42 > 0:29:45I'm going to authorise your detention then for you to be
0:29:45 > 0:29:46interviewed about the offence on tape.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Would you like a solicitor?
0:29:48 > 0:29:52No, no, no. Any particular reason why you don't want a solicitor?
0:29:52 > 0:29:53Cos I haven't done nothing. OK.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58OK, left hand, same four fingers. Nothing, negative, yeah?
0:30:01 > 0:30:04'Upstairs, detectives are working on the evidence.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07'Detective Brian Kelleher is studying CCTV cameras
0:30:07 > 0:30:10'from the shop the man's been accused of robbing.'
0:30:10 > 0:30:13What we see here is the suspect enters the store,
0:30:13 > 0:30:15he's got his hood up, he puts some socks on his hands
0:30:15 > 0:30:17so that he's not leaving fingerprints.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19He has a knife inside a carrier bag which he threatens
0:30:19 > 0:30:20the staff of the shop with.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23At this point, the shopkeeper locks the door,
0:30:23 > 0:30:27they're throwing bottles at him, the door's locked...
0:30:27 > 0:30:29which he then breaks to get out,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and then he's gone and they chase after him.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35It can be picked up on the street outside.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37The shop staff are throwing bottles after him.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41One of them, quite a large looking one, smashes right by his feet,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45and then we see the shopkeeper running after him.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48If his shoes are covered in sticky stuff,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50it just adds to the picture, should it go to court,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53that it's definitely this person who we've arrested.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02'The police aren't satisfied that there is sufficient evidence against
0:31:02 > 0:31:03'the convenience shop robber,
0:31:03 > 0:31:07'and he's being taken off to court to be put in front of a judge.'
0:31:12 > 0:31:16So, Operation Big Wing, that we saw taking place this morning,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20how do you gauge how successful or otherwise it was?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22We've had a number of arrests this morning.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24We've already, erm, investigated, charged,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and today now actually they're on their way to court.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29It frees up those police officers to get back out there
0:31:29 > 0:31:30and carry on doing stuff.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33'Across the capital,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37'the operation has led to 449 arrests for a range of offences,
0:31:37 > 0:31:41'including burglary, robbery and possession of firearms.'
0:31:41 > 0:31:43You're screaming and shouting at the officers.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47As soon as you calm yourself down the handcuffs will come off.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01'One of the most densely populated areas outside the capital is the
0:32:01 > 0:32:06'East Midlands, home to the Queen's Medical Centre trauma unit in Nottingham.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11'It's one of 22 new major trauma centres.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17'This network of specialist emergency units is part of a new strategy
0:32:17 > 0:32:21'for improving outcomes for the 20,000 major traumas
0:32:21 > 0:32:23'that happen annually.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28'And we're here for one weekend to see how a centre like this works.'
0:32:31 > 0:32:34But we're not just here on any old weekend.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36This is the first proper weekend of spring,
0:32:36 > 0:32:38the first decent weather we've had in ages,
0:32:38 > 0:32:42and that has changed the kind of cases they're seeing in there,
0:32:42 > 0:32:44because people have been enjoying themselves.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48And sometimes when people enjoy themselves it doesn't end well.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53'The first assessment of the patient takes place
0:32:53 > 0:32:55'here in the resuscitation room.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59'Then right next door to resus there's a designated CT scanner.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04'So within 15 minutes of a trauma coming in,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06'they'll have a full body scan completed.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14'The idea is to gather as much experience, expertise
0:33:14 > 0:33:16'and technology in one place.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20'Emergency Doctor Craig Douglas explains to me how it works.'
0:33:21 > 0:33:25We'll have the general surgeons, who will be there to deal with
0:33:25 > 0:33:27any major problems involving the abdomen.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29We'll have the orthopaedic surgeons,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32problems with the pelvis or the limbs.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35We'll also have the consultant who's on for major trauma.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40'Trauma cases arrive here by road and by air.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'There are two Air Ambulances serving the East Midlands,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49'and last year 91 patients were airlifted to the trauma unit.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53'The Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance is based at RAF Waddington
0:33:53 > 0:33:55'south of Lincoln.'
0:33:55 > 0:33:57PHONE RINGS Hello?
0:33:57 > 0:34:00'And for the crew, it's never too long
0:34:00 > 0:34:02'before the emergency phone rings.'
0:34:02 > 0:34:03Jane, got a job!
0:34:07 > 0:34:09'On board are a pilot and two paramedics.'
0:34:12 > 0:34:15It's a scramble incident, driving, off-road scrambling,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18but we're not sure exactly the extent of his injuries.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23'With a maximum speed of 154mph, the Air Ambulance is the quickest way
0:34:23 > 0:34:28'to get access to the casualty in an isolated Lincolnshire forest.'
0:34:28 > 0:34:30The high proportion of jobs that we do
0:34:30 > 0:34:33go to where a land vehicle just physically can't get.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Just going to lift your leg up, buddy.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48Looks like he's got a fracture to the bottom of his leg.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I'm sure with an X-ray it'll show that it's fractured. Roll.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54This is not very comfy, mate, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56And slide.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Perfect. Have we all got a bit of board? Yep.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05'Ben is being airlifted by one of 36 Air Ambulances
0:35:05 > 0:35:07'operating across Britain.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10'All are run as charities, and on average
0:35:10 > 0:35:13'they attend 70 serious incidents like this every day.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21'Joining Ben in trauma is a number of other bikers
0:35:21 > 0:35:23'who've also got into trouble.'
0:35:23 > 0:35:24D'you remember if you bumped your head?
0:35:24 > 0:35:29'This is James, another motocross rider with a fractured leg.'
0:35:29 > 0:35:32The likelihood is that all you've done is broken your leg, OK?
0:35:32 > 0:35:36'Conrad's a biker in his 60s, also with a leg fracture.'
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Just one of them things.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40THEY SPEAK ALL AT ONCE
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Approximately 60mph...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47All right, where's your main pain, my friend?
0:35:47 > 0:35:49'And Chandler's come off his bike at 60mph.'
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Whilst flying through the air,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57you do wonder, you know, this is going to hurt.
0:35:57 > 0:36:02As soon as you land, your first instinct is what's wrong now?
0:36:04 > 0:36:08'Motorcyclists make up just 1% of the traffic on our roads,
0:36:08 > 0:36:13'but in 2011 they accounted for 19% of deaths.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16'These riders are the lucky ones.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19'Their injuries will heal given time.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22'For Emergency Doctor Lizzie Robinson, her next patient,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24'19-year-old student Liz Tyndale,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27'is the first Frisbee player she's ever had in.'
0:36:32 > 0:36:34SHE SCREAMS IN PAIN
0:36:34 > 0:36:38'And it's a painful one, because she's dislocated her knee.'
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Ultimate Frisbee!
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Not just Frisbee, Ultimate Frisbee.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47And don't ask me what that is. I presume it involves Frisbees,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49and a lot of running around.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51SHOUT OF PAIN
0:36:51 > 0:36:54It's very painful, obviously, as you can tell.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57It's going to be a lot better when it's in the right position,
0:36:57 > 0:36:58just like any dislocated joint.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02And then we're going to pop your knee back into the right position.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04SHOUT OF PAIN
0:37:04 > 0:37:07All right, OK. I'll give you a little bit more. Well done.
0:37:07 > 0:37:08It's OK, it's fine. Just relax.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Get me more. Get me more now.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14You're doing so well. Get me more.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18So we start off the game, she goes out, takes a wrong step.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Just went down screaming.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25It's quite a serious injury to get for a non-contact sport.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Well done. It's all done. Just take some deep breaths for us.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Pop your head forward. You're all right.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Hopefully this won't ruin her Ultimate Frisbee career.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43It's been a hectic day for Lizzie. But during her break,
0:37:43 > 0:37:44we get a chance to catch up.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47This weekend that we've had...
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Now, bearing in mind I'm a motorcyclist... Oh, dear.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Yeah. Er, not great for me and my brethren.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58No, no. Um...there have been a few motorcycle accidents.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00I suppose in the springtime, it is when people,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03particularly after the bad and late winter that we've had,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06people are now getting out and doing things that they haven't done
0:38:06 > 0:38:07for quite a long time,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10and some of those things are relatively high-risk.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11You do wonder sometimes
0:38:11 > 0:38:14how more bad things don't happen, if you see what I mean.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Are you ever able to stop and think to yourself,
0:38:16 > 0:38:19"How many lives have I saved?"
0:38:19 > 0:38:20I know that sounds dramatic,
0:38:20 > 0:38:22but that's the reality of what you're doing.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26I think you see yourself as part of a team.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29It's not just you as a person. You're part of it,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31and that's a nice thing to be part of,
0:38:31 > 0:38:35but I don't go home and have a little sort of star chart
0:38:35 > 0:38:37of how many lives I've saved!
0:38:39 > 0:38:43Predictably, perhaps, the first decent weather of spring
0:38:43 > 0:38:45has delivered a clutch of biker casualties.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48But here, they have to be ready for anything.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Being brought into the resuscitation room
0:38:52 > 0:38:56is emergency patient 73-year-old John Litchfield.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59John's heart has been going into an abnormal rhythm,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03which means it isn't pumping blood around his body.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Paramedics have had to shock him to keep him alive.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09they called us because he'd had a couple of fainting episodes at home
0:39:09 > 0:39:11and his wife was concerned.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Four times, I had to shock him, and that's quite unusual.
0:39:14 > 0:39:15Very unusual.
0:39:17 > 0:39:18Hello, sir.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Hello. How are you feeling?
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Looking after John is critical care doctor David.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Hello, sir.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30We need to get a couple of things sorted, all right?
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Your heart keeps going into a funny rhythm which makes you pass out.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38As David is talking to him, John loses consciousness again.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40John? John?
0:39:48 > 0:39:52The team try to get John's heart beating normally once more.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Shocking.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Hello again, John. Hello.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Feeling OK again?
0:40:07 > 0:40:09We've given him some medication now to try and stabilise the heart,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12stop it going into the abnormal rhythm, but we haven't got
0:40:12 > 0:40:15a primary cause for why it's happened and he's not in the clear.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22As John lies resting, his wife and son are shown in to see him.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25John? Your family are here.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27John's critically unwell,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30but he's fortunate at least to be here,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32because at a hospital of this size
0:40:32 > 0:40:35there are all the key specialists he needs.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37You're doing well.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40And one of the hospital's cardiologists is here
0:40:40 > 0:40:43to try and discover what's causing John's illness.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Mr Litchfield, I'm Dr Al-Hinai, I'm one of the cardiology registrar.
0:40:47 > 0:40:48Hi.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52So you had a bit of a funny turn this morning, haven't you?
0:40:52 > 0:40:55This time we got you into hospital in time,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58but if this were to happen again, especially if you were alone...
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Come here, come here. Ssh.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04All right.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Well, you're in the right place, all right? Yeah.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11We'll get there, we'll get there.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17Dr Hinai has diagnosed why John's heart keeps failing.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23He had actually what we call ventricular arrhythmia,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26and what that means is that the bottom chambers of the heart
0:41:26 > 0:41:30are essentially...the electrical mechanism in it has gone haywire,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34if you like. And it's all over the place,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37and as a result the heart stops pumping blood.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42An abnormal heart rhythm affects over two million people in Britain,
0:41:42 > 0:41:47and of those, 100,000 die each year from sudden cardiac arrest.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52But if diagnosed early, 80% of fatalities could be avoided.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01As John recovers in hospital, the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance
0:42:01 > 0:42:04had been scrambled yet again.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07This time it's a horse rider with a serious leg injury
0:42:07 > 0:42:10that needs to get to hospital fast.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11Take some deep breaths.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14About 30 seconds on it, as big as you can.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Cos this will be sore, OK?
0:42:17 > 0:42:18SHE SHOUTS IN PAIN
0:42:18 > 0:42:2249-year-old Melanie has fallen from her horse.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27That's it. Big deep breaths.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29'OK, that's fantastic.'
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Cheers, bye.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Er, fracture dislocation to ankle after falling off a horse.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39She's had 15mg morphine, it's still actively bleeding from the site.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Here we go. Excellent, all done.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Everybody go a bit? Ready, steady...
0:42:57 > 0:43:00lift. OK.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01What's the story?
0:43:01 > 0:43:04No initial pain, no loss of consciousness,
0:43:04 > 0:43:07and then a gradual onset of left ankle pain.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12There's a fracture, quite a nasty fracture high up in the fibula bone.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16We'll need to perform a manipulation, um, tonight.
0:43:16 > 0:43:21Melanie, are you aware that we're going to have to manipulate
0:43:21 > 0:43:24this fracture of yours into a better position?
0:43:24 > 0:43:26SHE SHOUTS IN PAIN
0:43:29 > 0:43:33That's it. Well done. OK, Melanie, we're all done there. All done.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Tomorrow, Melanie will be taken to theatre,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39where an orthopaedic surgeon will pin her ankle.
0:43:42 > 0:43:43Spring is the season
0:43:43 > 0:43:46when horse-riding accidents hit their peak.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50And while you might think riding a motorcycle is dangerous,
0:43:50 > 0:43:54horse-riders are hospitalised three times more often.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58It's a bit like London buses in here sometimes.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03Sometimes wait a long time for a trauma, and then maybe two at once.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10While we're filming, another horse rider, 18-year-old Lauren Lewis,
0:44:10 > 0:44:12arrives with Dr Pam Hardy.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16Lauren's injuries are potentially very serious.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19This young lady's 18 and she's fallen off a horse at some speed.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22and hit her head on a metal gatepost.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26She's been outside for a long time on the floor.
0:44:26 > 0:44:27Did they get a temperature?
0:44:27 > 0:44:30When we got there she wasn't consolable.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33That's a sign of a brain injury.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36We checked all the other obvious causes for that
0:44:36 > 0:44:38and we're having to work on the diagnosis
0:44:38 > 0:44:40of a potential brain injury.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Lizzie and the team complete their first checks
0:44:43 > 0:44:47before Lauren is taken off to be scanned.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49It's only when they get the scan results back
0:44:49 > 0:44:52that they'll get a proper picture of her injuries.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Now, Dr Adam Brooks, clinical lead of the Major Trauma Centre,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58has come down to look at the scans.
0:44:58 > 0:44:59She's picked up a number of injuries,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01a number of fractures, breaks in the bone.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05There's no evidence of bleeding or swelling, which is very good news.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09Lauren is sedated throughout the whole process.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11When it's over, she's transferred upstairs
0:45:11 > 0:45:14to the Critical Care Unit to rest.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17So the plan at the moment is to stop the sedation we've been using
0:45:17 > 0:45:20to keep her asleep, and see how she wakes up,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23and fingers crossed she'll wake up fine
0:45:23 > 0:45:28and hopefully just had a concussion rather than anything more serious.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Lauren fractured a number of bones in the fall,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34but when she did eventually wake up, there was no injury to her brain
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and she made a full recovery.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51We filmed here at the Trauma Centre in Nottingham two days ago.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55It also happened to be the first really nice spring weekend,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58which meant that the bikers, the cyclists and the horse riders
0:45:58 > 0:46:01were out in force. It also meant that the team here
0:46:01 > 0:46:04had to deal with an increased number of sporting injuries,
0:46:04 > 0:46:07so I'm back to check up on some of the patient.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13My first visit is to motocross rider Ben.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Are you all right? Yes, all right, thank you very much.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21How's it feeling? Sore. Sore? Yep.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24And here you are. What exactly happened?
0:46:24 > 0:46:25Leisurely ride out on the bikes,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28couldn't see where the front wheel was, hit a rock.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30Broken.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34Did you know instantly that this was quite a serious injury?
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Yeah. Yeah, my foot was pointing that way
0:46:36 > 0:46:38and the knee was pointing that way.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43So this is at the very moment, or just after it.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Yeah.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Oooh. Your foot and your knee are not going in the right direction.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50It's not good, is it? No.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Let's take you to see your leg.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56I'm a bit scared of the bumps, to be honest. I'll take it nice and easy!
0:46:57 > 0:47:02You can see here that the tibia bone, it's got this large nail.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05What do you think of your new metalwork?
0:47:05 > 0:47:07I'm slightly overwhelmed, to be honest.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13So that's part of you forever now.
0:47:13 > 0:47:14Yeah.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Now with John Litchfield recovering from his ordeal in hospital,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23I've come along to catch up with him and his wife Mary.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Hello! I'm going to say hi to you first,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29and it's a pleasure to meet you. Hello, Julia. Hello, John,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33good to meet you. And we might not have met! No.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36I can't believe you're here after six cardiac arrests.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38So you have died six times. Six times, yeah.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Can you remember much?
0:47:40 > 0:47:41Just having a cup of coffee,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44and I must have just, like,
0:47:44 > 0:47:46fell asleep.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49If he starts getting a bit awkward, I'm going to be saying,
0:47:49 > 0:47:53"Just remember I saved your life!"
0:47:53 > 0:47:55THEY LAUGH
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Love you too!
0:47:57 > 0:47:59'John needs to have a device fitted in his chest
0:47:59 > 0:48:02'that will shock his heart if this happens again.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07'But after that, he'll be able to live a normal life.'
0:48:07 > 0:48:10'It's sobering to think how close John came to death
0:48:10 > 0:48:11'just a few days ago.'
0:48:11 > 0:48:14The paramedics, the nurses, the doctors here
0:48:14 > 0:48:16have done an incredible job
0:48:16 > 0:48:18and they've kept a very lovely couple together.