Episode 15 Secret Life of the Hospital Bed

Hand versus chainsaw. That looks painful.

Our hospitals are taking care of more patients than ever...

-You all right?

-No.

-Oh, poppet!

..with medical teams under constant pressure...

Can Dr Pitsea comes to resus, please?

Somebody as poorly as this little one,

you really need to treat them quickly.

..to meet our expectations.

I'm just worried about what it's going to be like afterwards.

But there's a crucial member of the team we sometimes forget.

I've never, ever been on a bed like this.

The hospital bed.

Another ward.

Another story. Another bed.

SHE SCREAMS

In our lifetime,

we are likely to need one of them at least three times.

I've probably spent a quarter of me life on a hospital bed.

In this series, our cameras have been given unprecedented access

to beds in four very different hospitals across the country.

It's life, life and death, and everything that goes in between.

We'll see the world through the bed's eyes...

Hello, my love, hiya.

..as they share the most challenging...

I don't know what to do. I don't know.

..most intimate...

I know.

..and most rewarding...

Happy birthday!

Isn't hospital wonderful?

..moments of our lives.

Thank you for being here.

I wouldn't have been anywhere else.

The hospital cannot function without beds. Beds are vital.

This is The Secret Life Of The Hospital Bed.

Close to the heart of Newcastle city centre

is the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Its state-of-the-art A&E department,

which opened just six years ago, operates 24/7.

That patient is just about to go round.

This gentleman's not well enough to move at the minute.

Its 29 beds see up to 2,500 patients a week.

Swing your legs up.

Right, I've asked them to X-ray that hand,

so you can pop down off the trolley now.

A&E bed seven is prepped, ready for its next patient.

51-year-old Astrid and husband Phil

have just returned from a holiday in Ibiza.

She's worried her vision may have been damaged

following an insect bite.

We've been on holiday.

I was sitting on the balcony last night,

and you feel something on you, sort of like flicked it.

And felt my face, and there was, like, a little lump at the side.

And as the day, obviously, went on,

by the time it was time to go to the airport,

it was just getting bigger and bigger.

I couldn't look round the duty-free shop in the airport, I was gutted.

I was wandering around, I couldn't see.

Like, I was trying to have a look, because I had the sunglasses on,

because the light, as well, was hurting my eyes,

well, hurting that eye.

I have got pain, but it's actually... I'm going to point at this eye.

In case I poke myself in it, because I can't see.

It's actually in the corner, it's sort of like the corner.

But the rest of it, I can't,

I can't feel it because all this here is numb.

And as I'm talking to you now, the pain is now getting worse,

it's now moving down to the bottom bit.

So, yes, I am, I am worried, concerned.

Dr Smith has carried out an initial examination of the swelling.

She's had an insect bite by the sounds of things, on holiday.

And then had some localised swelling, like,

a localised allergic reaction.

If Astrid's glands are also swollen,

it could be a sign of widespread infection.

She's due to be back at work in three days.

I'm a machine operator.

So, I actually... I work on packing machines.

In, like, a factory, a well-known factory. So, yeah, I need my eyes.

Dr Smith is back.

So. I've had a chat with our consultant, Reuben,

he isn't concerned about it, and your eye,

because obviously, your vision on that eye is better...

-Yeah, I can...

-..than the other side.

Very strange, isn't it?

What we're going to do is treat you for... To prevent any infection.

So that's what this is for.

So you need to take two once a day, for five days,

so there's two, four, six, eight, ten.

Obviously if things aren't getting better, if it gets worse,

it's worth seeing your GP as well, they can give you some ointment.

-All right?

-Yes, brilliant.

-So, you can go.

-Oh, right, brilliant. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

With the doctor confident there's nothing more serious,

Astrid leaves A&E bed seven.

They're not concerned, but if it does swell up or go red,

then, to either go to the GP or come back.

Continue with my antihistamines, and take my antibiotics.

And hope for the best.

Just fingers crossed I don't get the infection.

In less than two hours,

A&E bed seven has helped Astrid get diagnosed and treated.

-It's prepped for its next patient.

-And now it's beautiful.

Down the corridor, A&E bed 15 is waiting for its next patient.

Hello. My name's Jackie.

Second-year law student Siobhan has a potential broken toe.

Just have a seat over here.

She's been referred to A&E by her GP

and has come here with her friend Mary.

So, have you seen anyone else about this?

Been to the doctor's today, they sent me straight here.

What did the doctor think?

He doesn't know if it's broken, I might need...

I'll need an X-ray but he thinks it's infected as well.

Oh, my goodness, it looks pretty sore-looking.

-Yeah, it is pretty sore.

-Yeah, a little bit of blistering there.

-Yeah.

-You haven't been buying new shoes or anything recently?

No, I tried to wear some shoes yesterday

because I had to leave the house

-and that's where the blister's come from.

-Oh, I see, right.

It's rubbed at the top of my shoe because it's so swollen.

Yeah, looks pretty painful.

On a Friday evening, Siobhan works as a bartender in Newcastle.

When you were at work on Friday, did anything happen?

Not that I remember, but it was just hurting after work

so I assume I must have stubbed it or something.

And then I went out,

and I woke up on Saturday and it was really swollen.

What happened since then?

It's just got a lot worse, really, since then, like, it's just

swelled a bit more and it's spread a little bit down the foot.

-Is it very painful?

-Yeah.

Siobhan injured her toe five days ago.

Nurse Practitioner Lyon thinks the infection may be spreading.

You've got a little bit of tracking going up your foot as well,

see that little red line? We have to really look after that. Right.

I'm not going to do anything drastic with it, OK?

-Just looking at the bottom bit...

-OK.

-..to see what's going on.

-Can you feel me touching that?

-Yeah.

-Can you move it at all?

-Ah, ahh... Ahhhh!

-That's painful all the way?

-Yeah, yeah, all the way, just where it's red.

-Just here? Right.

-I think we'll need to do an X-ray on this.

-Yeah.

OK, because it may be broken and that may be the reason

why it's so swollen.

I can't think of any other reason, I can't see any other puncture wounds

or anything that's going on with the toe.

If there is a possibility you've injured it,

we need to exclude an X-ray. Exclude a fracture, sorry.

Siobhan and A&E bed 15 are on the move.

I can't believe I'm being wheeled around for a toe, this is great!

I feel like royalty.

I just want to get it sorted so I can walk, cos at the moment, like,

it's hard going to uni, so I just kind of need it sorted.

It's a toe, at the end of the day, like, it's not that important.

It is actually affecting me a lot more than I think

a toe would normally.

-Bye.

-Good luck!

Almost 25% of all bones in the human body are in the feet.

A toe bone is one of the top five most common bones to break.

If you could just relax your foot there.

Delays in treatment can lead to long-term chronic pain

and arthritis.

Siobhan's X-rays reveal no breaks.

I'll just give you a little slip

to bring back through with you to A&E, OK?

OK.

It's back to the consultation room and Nurse Practitioner Lyon.

Well, you maybe have stubbed it, and the bruising's caused by that.

The blister's obviously caused by the shoe,

and what you've ended up with is an infection.

The tracking, you notice that little red line we were looking at earlier.

-Yeah?

-It looks a bit better since you've had your foot elevated.

So you can see how good it is to elevate your foot.

Nurse Practitioner Lyon prescribes antibiotics for the infection.

She also recommends Siobhan rests,

to stop the infection from spreading.

We're going to ask you to elevate your foot,

-because you don't want this line spreading up your leg.

-OK.

Because you can become unwell with that.

You know, the infection is localised just now,

but it can travel and make you feel pretty ill.

So if anything happens, your foot swells any more,

-tracking comes, you've got to come back and see us.

-Right, OK.

-I'm going to have to ring work, aren't I?

-What do you do?

I work behind a bar. There's not much elevation around there.

Unless I have literally one foot on the bar while I'm pouring a pint.

I don't think that will be allowed.

Just bend your knee and put the toe on the paper.

That would be great.

I think it's mainly the blister that's the problem, you know.

-Does it matter about the blister, could you not pop it?

-No.

-Is it bad to pop blisters?

-To be honest, it's not that tense.

You know what I mean? So it's full of fluid,

and the fluid does help the healing as well.

-So should you never pop blisters?

-It will pop them itself.

Oh, my God, what's that?

Siobhan's toe is cleaned and dressed to protect it.

That'll make it feel more comfortable.

I'm not happy at all. I've got so much to do.

-You really do need to rest it.

-I will.

-And elevate it.

If you don't do that, it's only going to get worse.

I feel really bad, and really guilty that I'm going to be missing work,

and uni, for a toe.

Siobhan is booked in for a checkup in two days' time.

She can now head home.

A&E bed 15 gets ready for its next patient.

Birmingham is home to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

It has one of the largest hand surgery units in the country.

There may be some numbness around that area afterwards,

but that will recover with time.

Every year, 11 consultants perform

more than 3,000 hand trauma operations.

We're waiting for those bones to knit together,

so we're going to put a plate and screws in.

Around 80% of these happen here on the day surgery ward.

-Are you in here, Lena?

-Yes, I am.

-25 and 26 have arrived, you OK if I bring them in?

-Yes.

The 81 beds here work 12-hour shifts.

They transport patients for operations

to repair and reconstruct their hands.

Day surgery bed 52 is waiting for its first patient of the day.

-You've got Cathy P on till 3:30, haven't you?

-Yeah.

So, hopefully, by that time, we can start pooling staff.

-Have you had your break this morning?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Susan shattered several bones in her hand when she fell

while on holiday in Rhodes with her husband, Brian.

It was a really good holiday, very restful.

And we were only just discussing, the day of the accident,

how well the holiday had done us,

and then, I go and have this nasty fall.

She received initial treatment in Greece,

but now needs reconstructive surgery.

Without it, she risks losing some of the use of her left hand.

He tells me I'm not a good patient.

Susan has worked as a midwife for 32 years.

Brian, do you think medical professionals make good patients?

No, they don't.

They don't appreciate the lack of control they suddenly have

over a situation that they'd normally have control over.

Brian's not a trained nurse.

When he's looking after me as well,

I want things done to a certain standard.

And he can't always perform to that standard.

THEY LAUGH

I've been drying her hair this morning, I've not done it right.

I've not done it right at all.

"You're not firm enough, not firm enough."

And then, "You're being too firm now!"

I think I'll be OK as a patient today.

It's later on, when I'm convalescing,

-that I'll be frustrated.

-Tell me about it.

-I'll be there.

Making the lunch. Putting the washing out. Washing the pots.

That sort of thing. But I don't mind, I can do it.

He had to have a little nap yesterday afternoon because

he was so worn out from looking after me, so...

Hiya.

Nurse Guy settles Susan onto bed 52.

Next, she's visited by consultant surgeon Mr Tan.

Hello, hi, Susan.

-My name is Simon Tan.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hello.

-Are you right-handed or left-handed?

-Fortunately, I'm right-handed.

-And when was your fall?

-Friday night.

And so, did you... you went to hospital in Rhodes?

Went to the hospital in Rhodes,

I've got some paperwork of what they did there.

They did an X-ray. I did bring the X-ray into A&E on Sunday.

With the fracture, it's quite comminuted,

so it's in quite a few pieces, and it extends into the joint,

and those pieces aren't sitting

-the way that they're meant to.

-Oh, right.

So, the idea of today is that we want to restore the bone

and the architecture and the joint as accurately as we can,

and the reason that we're doing that is because we know from experience

that if we leave them displaced and as displaced as yours is,

there is a significant risk of loss of function,

-ongoing pain and deterioration in the wrist...

-Right.

-..down the line.

And there is a risk of a degenerative arthritis developing.

Now, once we've put all those pieces of bone back into place,

we've got to make sure that they stay there,

so we achieve that by putting an implant in,

-so it's a titanium implant, a metal plate with some screws.

-Right, yeah.

OK? In terms of what you can expect afterwards,

-it will be pretty sore, actually.

-Will it?

Mmm. So we're going to have to arrange a little cocktail

-of medications for you to go home on.

-Right.

You'll probably be in a plaster just for the first week, ten days.

You're not going to be able to do anything manual, maybe,

-for six weeks?

-Right.

-Eight weeks.

-OK, great. See you shortly.

-Thank you, see you later.

-What time is now?

-11 o'clock. I feel like we've been here hours.

-What time did we get here?

-I assume we got here about 9:20.

-You all ready?

-Yes. Off we go.

-See you.

-See you later, bye-bye.

He's not very romantic, my husband, he never gives me kisses.

Men generally aren't.

Susan's procedure in the day surgery clinic will take up to two hours.

She will also spend up to an hour in the anaesthetic room.

Day surgery bed 52 will wait nearby for the duration of the procedure.

-You will feel some cold gel going on top now.

-OK.

Anaesthetist Dr Cibelli is using a nerve block on Susan's hand.

It's a targeted local anaesthetic

which should numb all feeling in the area.

-Would you mind to do this for me?

-Flex?

-Yes.

-Is it a bit more difficult than normal?

-Yes.

It feels heavy, feels heavy.

OK, good, that's exactly what I want.

It will allow her to be awake throughout the operation,

and will speed up her recovery time.

'Obviously, it's a worrying time.'

But...I do trust everybody.

I'm feeling OK.

My hand's feeling quite comfortable now,

cos the anaesthetist has put all his stuff in.

Susan can't go straight into her surgery,

as the anaesthetic needs time to take effect.

I'm feeling quite relaxed now, listening to this music,

and quite chilled.

The nurse put it on, it's quite nice, whatever she's chosen.

I can wiggle my toes to it.

30 minutes later, anaesthetist Dr Cibelli

checks his block has worked.

-I'm spraying you here.

-That's cold.

-Cold.

-Can you feel it here?

-No.

-Can you feel it here?

-No.

-No.

-So it's an amazing block, isn't it?

-Can't feel it.

-I wish you good luck in theatre, then.

-Thank you.

Starting to feel a bit shaky now,

probably nerves because I'm going into theatre.

Right, just keep your other hand inside the trolley for us,

don't reach out for any of the walls.

Husband Brian will have to wait alone for several hours

until Susan returns from theatre.

At Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary,

the minor injuries unit is open seven days a week

between eight in the morning and nine at night.

Staff have access to up to six beds in this area,

seeing and treating a wide range of patients

with urgent but not emergency conditions.

Bed two has just become free.

Its next patient is 22-year-old Hannah.

She's come in with a painful abscess on her abdomen.

She's worried it may be a sign of a more serious infection.

It really, really, really hurts. So, I can't...

I've had ice on it, and I've had loads of stuff to try and it's like...

alcohol wipes on it and it's just not getting better.

Hannah is taken to minor injuries bed two.

Sit yourself up.

I'm one of the nurse practitioners.

Swing your legs up, make yourself comfortable.

Nurse Practitioner Kendall has worked at the RVI for 16 years.

So tell me what's been happening.

Er, basically, I've got sort of an infected abscess on my side.

-On my right side.

-So has anything come out of it?

Yeah, quite a lot.

Quite a lot of green and black gunk.

This is not Hannah's first abscess.

Yeah.

She's had several over the last three months.

That big, and black, and raised, and full of pus.

'I went into hospital, thinking it was a spider bite,'

and I had to get a big, like,

two-pound-sized wound cut open, and squeezed all the gunk out.

And you can see if my leg's that wide, it's about that big.

I was in hospital for three days and then I came out and it's been

recurring over and over again.

Abscesses can be caused when bacteria gets under the surface of the skin.

Hannah's side is scarred due to previous abscesses.

There's one here and one there.

And they all just come and go, and whether they fill with pus or not

is dependent on how quickly I can get some strong antibiotics into me.

-I went in with it and they gave me some Flucloxacillin.

-Mm-hm.

The more antibiotics are taken, the less effective they can be.

Infections can become immune to antibiotics.

"If you give me Flucloxacillin it's not going to work.

-"I feel like I've done that and it won't work." So she gave me Co-amoxiclav.

-Right.

Hannah wants to make sure that she doesn't get any more painful abscesses.

I think as you build up maybe a tolerance to antibiotics, it's

just not working any more so I need to have something stronger to

sort of combat it.

I'm just really unsure about what it could be and nobody knows.

Have you ever got to the bottom of this?

-Have you seen your GP and have they done any bloods to see why?

-No.

-Anything?

That's what I'm hoping to get from today or just get a referral

-somewhere because it's just happening all the time.

-Yeah.

Like one in five people in the UK, Hannah

has searched online to try and self-diagnose.

Looking for symptoms on the internet is basically one of

the things that makes you a bit more paranoid about what you've got.

There's so many different things that can cause an abscess or

can cause a little spot to fill with gunk or pus or something

like that, but once someone's put something in your head,

you can't shake the feeling of it, and then it makes you a bit more scared.

But it hasn't got better.

Hannah is worried about what some of her friends have suggested.

I spoke to one of the girls that I work with who had seen MRSA

when she was in Thailand in a hospital.

And she said it looked very similar to that.

The worst thing they could tell me was that I had a Staphylococcus aureus infection

that had no cure or was a bit like I was going to have it for ever.

Hannah must stay with minor injuries bed two until Nurse Practitioner

Kendall takes a swab for analysis.

In Birmingham at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Susan

has left day surgery bed 52 for the operating table.

She's having a plate and screws inserted to bind together

bones that have shattered in her hand.

Her husband of 34 years, Brian, must wait outside theatre.

She's always treated illness as an imposition, a nuisance,

and gets very annoyed with being ill.

I'll be criticised and she'll lose her temper with me a few times,

but it isn't losing it with me.

It's losing it with the situation. She won't listen to me.

Even though I've got five or six weeks of this.

HE CHUCKLES

So... Yeah.

I'll just have to take it day by day.

Operation over,

and Susan will soon be reunited with day surgery bed 52.

I'm relieved it's over, but...

I was comfortable during the procedure.

I know I was in good hands.

Susan's operation has been carried out with a local anaesthetic,

so she doesn't need to spend long in recovery.

Thanks a lot. Bye-bye.

It's a nice, smooth drive.

-Are you all right?

-Yeah.

-And there we are.

-Thank you.

-All the best, now.

-Thanks a lot.

-You take care.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, fine, yeah.

I've just had some morphine, but it's not kicked in yet.

-My arm's throbbing.

-Throbbing?

-Mm.

What happened? Was it painful?

-I think the operation was longer than they thought.

-A lot longer.

More complicated than they thought, yeah.

Cos he said to me an hour and a half to two.

You were gone three-and-a-half hours.

-There was two surgeons.

-Two?

-Two, yeah.

-Oh, my word.

It was quite complicated.

'She's worried now that she's going to constantly be in pain

'for the rest of her life.'

She's worried, short-term, that the pain's going to be severe

and that she's going to get sleepless nights.

She'll be worried about her job,

that she may not be able to go and do it like she used to be able to.

That will concern her,

that life may not be quite the same as it was.

Nurse Fulford checks Susan's pain levels.

How are you feeling? Still pain?

Um... It's still pain, but, you know, it's...controllable.

More women are admitted to hospital every year than men.

-Shall we sit you up a little bit more?

-Yeah.

Your foot's hanging out the bed.

You look like you've got a crick in the neck.

Push all the way back.

That's it. And do you want a tea or a coffee?

I wouldn't mind a tea now, please. That would be great. Thank you.

Susan's husband will need to care for her for the next six weeks.

Yes, Brian's been very supportive while I've sustained this injury.

It's been very challenging for him.

He's been helping me do the little things, like...

doing my bra up!

Little things, yeah. Challenging things, yeah.

Sometimes...

he needs asking, because sometimes...

I don't think men always anticipate your needs,

so I have to ask him,

but when I ask him, he always does it,

so I can't complain.

-Are you all right?

-Mm, aye.

-Good. Is it hurting still?

-Don't talk about it till I talk about it, because...

-OK.

..I'm trying to distract myself from it.

-I don't want to focus on it, if you know what I mean.

-Yeah.

I'm trying to disassociate myself with it, if you know what I mean.

It's a good job...

In the afternoon, you'd have been in overnight, possibly.

That might have been a good thing,

with the level of pain I'm going to be in.

-Yeah. You just don't know, do you?

-No.

If you see the nurse, just say to her,

"When do you want to get rid of us?"

-Yeah, OK.

-I'm just going to scan your wristband, if that's OK.

Yeah, sure.

-We've got some magic drugs!

-Then we'll get you up and running.

I'm not usually a drug person, but I'll make an exception today.

-Yeah, I would.

-They're a nice bright yellow as well.

-Oh, are they?

-Oh, lovely.

-They turn your insides green.

-OK.

-Two yellow ones.

-Lovely.

Thank you very much.

You happy swallowing that?

-So, that's the slow-release morphine I've just had, yeah?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-And with the Oramorph that you get from pharmacy later...

-Mm-hm.

-..that should help keep your pain at bay.

-Yeah.

When do you want to get rid of us?

-In the next 10, 15.

-10, 15 minutes?

Seven hours after Susan settled onto day surgery bed 52,

it's time to leave.

Keep the dressing clean and dry, so if you're going to have a shower,

put a carrier bag on it, keep it waterproof.

Keep the sling on now.

When you go to bed, take it from around your neck,

but keep the sling actually on

and keep it elevated, if you've got some pillows.

Yeah, that's what I've been doing, is doing it with pillows at night.

-Not using his back.

-No.

He doesn't like it when I'm on my back, because I snore.

He likes me on my side.

-I can't sleep on my side, so it's challenging.

-Yeah.

Just going to have to live with it.

-You'll have to put up with the snoring, won't you?

-I will, I know.

Decided.

-OK.

-Thanks, Jenny. I appreciate that.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

-Do you want your coat?

-Yeah.

-No, I'll just hold it.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-All right, thank you.

-Thank you. Take care.

-Bye-bye now.

-Bye-bye.

-All right, then?

-Yes, thank you.

-You take care. Look after her, all right?

-I will. I'll try my best.

Day surgery bed 52 is cleaned down, ready for its next patient tomorrow.

The Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle

is one of the largest paediatric units in the UK.

It has its very own A&E, which is open all hours, seven days a week.

I haven't got any medical beds.

I need to find a bed on long stay for that patient.

There are nine beds on the unit,

which care for young patients who need immediate medical attention.

We struggle, quite regularly, with the amount of beds we've got.

It can be quite tricky to judge who needs a bed,

who can come out of rooms.

Paediatric bed 27 is ready to receive its next patient.

It's half past three in the afternoon.

13-year-old Harvey is brought to bed 27 by Nurse Mills.

He's in so much pain, he can't stand up.

Shimmy your bum right up here.

-Do you want me to lift your other leg?

-Do you want me to?

There you go.

Harvey's mum Joanne drove him to hospital

after he injured himself playing badminton.

-Have you done this to get out of school?

-No.

-You had a 2:15 finish as well.

-Oh, did you?

-Have you had any pain relief at all, Harvey?

-Um, no.

-Would you like some?

-Please.

Harvey is hypermobile or double-jointed.

It's a hereditary condition that means his joints can move

beyond the normal range expected.

Me, my mum, my sister are all double-jointed.

My mum's knee locked when she was little

and she had to have an operation

and my sister's knee locked not long ago.

Mine used to lock bent, couldn't straighten it.

I used to sit funny, like a W, like I tell you not to. Mm-hm.

And my leg locked behind me at a friend's house

and had to be pulled out and clicked back into place.

Nurse practitioners in this department work alongside doctors

assessing patients.

Nurse Practitioner Ainsley is looking after Harvey.

-Hello! Have we got Harvey?

-Yeah.

-Hello, hello, hello.

Do you want to tell me what's been happening today?

-I was playing badminton at school.

-OK.

And jumped up to hit it and then, like, landed funny on my leg.

Did you go over and end up on the ground, or...?

-I landed and my foot went like that.

-OK, so you kind of twisted a bit.

-And did it feel like your knee locked?

-It did, like, afterwards.

OK. Has this ever happened to you before?

Like, not as bad as this.

-He's got hypermobile joints.

-Right, OK.

So he's quite often with his shoulders doing this,

or like... like that, to click them out.

-I haven't seen it do this before.

-OK.

But I've had it where it's like it's going to go and he's kicked it out.

OK, fine. Let's have a wee look at your knees and things first.

Hypermobility can cause clicking, severe pain,

and recurrent injuries in joints.

It affects one in five people in the UK.

-You've not been able to bend it at all?

-No.

-How have you been getting around since it happened?

-Wheelchair.

Wheelchair from school to car and car to here.

How's it feel underneath?

-Really sore.

-Really sore. On the outside there OK?

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, I...

-Just underneath, OK.

-Here.

-Where I'm touching there, OK.

-And across your knee.

-Mm-hm.

-Sorry, sweetheart.

-Can you lift it straight up?

-It hurts.

-Can you do that, yeah?

-Can you keep it there at all?

-No.

-No?

Sorry, sweetheart, I'm guessing this is really sore.

Is that sore as well?

It's difficult, it does look and feel just that little bit swollen

around this bottom end here.

-We'll get some X-rays taken, OK?

-Right.

Then we'll have a look at your pictures when you come back

and then we'll go from there.

We'll get a porter to take him round on the trolley, OK?

-That's brilliant.

-Won't be too long.

-Thank you.

I'd prefer for this bed than the one at home

because I've got to climb up ladders.

I don't know how I'm going to climb. Probably lie on the sofa bed.

-You can have the dog's bed tonight.

-I can't fit in it anyway.

All right?

Hospital porter Neve arrives to take Harvey to X-ray

on paediatric bed 27.

Stick them on, there we go.

'It's really important to ensure that we rule out fractures,'

dislocations, and sometimes infections in joints.

The importance of that is quite detrimental to the child

if we don't follow up these injuries and ensure that the right

specialities are getting involved from the onset.

Biggest worry would be crutches and not be able to go back to school.

Bed 27 will stay with Harvey until he finds out

just how serious his injury is.

In the minor injuries unit of the Royal Victoria Infirmary,

bed two is occupied by 22-year-old Hannah.

She's come in with a painful abscess on her side.

-So has anything come out of it?

-Yeah, quite a lot.

Quite a lot of green and black gunk.

She's worried it might be a sign of a more serious infection.

Let me have a little look at your tummy, then.

Come and lie yourself up.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Are you sure?

-Just lie back. If you don't mind.

An abscess is a small collection of pus under the skin surface

that then grows.

Sometimes it can just be on the surface,

sometimes it can be deeper under the skin.

Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. Just pull that down...

'Sometimes we don't do anything for them.

'They have to be, for us to do anything,

'they have to be a certain size, diameter, firmness.'

-That's firm, isn't it?

-Yeah. Ahhhh!

-Sorry.

-It's OK.

-Ahhh, it's like the worst pain ever.

-I know, I know, I know.

-Just let me have a quick feel. Everywhere else OK?

-Pretty much.

I think you're a candidate, because it's firm.

-HANNAH GROANS

-OK?

We'll maybe refer you on to the surgeons. OK?

Hannah is concerned it might be the superbug MRSA.

-Once someone's told you about it...

-I know.

-..I couldn't get it out my head.

-I know.

I was like, "Oh, God, I hope it's not that."

-But it might be!

-Oh, absolutely, you're right to think that, yeah.

I was like, "I don't want to go into hospital,

-"cos I don't want to... I don't want to, like, infect everyone."

-Yeah.

-I don't want to be patient zero!

-Yeah!

I think she was concerned that it could be MRSA positive,

because she'd been talking to some friends.

I don't know without swabbing it and sending it off.

Nurse Practitioner Kendall takes a swab of the abscess

to send for tests.

-..I bet you can.

-I'm not...

-Just give it a little squeeze.

-Ngh!

-Well done, well done.

It's gross, that, isn't it?

-Like, it's the least...

-It's fine.

We're all right with things like that.

Hannah will see a surgeon in the day clinic tomorrow.

So, you can just leave that dressing on -

you don't need to worry about it.

Don't get it wet, it's not waterproof.

Carry on with the antibiotics, carry on with your painkillers.

-OK.

-Yeah? But hopefully it's going to be fine,

it might just be that it needs an incision and drainage,

-and that's what they'll do if they need to tomorrow.

-Yeah.

-Thank you, bye.

-Take care, bye-bye.

Basically, I've got to have minor abscess surgery tomorrow

at half past seven in the morning,

which basically just means they're going to cut me open and drain me.

That's the best sort of possible outcome, really.

Hannah's boyfriend Joe has come to collect her.

Have I been worried about it? Yeah.

You have been really worried.

Yeah, it's been rubbish. You've had a...

-You've had a bad time of it, haven't you?

-Mm.

It's... It's just cos we live on our own now,

we're, like, fully fledged adults,

and my mam lives really far away, so Joe is like my guardian now!

Joe looks after me.

Don't you? She said, "Don't touch it any more," so...

-Can I not squeeze it any more?

-No!

-That's the best bit.

-It really, really hurts.

Like, loads.

I can't even sleep on it,

but tomorrow I'm going to have a big...

The doctor's going to cut it open and squeeze it out.

Doctors will also examine the results of blood tests

to make sure Hannah doesn't have a problem with her immune system.

Minor injuries bed two will be cleaned thoroughly

before meeting its next patient.

It's 4:15 at Newcastle's Great North Children's Hospital.

Paediatric bed 27 and porter Neve

are taking 13-year-old Harvey for an X-ray.

What you done?

I've locked my knee playing badminton.

-Have you?

-Yeah.

It's just something stupid.

You need to pick a more exciting sport, Harvey.

I thought you would say something like rugby or something.

I would rather play any of them than badminton.

During Harvey's PE lesson at school, he dislocated his knee.

He's hypermobile, or double-jointed,

but now can't bend his leg.

-Thanks.

-Thanks.

Do I need my socks off?

Yeah.

What about that one?

Well, no, because they like to compare, don't they?

They'll want to look at if your feet are different,

and if your...very hairy ankles are different!

Hi, Harvey, how are you? My name's Tom.

Hypermobility is something that runs in his family.

His mum Joanne and sister also have the condition.

So, which leg is it we're looking at?

-Er, this one.

-OK.

X-rays will reveal if anything's broken.

Nice and still.

-You're going to go back round to see the doctor now...

-OK.

..and they'll look at the images and decide what to do next.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-Probably just cut it off from about there.

-Hopefully not!

-SHE LAUGHS

Nurse Practitioner Ainsley has brought in A&E consultant

Mr Jarman for advice.

So, we've got Harvey in room six at the moment,

who jumped up and landed quite awkwardly on his left knee.

What we saw is a lovely X-ray of a normal knee,

so we know there's no bone injury,

there seems to be no evidence of bones being in the wrong place,

such as the dislocation of a kneecap.

Although patients often refer to their knee as locked

for a variety of reasons,

a true medical locked knee is often a situation

where patients are unable to fully straighten their knee.

-Let's go and try it.

-Let's try it.

If not, we can always amputate.

-Hello!

-Hello.

Is this young Harvey?

-It is, yeah.

-How are you?

-Good.

-Fantastic.

-I'm Dr Bob, and you must be...?

-Mum.

Mum, fantastic. So, you're wanting an amputation, is that right?

Not yet, not yet. Not for a good few years.

So, which is your dodgy knee?

-This one.

-Oh, they're both dodgy.

Is that the dodgy one?

-That's the one that's been causing trouble today.

-Yeah.

Yeah. OK, we've just had a look at the X-rays. The X-rays look good.

There's no breaks to the bone,

there's nothing looks like it's out of place.

How bad is the pain, out of ten?

About seven.

Harvey hasn't broken any bones,

but Mr Jarman is concerned about the lack of mobility.

Hold on to this bit and let go of this bit.

Harvey is given gas and air to ease the pain.

What we're going to do is have a wee look

and see if it's just stiffened up,

and whether or not it's something

that we can get going with a bit of gentle movement.

Right.

Wow, well done - that's brilliant.

OK, much better.

Wahey, fantastic!

So, got nothing falling off so far.

-You're doing really well.

-You're doing really well.

Fab. We've got some movement, which is fantastic.

You might actually find it just sort of...

you know, as soon as he gets some movement back in it,

-it disappears.

-Mm-hm.

He'll be frightened to move it, so that doesn't help,

-if you're a bit worried, as well.

-OK.

So, Harvey, our 13-year-old,

he was able to get some free movement of that knee,

which was really good.

His X-ray was just showing soft-tissue injury,

nothing obvious broken or dislocated at the time.

He's going to get some follow-up in a week's time

with one of our A&E consultants to ensure that, you know,

he's still got no further problems with that knee.

After just two hours with paediatric bed 27,

Harvey is able to leave A&E with mum Joanne.

Are you OK?

Bed 27 awaits its next patient.

Our hospital beds have given us intimate access

to the work of the NHS.

Susan's still off work and having regular physio.

She looks set to make a full recovery.

Harvey was back in hospital three days later with the same problem.

He's been referred to a physiotherapist

to strengthen his knee.

Hannah's surgery went well.

The hospital diagnosed a staphylococcal infection.

Her boyfriend Joe caught it, too,

but, following treatment, they're hoping they're over the worst.

And, after two weeks, Astrid's eye returned to normal.

She's looking forward to travelling abroad again soon.

The beds are now back on their wards,

ready and waiting for their next round of patients.