Episode 5 Junior Paramedics

-Ambulance Service. Tell me what's happened.

-It's my husband. I can't wake him up.

Just confirm for me, is he awake?

He's like comatose. I'm trying to feel a pulse.

He's on the floor. He's unresponsive.

Cardiac arrest.

A call to a cardiac arrest.

The paramedics have just eight minutes to get to the scene.

And just 12 minutes to save the patient's life.

Shall we do another pulse check just before we move him?

It's a scenario that can test the most experienced paramedic.

But what if you're a first year student and you're new on the job?

Meet the junior paramedics.

Does this make me look vain?

It is quite scary and daunting.

I am only 19.

Have you got little ticklish feet?

We go to a really serious job like a cardiac arrest,

I will have to get involved.

You feel like you're doing something that means something.

It's making a difference.

Flying around with the blue lights on. That's good, isn't it?

I'm not going to lie.

COUGHING

Let's go do some shots.

The shifts are going to be hard to get used to.

I hate mornings. I'm not a morning person at all.

All of the paramedics that I've spoken to have said

that there will always be one thing, when you get there,

you don't know why, but it affects you really badly.

You've got to be prepared to go in someone's house

and not be scared of the outcome.

I'm definitely quite worried dealing with my first fatal,

or my first body that I come to.

Being a paramedic is definitely my dream.

It's something that I've always wanted.

Studying for a degree in paramedic science is tough.

Failure is not an option.

Six weeks of dealing with real people in real emergencies

is even tougher.

12 hours to go, and I'm yawning all the time. I'm shattered already.

Nearing the end of their placement, the patients don't get any easier.

You haven't got any pain anywhere, have you?

Just saw all this blood. I was like, "Oh, my God. What's that from?"

They're young,

they're inexperienced...

Oh, my God.

..and every day is a matter of life or death.

I was like, ah! Adrenaline.

For these student paramedics,

it's make or break on the emergency front line.

Do you know how to open it? Stop.

Previously on Junior Paramedics...

..Ashley was forced to think on her feet

when a patient took a sudden turn for the worse at a major house fire.

Chris?

Chris?

In that moment, I kind of questioned everything.

I just thought, "Oh, my God. This is horrendous."

Steph's nerves were tested

when she attended a call out to an armed siege.

This is a big job.

DOG BARKS

You just keep talking to me.

We turned up and there were fire engines

and 14 armed officers surrounding him.

I was just terrified.

And Lucy dealt with the aftermath of a student night out.

Do you want to get him to cover up a bit?

It was just really embarrassing for him and me, to be honest.

I am his age, and it's not doing our age group any favours.

All right, leave them there, then.

The Junior Paramedics are only two weeks away

from the end of their placements.

And they'll soon be graded by their mentors,

who'll decide whether they pass or fail.

Obviously, he's only had it two weeks.

-So how long have you had that bag on for?

-About two weeks.

Time is running out to impress before they head back to the classroom.

They're becoming valuable crew members.

Well done, mate, on that.

I think you're great with the patients.

-You know, you tell them what you're doing.

-You make me blush.

-Aw!

They've learnt a lot already,

but the realisation is dawning that they'll soon be flying solo.

Very, very daunting that we are actually going to be

paramedics in like a year-and-a-half's time now.

It's really scary just how quickly everything moves.

At this moment, I'm extremely scared to be qualified,

because I just haven't got the knowledge and I'm wondering

how, in the two years, I'm going to absorb enough to go out by myself.

You've got to make every decision on your own,

and the idea of being on the car on my own absolutely terrifies me.

You don't know where you're going to get sent.

28 must be this one.

Looking for houses in the middle of the night is quite frightening.

I'm always learning more advanced things

and I think by the time I do qualify as a paramedic,

I'll still feel like I'm not ready, because there is so much that

you won't have experienced, cos two years isn't a really long time.

So, for now, they're still relying heavily on their mentors

while they have the chance.

Having your mentor there is a real comfort.

So you'll be all right with that?

All looking good, isn't it?

In Leicester, Lucy Mellor is preparing for a late shift

with mentor Alistair on a fast-response vehicle.

So we're looking good, aren't we?

Done a quick 360 around, everything seems to be in working order.

Yeah, OK.

It's blinding me.

I'll turn them off.

You were asking the other day that they just had red lights...

You're not going to come out, are you?

-Oh, do I need to look at them?

-Yeah, course you do, you know.

Oh, yeah. Oh!

It's making me go funny.

HE LAUGHS

But things are about to get serious.

Yeah, received!

A cardiac arrest.

The call is to her first cardiac arrest,

and it's the one emergency that all the junior paramedics

are grateful that they still have their mentors there for.

So how can someone know it's a cardiac arrest?

Obviously, how the call comes through,

they'll say, "Are they breathing?"

So it's not definitely a cardiac arrest?

They don't know for certain that they're having a cardiac arrest.

Yeah.

You know if someone's not breathing, don't you?

-What do we need out the back?

-Take everything.

Lucy and Alistair are first on the scene, so have to act fast.

They already know from the call that the patient's heart has stopped,

so Lucy needs to step up.

While Lucy does chest compressions, a backup team arrive,

and Alistair explains the situation.

When we got there, I started CPR,

while Alistair got the bag from the valve mask

and started administering that and doing the airwaves.

Administered things like adrenaline, drugs were given,

obviously constantly checking

the rhythm, the heart rhythm.

When it gets to sort of 20, 30 minutes

and there's no change in the rhythm, which there wasn't,

everyone has to kind of make a call and agree.

Unfortunately...

..he passed away.

Lucy will be assessed on how she dealt with the situation,

but her eventual grade is the last thing on her mind.

How do you feel, though, having done it?

It's a bit surreal, really.

I don't know.

It's just a bit weird, that it just comes in the middle of everything.

Everything's the same jobs, and then, all of a sudden, it's like...

-Yeah, cardiac arrest, bang.

-Boom!

That happens, and then it'll be like you've got to go to the next job

like nothing's happened, it's all kind of like...

Yeah, or you could get another big cardiac arrest.

-You don't know, I suppose.

-Yeah, you just don't know.

But unfortunately... we did everything we could,

but it didn't make any difference, his heart had stopped,

and there was no electrical activity

-and obviously there was no change in that time.

-No change, flatline.

Yeah, so we stop.

Do you remember the first time when you were in the same position as me?

Yeah, I do, yeah.

Like you say, it's a bit surreal...

because you're used to doing it on dummies, basically, aren't you?

-Doing it on a real person is really different.

-A real person is very different.

It's actually someone's life, it's not just...a mannequin.

Yeah, that's it, it's someone's relative, isn't it?

Scary stuff!

With only two weeks left of their placements,

the junior paramedics have little time to overcome any fears.

Bryn is on placement in Northampton

and still finds treating children a real challenge.

BABY CRIES

Look, who's that?

'I find it really difficult to deal with children.'

You walk in, a complete stranger, and you have to help this child,

and some children are absolutely terrified of strangers.

# I'm just happy that you're here... #

BABY CRIES

Quite a lot of them can't communicate what symptoms they have,

'what's wrong with them, like, properly,

'so it's quite difficult.'

-Keep breathing with that, Alfie.

-Alfie!

I don't like it!

The skills that you get trained for at university are generic skills

'that you can apply to a lot of different people,

'but applying them to children is one of the harder scenarios.'

You don't like that, do you?

It is a scary thing.

Tonight, Bryn and mentor Charlotte are called to the home of a baby boy.

This is his chance to impress and prove

that he's overcome his nervousness when dealing with babies.

He's been really chesty and congested for quite a while now,

but now he's started to wheeze, and his chest is a bit stiff.

-OK, it's going in when he's breathing?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Basically, he's just been unsettled all night.

He's normally a really good boy and he sleeps well

and he settles down, but he's been awake since about 1.00pm this afternoon,

-just crying and grizzling...

-Oh, dear.

But now you're better now everyone's come to see you.

(How exciting!)

The problem is with kids is they look really, really, really well,

when actually they're really struggling to breathe,

and when they start to act poorly is actually quite further on.

Bryn knows that the more relaxed baby Nathan is,

the easier it will be for the paramedics to do their job.

-You have a play with that.

-What's that?

Look at those flashy lights!

You want to play with everything, don't you?

Oh, look out, buddy!

His temperature was a bit high, it was 38.

It was a bit high.

Up a bit more.

'In terms of taking observations, it's a matter of trying'

to find a way to keep them distracted so you can do what you need to do.

You are trying to escape already, aren't you?

'I find it difficult'

to actually just assess them and take observations from them,

'because they won't sit still for you to take a heart rate,

'which is really, really difficult to pick up.'

BABY MAKES RHYTHMIC SOUNDS

What noise was that?

No?

Getting an accurate heart rate on a baby comes with experience,

and while Bryn's coped well so far,

Charlotte's had to step in.

160.

Before they leave, Bryn needs to carry out one last observation.

We'll take a scratch from his heel in a minute, as well.

'One of the worst things, having to do a blood test

'to find out blood sugar on a kid.

'Don't do it on their finger, no, you go for their heel.'

Even if they weren't crying before you went to see them, they will be

once you leave, because you've just stabbed them in the foot.

So it is really, really difficult,

cos you literally cause that child quite a lot of pain.

You're not going to like us very much now.

-BABY CRIES

-I am so sorry.

Oh, that was nothing, really, was it?

-How brave are you!

-I thought he'd be more upset than that.

He barely screamed or anything.

Bryn carries it out with ease, even surprising himself.

Bryn must have the magic touch.

No! You haven't seen the others.

-I'm normally hated for that.

-Don't say that!

I am, hated!

-Don't worry about your boots. We don't do the laundry.

-OK.

'I was really surprised.'

I thought, like every other child, he would scream the house down, but...

nothing, there was a tiny sound that he made, and after that, he was fine.

That's better, look at that.

Yeah, I'm feeling more comfortable with kids.

With the last couple, I stepped back, but it is one of those things,

you have to get really involved with kids, so I think the more I push

myself to get involved with kids, the more I'll benefit from it.

It's a new day in Corby.

A call has come in about a road traffic collision.

Local girl Steph and mentor Sam are rushing to the scene.

It's an RTC with a patient that's been knocked off their motorbike.

Motorbikes account for just 1% of road traffic accidents

but as many as a fifth of all fatalities.

I think it probably will be quite serious.

It's not very nice, motorbike accidents, because they've got no protection.

It's not her first RTC, but this one might be a little bit too close to home.

My brother has a motorbike and he works just there,

so he would come along that road at this time,

he starts at nine.

I don't think it'll be my brother.

-Looks like a bonnet on the floor there.

-Oh, my God, I can see the foot.

The team are not the first to arrive,

but the patient is still in the road, trapped under his bike.

It is a little bit scary, you go to this 17-year-old lying

on the floor crushed between a car and a moped.

The way they had hit looked horrendous.

Just saw all this blood and I thought, "What is that from?"

He's been hit by the car just there.

Not sure if he was knocked out.

Looks like he has had a bit of a nosebleed.

Steph and Sam need to get the patient into the ambulance.

We need to get the bike out of the way before we can measure it.

It is critical that the bike is removed as soon as possible

so they can start treating him.

But it could make things worse,

and they still don't know what injuries it could reveal.

These are deceptively heavy.

-We don't know what's going to be underneath there at all.

-Yes.

The paramedics are going to struggle to remove the bike.

Can we call the fire crew, please?

While they wait, Steph is given the critical task

of supporting the patient's neck.

Until they can assess the extent of the damage,

it's vital that they keep him still.

-What's your name?

-Adam.

-I'm Sam, and this is Steph.

We'll take you to the hospital.

We'll go on your guidance to move it.

It's your back?

I bet you're more gutted about your bike, aren't you?

The patient's mum arrives, and for her and Adam's benefit,

Steph plays it cool and stays focused.

Was he going anywhere nice?

I see.

'You are just more scared than'

the family member is that's watching the person in pain, but you

have to put this hard exterior on

and tell them that you're doing what you can.

I think that's the fire brigade.

We're going to get you out.

-Hi.

-We just need a hand. He's still sitting on the bike.

-OK. I'll move that then we can see where...

-Yeah.

We'll start sliding the bike out,

but if it becomes really uncomfortable,

you need to let us know, and we'll stop and decide if we need do anything else, OK?

-Just say stop.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Tell me if anything hurts.

We'll hang on to your trousers. You won't lose them. OK?

All right?

Keep going. Keep going.

Keep going.

-We'll roll onto your back, OK?

-Yep.

I'm ready, yep. Ready, brace, roll.

They can now properly assess his injuries.

Any pain here? No pain at all?

-Any pain on this leg?

-No.

-Both feel the same?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Despite what initially seemed like a horrific scene,

the patient escapes with minor cuts and bruises,

much to his mum's relief.

Very scared, because there is so many people around,

you always think the worst, don't you?

But once I spoke to them and actually saw Adam, I was a lot better.

The paramedics have been fantastic, so have the police.

So, they've put my mind at rest.

I'm just waiting to see what the nurses say about him.

It's every parent's worst nightmare, but Adam was lucky.

Steph knows the outcome could have been very different for everyone.

It looked a lot worse than it was, and you just think,

"Oh, God, if that was my family member or my mum running up because

"her son had an accident, it would be awful, really."

It's quite scary.

The junior paramedics have come a long way on placement.

..chest and posterior to anterior, and that is sounding clear.

There's no dull or high-pitched tones.

Keeping calm under pressure...

Just going to pop some oxygen on you.

..and showing good bedside manner...

I'm a Cockney from East London and I speak my mind.

Do you do a good Michael Caine impression?

I told you not to blow the bloody doors off!

..are now all par for the course.

-Thank you for all your efforts.

-All right, mate, take care.

I'd like to shake his hand, but I can't.

It's all tied up.

But with only two weeks left to go, they don't know

what's around the corner.

I think with every single patient that you end up going to,

there is always an air of mystery

and is it going to be a dangerous situation?

I don't think it is the sort of career that

you can learn everything at uni - you can never prepare

for what we'll see and the different jobs that we'll go to.

You have like a preconception in your mind and then

you're presented with something that's actually worse and you think,

"Wow! I didn't expect that."

Nick and Mentor Johnny are four hours

into a day shift in Leicester when they get

a call to a patient who's attempted suicide.

Have you just done your arm, Sally?

Yeah.

She suffers with depression and anxiety,

and today she's badly cut her arm.

My worst time is in the evening when I'm suicidal.

Yeah, right.

It was a bit of a shock.

As a student, I didn't want to seem

like it really did shock me

or I couldn't handle it or anything like that.

I think that's the most blood I've ever seen. It's everywhere!

I know the policeman's done a beautiful job of bandaging your arm,

but we'll have to take it off to have a look at what you've done.

Right, Nick, do you want to open a packet of swabs...

and there's one of those pods underneath...in here.

Oh, right. Just one or two?

Just one.

One in four British adults suffer from mental health problems,

so even though it's tough,

Nick needs to learn how to cope with this part of the job.

It was difficult to actually remain

calm in that situation,

being as that's the first ever time I've ever been in the situation

with that much...amount of blood

has been around.

You can read about mental health and attempted suicide all you like,

but I don't think any text book can teach you how to talk to somebody.

That is something you pick up actually doing the job.

The team needs to work out if the patient is still a danger to herself.

Will you be all right on your own?

We are here to help.

It takes a lot to admit to that.

We don't want you in that position, we don't want you feeling like that.

We'll get there.

It is sad

to see that somebody has suffered mentally,

and to an extent actually where they've had to harm themselves,

but it's not always straightforward, erm,

to actually fix them, because you can fix, you know,

their wounds or anything like that, but you can't actually

necessarily fix what's happening in their head straightaway.

What I'll do, then, I'll make that referral.

We'll try our best to get you the help you need when you need it.

The girls know all about it, so I'll let the hospital know

when you get there, all right? Take care of yourself.

Thanks.

It's sometimes hard to put yourself in their situation,

having never actually personally felt like that myself.

I-I find it hard to put myself in that situation,

where I'd want to hurt myself so much, I think. So, yeah.

Although the junior paramedics have their mentors on hand for support

on placement, nothing beats a supportive family back at home.

-Have you only just got back?

-Yep. Well, no, this morning.

I've been sleeping all day. THEY LAUGH

Well, that's normal, then, isn't it?

Yeah, pretty normal. I'm shattered, though.

Lucy Mellor is lucky enough to have someone who understands

some of what she's going through,

and she's visiting her dad, who's a GP in nearby Derby.

What was it like when you first got called to the cardiac arrest,

or the collapse, and you had to do CPR?

When we first got there, it was just me and Alistair, and he kind of...

It was the first thing we've got to that was sort of time critical.

He went into like a different mode I've not seen in him before,

he just sort of got the patient on the floor,

cut his top off and just went, "Give CPR and I'll get oxygen."

-And it was like, "Whoa!"

-Were you not scared?

-Yeah.

At first, when Alistair just turned round and went,

"Do you want to do some CPR for me?"

there was a moment where I just thought, "I'm leaving.

"I don't like it!"

I've been seeing people in those sorts of situations,

but I'd been training for five years when I did it.

I think it's quite scary stuff, though, for you.

I think it's quite...fast.

I don't know, though, cos the situation is so fast

that the adrenaline kind of takes over a little bit.

At first, you're like, "Oh, my God, what's going on?"

but then you instantly just forget.

Then the paramedics are going, "Why would we do this?"

They were asking me questions while we were doing it, like, teaching me.

But do you think you can cope with it mentally afterwards?

I mean, it's like every situation's different, isn't it?

Some people will be more bothered by a situation like that,

but there are other situations that people would be more bothered about.

Like, it just depends what affects you differently.

You're with a lot of sad people and sad situations, aren't you?

I think it's stressful.

You can't attach yourself to every single person,

cos you're not emotionally connected, are you? So...

No, but a lot of people who work in what I do and what you're doing

do get quite emotionally involved,

and it's something you've got to avoid, really.

SIREN WAILS

Not all the 999 call outs the junior paramedics go to

are patients who need urgent medical care.

'You obviously get pre-warned that only the 10% of calls'

are traumatic and life-threatening and serious.

But obviously going on placement does bring home

just how many we go to that are, like, you know,

chest infections, anxiety, falls,

and it's one after another.

One type of non-emergency call out the junior paramedics

are experiencing are "the regulars" -

people who often call for emergency assistance,

even when they don't really need it.

Hello?

Ah, yes, I have been here before.

On shift in Leicester,

junior paramedic Vic is with mentor George.

What's the problem, what have you called for?

-What your hernia is?

-Yeah.

Show me where your pain is in your tummy.

Although the patient's condition looks alarming,

it isn't an actual emergency.

Sharp scratch.

Have you spoken to your GP?

Do you want to go Leicester Royal Infirmary?

OK.

How are you on your feet?

Because you go out, don't you?

Right. So you can stand on your feet, then?

They suspect that Ronald might just want a lift to the hospital.

Cos you're relatively independent, then,

if you do all your shopping and stuff?

George makes a call to non-emergency transport.

Hiya, it's George.

I've got a job at Cliffstone House, if you're available?

He walks with a stick and he says he can manage

to go down the stairs and get down into the ambulance.

Thank you very much.

I've just arranged the transport for you, Donal...Ronald.

-Ronald! Not Donald!

-Ronald McDonald!

Yeah, so she'll be here.

She's just dropping someone off at the Royal, Donna,

and then she'll be coming straight after that, so within half an hour.

Well, that's all the room we've got!

They shouldn't be long, anyway,

then they can come and take you down, and you can see somebody.

Put your top on.

'He's quite capable of looking after himself. He just'

isn't 100% steady on his feet, but he goes shopping for himself.

My grandad used to have one like that.

Oh, gosh.

I don't know... £5?

-Wow!

-20p.

'He's with it, he knows what's happening,'

and what calling the ambulance involves and stuff like that.

'So...'

But before Vic and mentor George head off, there's one last job.

Yeah.

Big push.

And, of course, this one is the junior's responsibility.

-Is that in?

-Yeah.

-OK?

-See you.

-See you.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

So that was your first regular?

He was nice, he was pleasant enough, wasn't he?

He was, yeah.

He's interesting, he's got lots of interesting things to say.

All his birds and things.

Vic and George leave Ronald to it for now,

but they know that, one day, they might be back.

We do get lots of calls from people who are lonely,

and it becomes like a pattern of behaviour

to ring ambulances and then,

you know, go to the hospital and see the people there,

and they become like, erm, friends.

It's like their social sort of...

circle, if you like.

The majority of cases the junior paramedics

are called out to involve elderly patients.

They're learning that it's the bread and butter

of the Ambulance Service's work.

Bryn is with mentor Charlotte in Northampton.

He's just started a night shift.

'Police are on scene, over.'

Yeah, not a problem, thanks ever so much.

Although he's used to dealing with lots of cases

involving old people, nothing could have prepared

junior paramedic Bryn for a recent tragedy in his own life.

It's been really, really hard for my family,

because not only did we lose my grandpa,

basically, at the weekend, we lost my grandma as well.

My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's for ten years,

and my grandpa had chronic liver failure and lung cancer.

It will always be there in my mind,

the fact I've lost two grandparents in one week.

I think, from a paramedic point of view,

I'll take my own personal experiences with me

and I'll be able to sympathise more for that patient.

On arrival, the police are already at the scene,

because the patient has fallen and used his emergency alarm.

Where are we? Oh, here's the stairs.

Hello, what's been going on?

You fell over? OK.

Have you got any family or anything?

No family at all?

No-one anywhere near.

So you're on your own?

The patient has recently been discharged from hospital.

I'm just going to take your temperature quickly.

And when did you come out of hospital?

Today.

While Bryn carries out his observations,

Charlotte looks at the patient's hospital notes

and realises that something doesn't quite add up.

By the documentation we've got, it says that you didn't come out

today, you came out a couple of days ago.

Yeah.

The inconsistency in the patient's story

means that the paramedics have to dig deeper.

Have you made yourself dinner tonight?

You haven't, so you haven't eaten this evening?

Have you eaten anything today at all?

You have?

Hospital food?

But if you didn't come out of hospital for quite a while,

cos you've been here for a couple of days,

so what food have you eaten?

Or have you not made yourself anything?

Having checked him over, Bryn can't find anything

physically wrong with the patient, but Charlotte still has concerns.

I think it's going to be in your benefit to go back to hospital.

You've told me you came out of hospital today.

I don't feel safe leaving you here on your own at the moment.

I'm trying to get in contact with somebody for some advice.

She's just going to have a word with the doctor

and see what the best thing to do is.

To stay here?

I'm really stuck, I need some help.

I'm massively, massively concerned. It's very, very cold in here.

He's refusing point blank to go to hospital, does not want to go.

I don't know what to do.

'It's difficult coming to a house where, you know,'

there's not a lot medically we can really do for him.

It's a real social situation,

and they're the ones you feel so helpless in.

Because I've done some observations,

and his observations are kind of all right.

We don't just want to leave him here by himself in a house where

all of the heating is switched off and it's minus degrees outside.

You know, it's almost the same temperature in there.

He hasn't, no, but then I can't drag somebody out of their house.

While Charlotte is on the phone seeking a second opinion,

Bryn puts his bedside manner into practice.

My brother plays for the Academy in the Saints,

so he goes down there a little bit, but, erm...

Oh, was he? Of the Saints?

Yeah.

'When you're talking to somebody,

'it's not really something that you can be taught,'

it's something you have to pick up on the job.

It's quite interesting, really, cos it definitely shows the importance

of going on to placement, to be able to pick up that side of the job.

The doctor's coming out right now.

He's dropped all his appointments to come.

He's passed off some of his appointments to other doctors

so he can come and see you.

-You are important.

-A very special service.

So we'll wait for him.

The doctor arrives and further assesses the patient

and backs Charlotte up.

It's quite difficult when people are refusing to go to hospital

and they're in this social environment, it's a bit tricky.

But now the doctor's been, he's, somehow,

magically convinced him to actually go to hospital,

'which is really, really good.'

How are you getting up?

Yeah, of course I am.

I'm helping you, as well, darling.

THEY LAUGH

Aw, she is, isn't she? I know.

While Charlotte hands over to the ambulance crew...

It's just taken us this long to persuade him to go,

we've been here for hours.

So he's upstairs?

..Bryn thinks ahead and gathers some essentials.

Right, I'll put you some bits in here,

just some extra clothes, take with you.

Keep your hands in, darling.

Keep your hands in, because you balance the chair that way.

That's your job.

'I know from speaking to my grandpa, it was really nice,

'because I know how proud he was of me for coming and doing this career.

'I know that he'd want me'

to carry on going out and trying to help as many people as I can.

Following last night, Bryn has been thinking about his family

and decides to pay them a visit in Bedfordshire.

-Hello, hi.

-Hello!

-How's it going?

-I'm all right.

-You well?

-Yes, I'm well. Are you?

-Yeah.

The junior paramedics all need their families sometimes.

-Hi!

-Hello!

-How are you?

-I'm fine.

-Hello.

-Come on straight in.

Being at university in Northampton and on gruelling placements

means they don't get to see them as often as they'd like.

I am starting to miss home a bit.

It's strange, because I never thought I would be the type to miss home,

but I think the longer I'm away from home, the more I do miss it.

'It is nice to be just go home and chill out,

'because it just feels a bit normal'

when you go home, see your family and friends and girlfriend.

I saw my grandparents every single day prior to coming to university,

so it's been quite tough, because it's a strong bond.

Vic has a rare weekend off

and has gone home to Stoke, where her nan is waiting.

My nan does miss me. You know, she tells me often that she misses me.

And I do feel bad that I can't kind of go round every week like I used to.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Do you want a brew first, and then we'll get pizzas in?

I'll make it.

The kettle's boiled. Well, I boiled it once.

As Vic's placement in Leicester is over 60 miles away,

it has made it more difficult for her to visit her nan

as regularly as they are both used to.

I rung your mother, asking where you were.

She says you'd be a bit late.

I told you I was going to be a bit late.

-I know, but you said about 20 minutes.

-Did I?

-Yeah.

Her nan misses her and likes to know where she is and what she's up to.

How's it all going?

Yeah, it's good, enjoying it.

Is it what you thought it was going to be?

Yeah.

That doesn't seem a very good yes.

No, because it's a lot of picking people up off the floor, anxiety...

90% of the job is going to people that are worrying

and people that have fallen.

But I know that, like, there's a dead small proportion

that's the emergency side.

Why do you want to be in the middle of everything?

-Because that's the excitement.

-Oh.

I'm saying nothing about that.

I can find better things to excite me!

THEY LAUGH

Well, you do looked tired.

I've done quite a few hours this week, so...

Don't they give you time to go to sleep?

I've done five days in a row this week, so that's the only reason.

So I'm on my two days off now. That's why I squeezed you in.

Don't squeeze me in, don't put yourself out!

I'm not putting myself out, I want to come see you.

I say that every time.

-I don't see nobody else, duck. I miss you.

-I know you do.

You're always on top of my priority when I come home,

so you can't complain.

Yes, but I like loving you and talking to you.

Because only you comes.

I do miss your grandad, although you think I don't.

No, I know you miss him.

Just got to get used to it, and I can't.

'Like, I've lost my grandad recently,

'but supporting my nan through it was quite...'

Well, she's a handful anyway, so it's quite tough.

'But, yeah, it's just being there for her

'and supporting her now she's on her own, so...'

Believe me, some of the people I've seen have got nothing,

absolutely nothing.

So you need to appreciate that you've got people that do come up,

even if it is for a few hours.

As Vic earns valuable brownie points

in the dutiful granddaughter stakes, over in Leicester...

..Lucy is about to earn her stripes

by dealing with her most volatile patient yet.

Yeah, you are all clear.

We're going to see someone who's fallen who is now unconscious.

She's on her way to her next call.

It's a drunk man in one of the city's homeless hostels.

With drunk patients, you do feel vulnerable, as in they are very...

You know, you don't know what they're going to do,

you don't know if they're going to be violent,

and it's really, really, like, scary to be with them

in such a small space, as well.

Don't do that!

Right, wake up for us, then.

Are you going to sit up? What's happened?

What's happened?

Lucy stands back and learns from mentor Natalie.

It's all right.

You need to speak to us. Come on. Hello.

-Don't do that.

-Don't you up your fist up to us.

Behave.

All right.

HE MUMBLES

Have you been drinking? Have you had a bit to drink? No?

-No? Good.

-HE MUMBLES

You wish you did!

Can you hear me? Listen to me.

-Do you want to take the head? And we can pull him down.

-Yeah.

Lucy has the important job of making sure the patient

doesn't injure himself further by holding his neck,

which puts her in harm's way.

This is the bit where we're going to pop you on this spinal board, OK?

Another team of paramedics arrive to assist

and to help get him to the ambulance.

Relax your head down. Relax your head down.

Right, we're just going to slide you, just on here

so we can get you down the stairs.

Ready, steady, slide.

-Brilliant.

-Good team!

With tight corridors and stairs to navigate,

it's a difficult enough job without the patient kicking off.

-BLEEP

-Right, hands in. Just get him down.

Lucy keeps her distance...

Let go, let go.

..but she knows, when they get him on the ambulance,

she will have to get closer and help to assess him.

That was really, really dangerous.

We could have all fallen down the stairs there,

We're doing this...

HE MUTTERS

Do not put your hands out to us, OK?

We are trying to help you, so you need to calm down.

If you do not calm down we are going to have to get the police here, OK?

It's quite scary, because things can easily spiral out of control.

So that's, for me, the most vulnerable part of it.

Especially as a woman, as well -

you've got a lot of big men, it's really scary and vulnerable.

OK, on three. One, two, three.

Lovely.

Now he's on the ambulance, Lucy can finally take some observations.

OK. I'm just going to look at your pupils.

But he's a tricky customer,

so she's going to have to keep her wits about her.

Slightly dilated.

-Yeah. What size?

-I'd say...six.

-But that's quite normal in people that are intoxicated.

-Yeah.

HE MUTTERS

Oh, come on, man!

I can't understand you. Sorry.

BLEEP

Despite the man's best efforts

to scupper the paramedics doing their job,

they manage to get him to hospital safely...

but only for a few minutes.

-We were on the scene 50 minutes?

-Yeah.

-So two ambulances,

-on-scene time 50 mins, putting ourselves...

-At risk on the stairs.

At risk on the stairs, and I don't know if you saw,

but he literally left after two minutes.

-I saw him walk out.

-Yeah.

And then light up a cigarette and just sit there.

There's nothing more you can do when someone does something like that,

so you just accept it. You do feel a bit annoyed,

because you and the other resources have been taken up.

So it was kind of a time-waster, but at least we did all we could.

Junior paramedic Amy is just starting her shift in Northampton.

It's Saturday night.

I go out on the weekend, I have fun,

let my hair down, it's nice to go out with my friends.

But I'm quite sensible, and I know when I've had too much to drink.

But she's learning that not everyone knows their limits.

She was leathered, wasn't she?

Did you see that top she was wearing as well?

-Her boobs were practically out of it.

-What was she wearing?

-Horrendous.

There was nothing on her.

It was a really tiny skirt, and I could see her knickers -

it just makes yourself look embarrassing going out like that.

Amy and Shay are called out to a man

that has been found lying in the street.

Hello.

Do you know him?

He's breathing, do you think?

-He's snoring.

-Aw.

We'll grab our stuff and go and have a look, then. No worries.

Just a random passer-by has just found somebody

sort of snoring away on the kerb, which is quite strange.

But it is Saturday night, so anything could happen.

Hello?

Hello?

Just mind yourself.

It's the ambulance, the paramedics - can you wake up?

Open your eyes.

I don't know if he's been drinking or not,

it's hard to tell outside if he smells of it.

Can't believe he's sleeping in this cold.

We'll need to check him. I'll get a crew to come.

Hello!

It's the ambulance, how are you feeling?

-Do you speak English?

-Yeah.

What's happened tonight?

Why are you on the floor?

Why are you lying on the pavement?

What?

Have you been drinking alcohol?

HE MUTTERS

Vodka? Nothing?

Have you been taking drugs? Anything?

Have you been assaulted?

Do you have any pain anywhere?

HE MUTTERS

Well, he's responding, but I can't tell

whether he's been assaulted or he's intoxicated or on drugs.

Just borrow your arm a minute.

I need to take some blood from your finger.

-No good.

-What's no good? Can we take some blood from your finger?

Can we test your sugar? Can I prick your finger?

-Strange.

-Just wait there, just wait there. Mind yourself.

I think we need to make sure you're OK.

We need to make sure you're OK.

How do you feel, do you feel OK?

You look a bit wobbly. Don't fall!

When he regains consciousness, he only has eyes for Amy.

-Amy?

-Amy.

-Nice to meet you.

Amy's number?

Amy's number? No.

No number?

No number.

No number, no, Amy has a boyfriend.

-Boyfriend?

-Yes.

'This strange person who had been

'sleeping on the street for some bizarre reason'

took a little shine to us,

and I'm not sure if I took a shine to him...at all.

-Friend.

-You want to be a good friend of Amy's?

Strong.

-You are strong, I know that.

-Amy.

-She's got a nice smile.

-Yeah, it's good.

Yeah, it's good, beautiful.

It made us feel uncomfortable. I just wanted to run away

when he started being all like that.

Take care.

Goodbye.

No!

No, thank you.

She's very shy.

Very shy.

'I think it is jobs like this that make us wonder'

whether I really want to be on the car by myself.

I think that could have been a bit different

if I was by myself. It's just very strange.

That was the bizarrest thing I've ever seen!

What was going on there?

I can't believe you didn't give him your number.

And it's not just a date that Amy's missing out on.

Some of the other junior paramedics are getting together for a curry

and they're reflecting on their last few weeks.

How do you feel, coming to the end of your placement?

A bit gutted - I wish we could carry on with it.

I don't want to go back to uni.

I kind of do want to go back, but kind of don't. I want to learn more.

-I know it's going to be so hard when we go back.

-I know.

I don't want to finish placement, but I'll be glad to get some sleep.

I feel, when I'm driving in the morning,

I have to pull over and slap myself a bit.

Yeah, when you've finished your shift

and driving back after those 12 hours, I'm like falling asleep.

I always panic, "Do I eat or do I sleep?"

I just sing, full blast!

THEY LAUGH

I can just imagine, I don't know why, but Mamma Mia.

Do you think you've changed and developed through your placement?

-I think I've learned a lot.

-I think I've become more confident.

-Definitely.

-I thought before that two years seemed a really short

period of time to learn everything we needed to learn

and to be trained as a qualified paramedic,

but seeing how much you've learnt in five, six weeks...

It scares me to think how much we've got to learn, though.

Yeah, but think how much you have learnt in such a short time.

I know, but when you look at the bigger picture over the two years,

I think it is quite daunting.

I think it's going to be strange when we're qualified

and you haven't got that person to kind of turn round to,

because ECGs, you just hand them straight to your mentor.

I just look at them and think, "What the BLEEP am I looking at here?

"There's some things there, a QPRS, I don't know what that is."

They're like, "What do you think?" and I'm like, "Yeah, I don't know."

I feel like a superhero, because...

you've got your uniform during the day, right,

you're putting on your outfit, you go out and save the day,

saving lives and all that, and then you come back and you're normal,

-no-one knows you're...

-I totally know what you mean there.

I never thought of it like that.

People may think I'm a knob and that,

but in a serious situation, I can actually be serious.

Turn off the knobbiness.

You would not believe it!

I don't think you're a MASSIVE knob!

Shut up.

Next time,

it's the Junior Paramedics' final shifts of the placement.

-If you refuse it...

-I'll break the

-BLEEP...

Keep your voice down.

Steph's caught up in a potentially volatile situation...

The chap that's assaulted this patient

is now trying to get into the flat.

-..when there's an attacker on the prowl.

-Knows where you live?

I'm going to hold your head, OK?

Bryn's last night on the job

brings his biggest challenge of the whole six weeks.

Might be a bit uncomfortable,

but we just need to make sure you're nice and secure.

And it's crunch time as the mentors mark the juniors' performances.

We get graded today, and I'm really, really dreading it.

But who will pass...

Did you have an idea what you thought you might have got?

..and who will fail?

A D-minus - that's the bottom grade you can get before you fail.