0:00:02 > 0:00:05From the Highlands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09the great British countryside is spectacular.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14But we work and play in it at our peril.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19And when things go wrong
0:00:19 > 0:00:22the emergency services race to the rescue.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24This chap is having a heart attack and we need to get him
0:00:24 > 0:00:25in quickly.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30There's no police courses for this.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Going hundreds of miles against the clock,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37battling the elements and braving the weather.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39HE GROANS IN PAIN
0:00:40 > 0:00:43From fields and forests,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45to cliffs and country roads,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49we'll be right at the heart of the action.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50With police fighting crime...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Could seize the dogs, could seize the van
0:00:53 > 0:00:55but I'm going to summons you all to court.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Paramedics saving lives...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And wardens safeguarding our lakes.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03Come out of the way!
0:01:04 > 0:01:08We're there as the emergency services pull together to
0:01:08 > 0:01:12pick up, patch up, and protect the public.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15This is Countryside 999.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Coming up...
0:01:36 > 0:01:39In Cornwall, the air ambulance race to rescue a man
0:01:39 > 0:01:40with a life-threatening condition.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Does that hurt when you... Does that hurt when you do that?
0:01:43 > 0:01:45OK. We won't do that any more, then.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50In County Durham, a suspected sheep rustling case
0:01:50 > 0:01:54calls on all PC Harry's skills as a rural copper.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56This is just on-the-job training -
0:01:56 > 0:01:58there's no police courses for this.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02And in Dumfries and Galloway, paramedics are called to a casualty
0:02:02 > 0:02:04where every second counts.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07We have to transfer this patient as quick as possible
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and it's blue lights, sirens, into hospital.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Cornwall, its spectacular coastline stretches over 400 miles
0:02:21 > 0:02:25and for once the sun is shining on an August bank holiday.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31The glorious weather in August brings as many as 700,000 visitors
0:02:31 > 0:02:33to the area and as they flock to the beaches,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38the tiny Cornish country roads can get clogged up quickly.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41For the emergency services this can mean long delays
0:02:41 > 0:02:44ferrying casualties to hospital by road.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52And that's where the Cornwall Air Ambulance come into their own.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59Paramedic Mark Fuszard has clocked up over 1,600 hours in the air.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03I've been on the full-time aircrew now since 2006
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and what I like about the job is the diversity, the number of
0:03:05 > 0:03:07patients we see, the type of jobs we see
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and just flying around Cornwall.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11It's a fantastic job to be in.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Places in Cornwall,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27it's quite a distance by road and can take up to an hour or maybe
0:03:27 > 0:03:30more than an hour, especially on a bank holiday weekend,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33like it is this weekend, with the volume of traffic,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35to get a patient to hospital.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38So the aircraft is as vital piece of equipment in Cornwall.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48At their base in Newquay, Mark's colleague,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51paramedic Stu Croft, takes an emergency call.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Thank you, cheers, bye.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59OK, we're off to Helford for a 57-year-old chap who has collapsed
0:03:59 > 0:04:01with a headache, so we're thinking a bleed on the brain.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03So time-critical for a scan.
0:04:04 > 0:04:091A with you outbound to the Helford.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The casualty's headache was sudden and severe.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15The land crew already on scene fear the worst.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18They've assessed him and they think he may have a bleed in his brain.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27The seriously ill man is in Helford, a remote coastal village over
0:04:27 > 0:04:3030 miles along rural roads from their base.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53A patient with a brain bleed can deteriorate rapidly.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25But first, they'll have to find a safe spot to land.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Up front, paramedic Mark helps navigate.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53But pilot, Sam Tompkins, thinks he's spotted a better landing site.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09The crew are about to discover it's Helford Regatta Day...
0:06:09 > 0:06:11And the locals appear to have gone native.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35The Rapid Response crew deliver the casualty and more details.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Stay there, sir. OK, just hang on two seconds, buddy.
0:06:38 > 0:06:4167-year-old Julian was enjoying the regatta
0:06:41 > 0:06:44when he suddenly developed crippling head pain.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- He feels that it's worse when moves his neck.- OK.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52- He's been sick about four times now. - OK. Any history of any of this?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54When he was 19 years old he was involved in a road traffic
0:06:54 > 0:06:59accident and underwent neurosurgery to actually have a clot removed
0:06:59 > 0:07:01which was, he says, at the top of his head.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Always wondered if it would come back and haunt him.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- Right.- Possibly not but...- Yeah, but he's worried about that.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12A previous blood clot could be a worry.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Hi, Julian, my name's Mark, one of the paramedics on the helicopter.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19How are you feeling at the moment? Is this headache going at all or is it
0:07:19 > 0:07:21getting worse or getting any better? Is it changing?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- I think the morphine has probably helped.- OK.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27You've had 15 milligrams of morphine which is great for your pain
0:07:27 > 0:07:31but obviously I don't want you to be walking too far with that on board.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Basically, we're going to pop you on to this stretcher here
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- and then we're going to lift you onto the helicopter, OK?- Yep.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Julian, nice and steady, in your own time.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41OK, and then I want you just relax
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and pop your bottom right in the middle there, sit yourself down.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Fantastic, well done.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49You'll be lying flat just for a second.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Crikey, you're quite tall, aren't you?
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- Does that hurt when you do that? - Yeah.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Unfortunately, we're going to have to have you flat for a second.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Julian's symptoms are all pointing towards the worst case scenario,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Unfortunately, with this condition
0:08:05 > 0:08:09up to 50% of patients can die from this problem.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14We need to wiggle you down the stretcher a little bit.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17A blood vessel that has ruptured in his head
0:08:17 > 0:08:19causing pressure on the brain.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Can you put your chin on your chest for me?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24As much as you can. Does that hurt when you...?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Does that hurt when you do that?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28OK, we won't get you to do that any more then.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31He had a sudden onset of this headache, it happened very quickly.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Started off in the top of his head, moved round to the back of his head.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39He was also developing some neck stiffness which was also an issue.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Everything that he presented with on scene was leading to the
0:08:43 > 0:08:46fact that this could be the case and he was having
0:08:46 > 0:08:48a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50OK, on lift. Ready, set, lift.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52If you could just guide it on, Stu, that'd be good.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Julian needs specialist care fast.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Julian, my colleague is going to look after you in the back
0:08:58 > 0:09:00of the aircraft.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02We're going to need to take your blood pressure and do a few more
0:09:02 > 0:09:05little pieces before we take off.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I'm thinking perhaps we'll take this chap to Derriford.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Julian, we'll take you to Derriford.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14We're not sure what's going on the moment
0:09:14 > 0:09:16but we're going to kind of play on worst-case scenario
0:09:16 > 0:09:19so we'll take you there where they've got a good neuro unit.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24- And you'll be closer to home anyway. You happy with that?- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26He's stable at the moment. We're going to bring him
0:09:26 > 0:09:28in to you guys with a query subarachnoid haemorrhage.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Our ETA to you is going to be...
0:09:33 > 0:09:3518.15.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45The helicopter in these circumstances with this
0:09:45 > 0:09:47sort of patient is absolutely vital.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49We need to get this patient to the correct, definitive care.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51In this case, Derriford Hospital
0:09:51 > 0:09:53was the hospital of choice for us and the patient
0:09:53 > 0:09:58and he got there within 22 minutes of us leaving the scene.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01A journey that would have taken two hours on a good day,
0:10:01 > 0:10:07probably nearer three from that location on a bank holiday weekend.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13The Cornwall Air Ambulance crew have to be ready for anything
0:10:13 > 0:10:17but on this job they really have seen everything.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It was quite strange to see a man dressed in a leopard outfit
0:10:21 > 0:10:23jumping over the gate and coming toward the aircraft.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26This is obviously an issue for us, not only do we not see a leopard
0:10:26 > 0:10:30everyday, we don't like to see people getting too close to the aircraft.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It's their safety that is paramount, as well as our own.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Little bit amusing, the fact that he was dressed as a leopard.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39But, yeah, welcome to Cornwall!
0:10:39 > 0:10:41HE CHUCKLES
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland -
0:10:52 > 0:10:57over 2,000 square miles of beautiful rolling countryside.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02It's a region of green fields, forests and
0:11:02 > 0:11:06picturesque dairy farms and home to 150,000 people.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11For the Dumfries and Galloway Ambulance Service,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14covering this vast rural area means long journeys,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17often at speed, on dangerous country roads.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Paramedic Paul Votier and technician Keith McWhan face these hazardous
0:11:24 > 0:11:26routes every time they're on shift.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30But the job's got its plus sides.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33You have the privilege of helping someone that you don't know
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and that person could be walking around today
0:11:35 > 0:11:40because of your intervention and, yes, it's a nice thing to know.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Today, on a busy summer Sunday,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46emergency calls are coming in thick and fast.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06From Dumfries, it's 13 miles by rural road to Lockerbie
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and on the weekend, traffic can be a real problem.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Despite the hazards en route, Paul and Keith make the 13
0:12:53 > 0:12:55miles in just 20 minutes.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02The sat nav directs them to a local park.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Oh, right. It's down there. Just spin around here.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09But on a sunny Sunday, everyone's come to play
0:13:09 > 0:13:13in the local football league and the streets are chock-a.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17They spot the casualty.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Turns out it's an injured footballer.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I tell you what, I'll get off and take the Entonox with me.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29They've laid him out on a stretcher for us.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32But there's so many parked cars here that I can't get anywhere near him.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Keith's just doing a quick assessment to see how bad it is
0:13:35 > 0:13:38before we decide how we're going to move him off the grass.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I'm just going to block the road.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Carried to the ambulance by his team-mates,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46the patient's called Ryan.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Entonox, a mixture of gas and air, helps ease the pain.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07- OK. That's a lad, well done. - Got that end?- Grand, thank you.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Just put the leg back down. How is that doing? Grand, good lad.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The vacuum splint will support his injured leg until it can be X-rayed.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19You feel that getting tight?
0:14:19 > 0:14:21It moulds into the shape of your leg.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Go.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Level, level, level. That's us.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Just scoot over, son.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34That's you, well done. And another inch or two. That's you. Grand.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Well done, lads, thank you very much indeed.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's back to the game for the lads...
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Whilst Keith and Paul, hot foot it back to hospital Dumfries.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Are you allergic to anything?
0:14:47 > 0:14:48Penicillin.
0:14:48 > 0:14:5226-year-old Ryan was just ten minutes into the second half
0:14:52 > 0:14:53when he came a cropper.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Ryan's working his way through the gas and air.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Despite the happy gas, Ryan's got a few things on his mind.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02He's also just had his big break with a local amateur team.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Ryan's safely delivered into hospital
0:16:23 > 0:16:27but it might be Kavos on crutches for this injured midfielder.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The rugged landscape of County Durham,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46some of Britain's most remote countryside.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Patrolling much of the rolling moorland is PC Harry Marsh.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Based in Barnard Castle,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01his patch covers 300 square miles.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05His rural beat is scattered with hill farms,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08although it's anything but quiet.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13There's actually been just this year a 12% increase in farm crime
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and it has an enormous amount of community impact.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The annual cost of crime to the UK rural economy is over
0:17:21 > 0:17:24£44 million.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Quite often farms and rural locations are specifically
0:17:27 > 0:17:34targeted because they're easy to be able to take high value items from.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36If you speak to any farmer around here,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40I can guarantee you that he will have suffered some crime or other
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and that is the case for all of the farmers that live in this area.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49But it's not just stolen farm tools and machinery,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53there's a centuries-old crime more associated with the Wild West
0:17:53 > 0:17:55that's fleecing Britain's farmers.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00A lot of people think sheep rustling is something that only happened
0:18:00 > 0:18:02in the past.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07The reality of it is that there is a huge amount of theft of sheep
0:18:07 > 0:18:09and other livestock that still go on.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13In the last year alone, as many as 90,000 animals were
0:18:13 > 0:18:17stolen from Britain's farms and it's a lucrative business.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22So you're looking at approximately each sheep being worth
0:18:22 > 0:18:25about £75 to £150 each.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32This is a good example of a location where sheep theft could
0:18:32 > 0:18:34easily happen.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Just in the field here, which is just off the main road, there is
0:18:38 > 0:18:40a main access gate into the field
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and if you had someone who knew what they were doing, it would be an
0:18:43 > 0:18:47easy matter for them to just get into the field
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and round up as many of these sheep as they could,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53put them in a trailer. And in that short period of time,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55you're looking at thousands of pounds' worth,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58potentially, of sheep that could be taken.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Today, Harry's investigating a possible theft of sheep
0:19:04 > 0:19:07on 6,000 acres of common grazing land.
0:19:08 > 0:19:14Used by a number of farmers, the livestock can often get mixed up.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Farmer Stan has discovered seven extra mystery sheep
0:19:17 > 0:19:19whilst gathering in his own flock.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- Hello there. Nice to meet you, I'm Harry Marsh.- Hi.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29- It was just about the sheep that you reported to us.- That's right, yeah.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- So if it's OK, can we go and have a look at them?- We will, yes.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33OK, thanks very much.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Stan called in PC Harry as there's something
0:19:37 > 0:19:39a bit fishy about these animals.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41I'm just going to examine them now.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45We suspect that they belong to another local farmer
0:19:45 > 0:19:47and that they may well have possibly been stolen.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49I'm just going to have a check of their flock number,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52which is a tag that's on the side of their ear,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54just to confirm when they've come from.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00Being a copper in the countryside brings its own set of challenges.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03In October last year, we seized a lot of sheep.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And from that, I have learned how to handle them
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and some basic skills on what they do.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Hopefully, it'll work OK this time.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14When sheep get mixed up between farms,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16ear tags can easily be switched.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Detecting the original owner is the tricky bit.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22If you want to go through.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24We'll get them in one corner, I'll get hold of one of them.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30That didn't work well.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Harry will look for clues to indicate
0:20:32 > 0:20:34if these sheep are, in fact, stolen.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37You're all right, I got one.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42I had no idea 24 years ago that I would be doing anything like this.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46But it's extremely rewarding
0:20:46 > 0:20:49when you can get people's sheep back to them.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54The three ewes and four lambs have confusing markings
0:20:54 > 0:20:56identifying two possible owners.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02This particular sheep has got an ear tag in.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Now, this is easily replaced and can be put in by any farmer
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and this is what makes it so easy for them to be stolen.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13However, on the other side we've got a much older method of identifying
0:21:13 > 0:21:17sheep and this is a section of the ear that's been taken out.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Farmers do this to identify which flock that they've come from
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and this is a much older method of doing it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26The confusion here is the plastic tags don't seem
0:21:26 > 0:21:29to match the original identification mark cut out of the ear.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It could suggest someone is retagging sheep in order to
0:21:34 > 0:21:37claim them as their own.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40This particular sheep and the other sheep that are in here
0:21:40 > 0:21:43are going to need to be further investigated
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and looked at to see if they have been stolen or not.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48But at the moment, it certainly looks like it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Farmer Stan has been a victim of sheep theft himself
0:21:53 > 0:21:57so he's always on the lookout for sheep with suspect identification.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00For quite a lot of years we always were a number of sheep short
0:22:00 > 0:22:03when we gathered them in at the end of the year.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06In fact, last year I was 19 short.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08And it's just something that's been
0:22:08 > 0:22:10going on for quite a few years, really.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13They were just lambs that were lost last year
0:22:13 > 0:22:15and they added up to well over £1,000.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Just what I lost last year alone.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23These sheep together could fetch as much as £600.
0:22:23 > 0:22:2799% of farmers, I would say, are very genuine and honest people
0:22:27 > 0:22:30but there's just the odd bad apple in the barrel.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And it's just very annoying.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Now the sheep are evidence in a possible crime,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40they'll be retagged and photographed.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Harry calls in Crime Scene Investigator Mr Stephen Tindale.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50- If you could just photograph the sheep while I hold them.- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:22:50 > 0:22:55More used to catching thieves than sheep...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57This isn't in the police handbook.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04This is just on-the-job training, dealing with Swaledale sheep.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06There's no police courses for this.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Exhibit B proves uncooperative.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Hang on.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15This one's a bit lively.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16Hang on.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30A lot of farmers can visually recognise them just from their faces.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And hence the reason why we'll take a photograph
0:23:35 > 0:23:38square on the face as well as taking another
0:23:38 > 0:23:42photograph of both ears and a side on shot of the sheep as well.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46I'd not say I can recognise them all
0:23:46 > 0:23:51but people's sheep do tend to vary a little bit and you have a good
0:23:51 > 0:23:54idea which ones are yours before look at them closely, yes.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- Was that OK?- Yeah.- Right.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04Harry now needs to find
0:24:04 > 0:24:07a way of proving who's the real owner of all seven sheep.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11He thinks it's the farmer who put the cuts in the ears.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The important stage of the investigation now is to get them
0:24:17 > 0:24:20to have a look at the sheep. We'll get a quick statement
0:24:20 > 0:24:24for evidential reasons, if we need to go to court at a later stage.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29And he must also track down the source of the suspect ear tags
0:24:29 > 0:24:31if he's to get closer to solving this case.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48The spectacular scenery of Dumfries and Galloway,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50always popular with tourists.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57In summer months the population swells by 60%,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00putting extra pressure on the region's ambulance service.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Paramedic Paul Votier and technician Keith McWhan
0:25:08 > 0:25:12are in the middle of their busy summer Sunday shift.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16They're racing to a 999 call from on a rural caravan site.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Strokes are the third largest cause of death in the UK.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33They can be caused by a bleed,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36like Julian's brain haemorrhage,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38or by a blockage in a blood vessel.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Either way, and oxygen supply to the brain is cut off.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47Once that is affected, then the brain gets starved and then
0:25:47 > 0:25:50if it's not repaired or treated quickly,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53that part of the brain will start dying and it will be irreparable.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55SIREN WAILS
0:25:55 > 0:25:59They're blue lighting from Lockerbie to Hoddom Castle Caravan Park
0:25:59 > 0:26:00eight miles away.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06But even then it won't be easy to find the casualty.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Our problem is going to be finding this caravan but hopefully
0:26:09 > 0:26:11there's going to be someone there to meet us or guide us there.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14If there is no-one there to meet us and show us where to go,
0:26:14 > 0:26:19we could be circling the campsite looking for the patient.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21That's happened several times in the past.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Thankfully, there's someone on the gate, saving vital minutes.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56The casualty is lying collapsed inside a caravan.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58What's the lady's name?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- Caroline.- Hi, Caroline.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Do you know what's going on, Caroline?
0:27:06 > 0:27:07In cramped conditions,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Paul immediately checks Caroline for the classic signs of a stroke.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Can you give me a big smile?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Well done, sweetheart.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19One of the assessment tools we use is the pneumonic FAST which
0:27:19 > 0:27:24stands for face, arms, speech and the T stands for time-critical.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26We look at the face, if it's asymmetrical,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30is a drooping one side? Arms, can they raise their arms?
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Is there weakness one side in the arms?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35And speech, is it slurred speech?
0:27:35 > 0:27:36SLURRED SPEECH
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Can I help you? Can I get you a cup of tea?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I'll have a cup of tea later, if that's OK.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Her speech wasn't that slurred but she was very confused and unaware.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Have you fed the horse?
0:27:50 > 0:27:53The horse? Yeah, we'll feed the horse, don't worry.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55You just rest easy, Caroline. OK?
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Who are you? What's your name?
0:27:58 > 0:28:00- My name is Paul.- Paul.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04- Mm-hm.- You're an awful nice man. - Am I? Thank you very much.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07There's not many people that say that to me.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Caroline's partner Andy called the ambulance,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12she's had strokes before.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Did the last stroke affect her mobility at all?
0:28:14 > 0:28:15What side did it affect?
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Left-hand side.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I've actually witnessed it before with Caroline before
0:28:25 > 0:28:27so I knew the symptoms.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30She just couldn't move her left side.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32I noticed, just her expression in her face,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35she was in the stages of having a stroke.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40OK, you sit yourself up.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Bring this leg round.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46- There.- There you go. - There, it's there.- Well done.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47One more step here.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Manoeuvring Caroline out of the tight space isn't easy.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- It's not very comfy this chair, is it, Caroline?- Nah.- Sorry.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01And then, in her confused state, Caroline becomes anxious
0:29:01 > 0:29:02and distressed.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- I want you to sit there... - It's not my bed!
0:29:04 > 0:29:09- I know, darling. It's a comfy bed.- It's not my bed!
0:29:09 > 0:29:11I know. It's OK.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Partner Andy helps to reassure her.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18It's OK. We just taking you to your bed, it's all right.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22I'm not very calm when it comes to things like that,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25I really was really all going sort of thing, you know.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28But I was just trying to help the paramedics as much as I can
0:29:28 > 0:29:30and get her to hospital as quick as.
0:29:30 > 0:29:31Is that your car?
0:29:35 > 0:29:39The longer we're on scene, the longer time we take to travel,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42the more damage is being done to the brain
0:29:42 > 0:29:45so we have to transfer this patient as quick as possible
0:29:45 > 0:29:49and it's blue lights, sirens, into hospital.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Hi, this is the Lockerbie ambulance.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Just to let you know we're bringing in a 47-year-old female.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Query CVA within the last hour.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02We're going to be probably 20 minutes, Keith?
0:30:02 > 0:30:04About 20 minutes.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Paul keeps checking Caroline
0:30:06 > 0:30:08for signs her condition is deteriorating.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Nearly two million neurons can be lost in the brain every
0:30:29 > 0:30:33minute a stroke is untreated, so speed is of the essence.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37It was hard. They had to go very fast in country lanes.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40A lot of traffic in that time. They did very well to get there.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45In just 20 minutes, they arrive.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Caroline is taken straight to the resuscitation room.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07It's less than an hour since the 999 call but with
0:31:07 > 0:31:11time passing, the medical team must diagnose and treat her fast.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23In County Durham, PC Marsh is on his way back to the farm where
0:31:23 > 0:31:25some mystery sheep are waiting to be claimed.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30They were gathered in accidently by farmer Stan
0:31:30 > 0:31:33who noticed they had conflicting identifications.
0:31:34 > 0:31:39We've got this sheep with a particular ear tag in with the flock
0:31:39 > 0:31:45number that doesn't tally with the section of ear that's been taken out
0:31:45 > 0:31:49here that identifies it from a particular local farm.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Someone could be retagging sheep to pass them off as their own.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56It would be a very good thing if we could catch the person responsible.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01After checking records, Harry thinks he's traced the original owner
0:32:01 > 0:32:04and he's meeting her at Stan's farm.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07I'm going to take a statement from the owner and we're going to have
0:32:07 > 0:32:09the sheep recovered back to her farm
0:32:09 > 0:32:12now that we have them as police exhibits.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Farmer Marie is missing some ewes.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20She'll be looking to spot her own distinctive mark
0:32:20 > 0:32:22cut into each sheep's ear.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Looking at them now, do you think they look like they could be yours?
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Right. OK.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46- Did you put them in yourself? - Yeah.- Right.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Can we have a look at them, then?
0:32:48 > 0:32:51And I'll get each individual one identified.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00- That's definitely yours, is it?- Yep.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05- And that's not your flock number?- No.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06Right, this one.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11The three older sheep, the ewes, all have Marie's individual ear marking.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15Same as the other one.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19But the four young lambs don't have any ear markings.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Harry needs to prove they're also part of Marie's flock.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25So what we're going to do is let them go to their mothers
0:33:25 > 0:33:28and then we know specifically that they are paired up with them.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35With each one heading straight to their mum...
0:33:39 > 0:33:42it's clear who these lambs belong to.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51You spend hours looking for them.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54The other day we were on the fell eight hours looking for sheep.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01Recovering these sheep is worth hundreds of pounds to Marie.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08And you just presume they're not there.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Marie takes the sheep back to her farm
0:34:14 > 0:34:16but it isn't case closed for Harry.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Back at base in Barnard Castle,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25he follows up the flock numbers on the tags in question.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28We've managed to return the sheep to the owner and at the moment
0:34:28 > 0:34:29enquiries are still ongoing.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34We're looking at a number of suspects who may be involved in this.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41It's a difficult case to solve
0:34:41 > 0:34:43but the investigation is ongoing.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51With limited resources, policing rural areas can be challenging.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01A lot of the farms are extremely remote,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03particularly in the Teesdale area,
0:35:03 > 0:35:07and it's very, very hard for us to be able to police them,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10very difficult to always keep an eye on the locations
0:35:10 > 0:35:12where the sheep are taken from.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14All we can do is do our best
0:35:14 > 0:35:17and work together with the farmers who own the land and do
0:35:17 > 0:35:20the best that we can to prevent these thefts from taking place.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35In Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary,
0:35:35 > 0:35:40the medical team are assessing 47-year-old stroke victim Caroline
0:35:40 > 0:35:41after she was rushed in.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44What are youse doing to me? I can go.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Let's just have another little look at you, OK?
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Caroline collapsed at a rural caravan park
0:35:54 > 0:35:56making it no easy job for ambulance crew Paul and Keith
0:35:56 > 0:35:58to quickly get her to treatment.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Do you know what's going on, Caroline?
0:36:03 > 0:36:04A wee faint.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Clock starts ticking at the first
0:36:06 > 0:36:08signs and symptoms a patient's having a stroke.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Give me a big smile.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Well done, sweetheart.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13In a rural setting it is...
0:36:13 > 0:36:15It goes very, very quickly.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18We're going to be probably 20 minutes, Keith?
0:36:18 > 0:36:21The quicker we get in, the better for the patient.
0:36:21 > 0:36:22The less damage to the brain.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27The medical team, led by Dr Peter Armstrong,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29immediately start tests.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31She's still very confused.
0:36:31 > 0:36:36She's got a weakness that is still there on the left-hand side.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Her speech is still a little bit mumbly
0:36:40 > 0:36:43so the words aren't coming out quite as well as they normally do.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46I think she's certainly not any worse than she was
0:36:46 > 0:36:49but we're just taking her round to CT scan now.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52We'll take a look and see if there's any evidence of any bleeding in
0:36:52 > 0:36:56and around her brain and take it from there.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00If the CT scan shows signs of a haemorrhage,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03it could mean long-term devastating brain damage.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10OK, well done, Caroline. We'll just set that for your brain scan
0:37:10 > 0:37:13so just be a wee moment. Doing really, really well there.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Caroline is still unaware of her condition
0:37:19 > 0:37:21but the scan results are instantaneous.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Well done, Caroline. We're just checking those pictures just now.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27You're doing really, really well.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Just looking in depth at every slices of the brain.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34It takes only a few minutes to do but gives us so much more information.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Hi, Caroline. How are we doing?
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- Champion.- Yeah, you feeling better? - Top of the shop.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Have you still got that sore head?
0:37:42 > 0:37:46OK, we'll get you a little bit of painkiller then for that.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- See if we can make that a bit better. - Aye.- OK, well done.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51After analysing the results,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Peter refers the scan to a specialist radiologist.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58She's a young person and this is onset at 11 o'clock this morning
0:37:58 > 0:38:02so probably a good candidate for consideration of thrombolysis.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05We'll grab a wee seat inside.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09Peter finds Caroline's partner Andy to talk through the results.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12We're just back in this room on the right-hand side.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16There's no signs of any bleeding or anything like that.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Now, there's a radiologist who's looking at it
0:38:18 > 0:38:22and he's going to give me a sort of formal report very, very shortly
0:38:22 > 0:38:27but, certainly, looking at it myself, I couldn't see any signs of...
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Any collections of blood within the brain which means that she is
0:38:31 > 0:38:35behaving more like a traditional type of stroke.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38If we're satisfied that there's no bleeding in there
0:38:38 > 0:38:42then she would be a candidate for this clot-busting drug which the
0:38:42 > 0:38:46idea is that it tries to dissolve any blood clots around the brain
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and try and get the blood flowing to those areas again.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53This is good news for Caroline.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56With no sign of a bleed, it's more likely a blood clot has caused
0:38:56 > 0:39:01the stroke, meaning Caroline can have an effective new treatment.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05There is a potential treatment given her young age,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08given how quickly she's come to hospital
0:39:08 > 0:39:10and that is a treatment called thrombolysis
0:39:10 > 0:39:13where we'll administer a drug in through the veins
0:39:13 > 0:39:16and the idea is that it will break down blood clots to try
0:39:16 > 0:39:20and improve blood flow to the actual brain and try and
0:39:20 > 0:39:22reduce the amount of damage.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25For most patients, thrombolysis needs to be given within
0:39:25 > 0:39:28four and a half hours of the first stroke symptoms.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Thanks to Caroline's quick transfer to hospital,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32she's within that critical timeframe.
0:39:34 > 0:39:35- Hi.- Hiya.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37- Do you recognise this person?- Hello.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42We're going to take you upstairs to one of the other wards, OK,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45and see if we need any other treatment, OK.
0:39:45 > 0:39:46You're going to be fine.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Now, I gave you some of that painkiller. How's your headache?
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Well, there we go.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00It looks like you might have had a little stroke this morning.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04- Is that a good thing or a bad thing? - It's not a great thing, to be honest.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07It's not a great thing but I think you're going to be fine.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Because of the speedy response of the ambulance crew
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Caroline has been given every chance to receive the right treatment.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Treatment that could lead to a full recovery.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22We have a narrow time window where we can potentially deliver
0:40:22 > 0:40:25life-changing treatment. For the paramedics, obviously,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27the key thing is to get to the casualties safely,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30in a timely manner, to make an assessment of them
0:40:30 > 0:40:34and then convey them as safely as possible to hospital.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36And you've got to remember that we're in a rural environment
0:40:36 > 0:40:39so the journey times are going to be longer than if you're in the city.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43It's not unusual for maybe paramedics to have to travel
0:40:43 > 0:40:46an hour or perhaps longer with the patient to get them
0:40:46 > 0:40:48to hospital so, really, the pressure is on them
0:40:48 > 0:40:52to make an assessment and make a decision as soon as possible.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54And I must say, I take my hat off to them
0:40:54 > 0:40:57because this, they're doing it in often very difficult circumstances,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01circumstances that maybe we in hospital don't appreciate.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11And just ten days after receiving the life-changing
0:41:11 > 0:41:15clot-busting treatment, Caroline's already recovering at home.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20I can't really remember being in the ambulance or
0:41:20 > 0:41:23anything like that but I know if it wasn't for them
0:41:23 > 0:41:26at the time and their quick thinking,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30and getting this diagnosed as quick and my partner getting it
0:41:30 > 0:41:34diagnosed as quick, then I probably would be very ill at the moment.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41The speed that the ambulance came for me was tremendous
0:41:41 > 0:41:45and considering we were right out in the country at the time,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49and Paul, who was absolutely wonderful,
0:41:49 > 0:41:54held my hand all the way to the hospital
0:41:54 > 0:41:56and got me there in this time limit
0:41:56 > 0:42:00that I should have been in the time limit to get the special drug.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Eventually got a cup of tea!
0:42:09 > 0:42:11And I don't know where that came from
0:42:11 > 0:42:15because it's definitely not me because I don't make that that often
0:42:15 > 0:42:17but I think it's a mum thing, you know,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21like if anything goes wrong you have a cup of tea and that
0:42:21 > 0:42:27fixes the world and that is great to have a cup of tea, eventually.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39It's been all go for the emergency services across rural Britain.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Julian was suffering from a brain haemorrhage.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45But after 11 days of treatment at Derriford Hospital,
0:42:45 > 0:42:48he's now back home and making a full recovery.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52With a twisted ligament and chipped shinbone,
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Ryan was on crutches for five days.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58But he did make it to Kavos with his mates.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01After further investigation into the sheep theft,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03no charges have yet been pressed.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05The case is still ongoing.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09And Caroline has a weekend already planned back at the caravan.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13And who said it was quiet in the countryside?