Episode 7 Secret Life of the Hospital Bed

-Hand versus chainsaw.

-It looks painful.

Our hospitals are taking care of more patients than ever.

You all right?

With medical teams under constant pressure...

Can Dr Pizzi come to resus, please?

Somebody as poorly as this little one,

we 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.

In our lifetime, we are likely to need one of them

at least three times.

I've probably spent a quarter of my 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 be anywhere else.

Hospital cannot function without beds.

Beds are vital.

This is...

Across the UK,

an increasing number of women are having children later in life.

And at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex,

more than 50% of first-time mums are over 30.

Do you know where the maternity triage...?

Yes, yes. She needs to come to the checkup, all right?

OK, bye.

The hospital's maternity unit has 25 beds which never rest.

Each one helps deliver around two babies every day.

Hello, little lady.

Maternity bed six is joined by first-time mum-to-be-Shola,

who is 49.

She's having triplets.

When people see you're 49, you're pregnant, they say, "Wow!"

Carrying triplets? "Wow!

"How are you coping? How are you doing?"

I just cope, carry very well.

I say, "I'm young, it's just all in the mind, isn't it?"

Do you need some water or something?

Shola and her husband Ike have been trying for a baby for 20 years.

This is like a 19-20 years journey for us,

we've been trying to have children.

The couple are devout Christians.

Their church pastor predicted they would have triplets.

"By this time next year, you will come,

"you will carry one child, your husband will carry another one

"and the grandmother will carry another one,"

so when he said that, that's when I realised that God had a plan.

Shola's pregnancy is high-risk because she is carrying three babies

and she's almost 50.

Midwife Alexander is on duty today.

Hello.

Shola has been admitted to the prenatal ward for monitoring.

One of the babies is seriously underweight.

Midwife Alexander has to check every six hours

that all the babies' hearts are still beating.

We're doing a cardiotocogram.

Three babies' heartbeats can be hard to find.

Right, so that's the first baby.

This is the first triplet.

It's a good baby!

So, we actually need half an hour for this.

-I'm not going to move.

-I'm not going to move!

I'm going to lie down here.

The most important thing is that they all have

a different heart rate, so we know they are all different individuals.

The baby we are most worried about, he's smaller than the other two.

They will all need support, all three of them, yeah.

They're only 32 weeks, that's why it's so difficult.

The babies, they're still very little.

Let me see if I can find this one back first.

I'm trying to look for the second baby.

She's struggling to find the smallest baby's heartbeat.

I haven't got all three of them yet.

I'm just going to feel her tummy and see if I can feel their backs.

If we're struggling too much,

you will have to have another scan done.

Let me see if I can feel this one.

There we go. At last!

So, we've got 139, 140, and 136.

The heart rates are normal.

With one baby seriously underweight,

Shola's triplets will be delivered more than a month early

by Caesarean section.

I'm looking forward to going home with my babies, so, yeah,

that's the most important thing now.

Today will be the last day of being two.

From tomorrow, we are now five.

Is that not amazing?

Maternity bed six will stay with Shola until her babies

are born in less than 24 hours.

Even if it's an elective Caesarean section,

there is always risk with surgery, so, yes,

it's always a risk when it comes to Caesarean sections.

Last year, 25,000 people were killed or seriously injured

on Britain's roads.

At Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary,

more than 1% of people who come to the A&E department

have been in a car accident.

I've got you booked in, Margaret. We'll get you seen to, pet.

Just have a seat.

The unit's 29 beds are the ones most under pressure in the hospital.

The teams here aim to diagnose,

treat and discharge patients within just four hours.

A&E bed nine is waiting for its next patient, 35-year-old actor Stuart.

He's been involved in a high-speed car crash.

With no passenger air bag,

Stuart smashed his chest, wrist and finger.

Unfortunately, we've been involved in a massive car crash

and paramedics have said, "Go and get checked out at A&E."

Stuart's friend Tom was driving, but he is uninjured.

I'm quite concerned about the state of my right lung,

if I'm being honest,

because breathing in, there's kind of a stabbing pain, so that's...

And then getting home, I suppose,

because the thing that was going to get us home

is the thing that we broke when we crashed it, so...

The van... The van is a write-off.

Stuart is taken to A&E bed nine.

Hello. Is it Mr Kerry?

-It is indeed.

-Hi, I'm Ben, I'm one of the doctors.

Dr Earle-Wright will assess what injuries

the high-speed collision may have caused Stuart.

I understand you had a bit of an accident.

Did the airbags go off?

The one for the driver, my friend Tom, did,

but I didn't have one, I'm afraid.

You didn't have one. Right, OK.

And what did the car look like? Was it pretty mashed?

-Yeah. Yeah, concertinaed.

-Right, OK.

Do you want to sit yourself back?

Yeah, yeah.

-OK. Can you take the T-shirt off for me?

-Yes, of course.

OK. Yeah, you've got a decent...

-Yeah.

-..a decent mark.

When I press on your chest over this side, is it sore at all?

Not really, no. Once you get to the middle.

-No shortness of breath?

-No, no.

If you take a really deep breath in, does it hurt anywhere?

It's a little bit, kind of...

Pokey is the way I'd feel it.

I'd probably say 2/10 on the pain scale.

-And what about pain around here?

-No.

-Just going to have a quick feel of this, OK?

-Yeah.

-Is it quite sore there?

-That's tender, yeah.

What about under, under here on your ribs?

-Not so bad, actually.

-Not so bad?

-No, not so bad at all.

-Ooh!

-Just there as well.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Can you sit forward for us?

Oh, that's quite painful!

Quick listen to your chest.

Deep breaths in and out.

And out.

An X-ray will show if Stuart has any internal damage.

Around 60% of people who are involved in car crashes

have broken ribs.

These fractures can cause serious organ damage.

I'll give my missus a ring because she's very worried

and wants to be kept updated.

-I'll be right back.

-OK, thank you.

-All right?

Hello, darling. They're just going to take me to get a chest X-ray

and to X-ray my finger.

So it's all good.

So do I.

I want to come home.

Yes, bye. Bye-bye. Bye.

Friend Tom comes to see how Stuart is getting on.

Still alive?

Yeah, I'm still alive. They'll take me to get some X-rays

and then once he's looked at the X-rays,

hopefully I'll be off and then we can go.

That's awesome.

A&E bed nine is on the move to the X-ray department.

Stuart's X-ray will determine whether he has

broken ribs or a damaged lung.

Next door, the Great North Children's Hospital

has its own paediatric A&E department.

Every week, more than 200 children arrive here

with a suspected broken bone.

That's not a complete fracture.

The nine beds on this unit are never off duty,

dealing with the youngest and often most scared patients.

-I don't want that!

-Oh, no, it's OK!

Don't cry, it's OK!

Paediatric A&E bed 27 is getting ready to meet seven-year-old Oliver.

He's got a suspected fractured ankle.

Come on, hop on here for me, darling.

Nurse Carmichael examines Oliver.

I was on my bike and went down the hill and I was riding it standing up

and there was a big bump.

My handlebars turned and my head smashed off the ground.

Your head smashed off the ground?

Yeah, but it's just...

Oliver has been brought into A&E by his mum, Dawn, and sister, Stacy.

All right, there's nothing. Got a little bit of a bump?

-It's OK.

-Is it sore?

No?

He's always falling off this bike.

Always. And hurting himself.

He's got quite a few scars off this bike.

He's a good child. He can be very tricky.

But he is a good child.

Is it sore right now or is it just sore when you walk?

-Walk.

-So, on a scale of one to ten,

so if you can imagine number ten is the worst pain ever in the world,

OK, and zero is no pain at all,

what number do you think you are at now?

-Seven.

-Seven? Are you sure?

I've never seen someone with a seven smile like that!

On duty today is Nurse Practitioner Rutherford.

Hiya, is this Oliver?

-Yeah, it is.

-Hiya.

I'm Elaine. Can I have a little feel?

-Where is it most sore? You tell me where it hurts most.

-There.

It hurts there. OK. What about over here?

-Yeah.

-Is it sore? All right.

I've examined him and he is a little bit sore over his ankle and it is

quite swollen, so based on that, I'm going to send him for an X-ray,

just to make sure that there's no fracture or anything there.

I'll spin you round and we'll get you down for an X-ray.

Is that all right?

Yeah? OK.

Oliver may have broken his ankle.

Paediatric bed 27 takes Oliver to X-ray.

The bed can actually go into the X-ray department.

The plate just needs to be slipped underneath whatever part

needs to be X-rayed and it saves having to move the patient

off the trolley and then onto another trolley

once they are down in the X-ray department.

Just take him through and I'll get the paperwork booked straight in.

-Thank you.

-All right?

I don't want to go for...

It's just getting a picture, sweetheart, it's all right.

I don't want it to be broken.

Well, it might not be.

There we go.

At least two-thirds of boys will break a bone in their body

before they leave school.

All finished.

-Well done.

-Well done.

Oliver and bed 27 are wheeled back to the paediatrics ward

to wait for the results.

So, what do you think they're going to do to your foot?

-Put a cast on.

-How are you going to get to school?

Crutches.

If you can't use crutches, it'll have to be a chair.

Aw!

-Do you prefer the bed?

-Yeah.

You'd want to be wheeled to school on a bed?

Oliver will still be going to school.

Cast or no cast, he's still going.

Nurse Practitioner Rutherford is back with news from the X-ray.

I had a look at your X-ray.

I can't see any obvious fracture or anything on it.

I think it's probably just bruised

and obviously a bit swollen and things,

so I think that is probably what's hurting him.

The fact that he's got these abrasions as well,

I think they're going to be causing him some pain.

The plan is that we will just clean him up and we'll send him home

with some advice to rest it over the next sort of 24, 48 hours.

I'm just going to try and get him up,

try and make sure that he will put some weight through his leg

and then, all being well, we'll be able to send him home.

Nurse Carmichael checks Oliver's pain level again.

So, do you remember before, when you said you were a seven?

The best seven I've ever seen!

-What are you now, darling?

-Zero.

You're a zero, yeah!

See, I told you you'd go home with a lesser number!

With his pain level down...

-I think I can walk on it.

-Oh, that's good.

..Oliver is discharged.

Good lad. Well done, sweetheart, you were very brave.

Thank you very much.

Paediatric bed 27 is free for its next patient.

Thank you.

Around the corner, in the adult A&E department,

bed nine is still with 35-year-old actor Stuart.

Just lean forward, I'm going to put this hard board in behind your back.

OK.

He may have multiple fractures after a high-speed car crash.

Take a breath in there.

Hold it in. And breathe away.

Stuart and bed nine head back to the examination room

to await the results of his X-rays.

They're going to come in any minute and say,

"Stop being a wimp, nothing is broken,"

and then we can go home, which will be nice.

Stuart has been in A&E bed nine for an hour and a half.

Dr Earle-Wright has his X-ray results.

-How are we doing?

-Good.

Your X-ray is absolutely fine, OK? You've not broken anything.

-Fantastic, hooray!

-That's just a decent bruise,

-you don't have any rib fractures underneath it.

-Excellent.

It will, over the next three, four days, it will be sore.

-Right, yeah, yeah.

-Your finger is fine, there's no break.

-Oh, brilliant.

-It didn't break and your wrist is also fine.

-Invincible!

-Yes, absolutely!

-Do you have any questions?

-No, thank you.

Thank you very much for sorting me out so quickly.

-Not a problem at all.

-You are legends.

But with their van written off, friend Tom does have one question.

How do we get down south?

We'll figure that out.

All right.

-Right, have a safe journey.

-Ha-ha-ha!

-All right, guys, see you, cheers.

-Thank you.

Less than two hours after arriving in A&E, Stuart is discharged.

Farewell, bed, you served me well.

A&E bed nine is prepared for its next emergency.

At Queen's Hospital, Romford,

maternity bed six is with 49-year-old Shola.

Today she is having triplets by Caesarean section.

-Morning.

-It's a very risky and complicated birth.

Shola's husband Ike will be with her in theatre.

-I'd like to take you down to the labour ward, please.

-Yay!

Do I go with all my notes?

-Everything.

-I'm ready.

I'll just get the midwife to come and get you.

OK. Am I walking down?

Less than 200 women in the UK gave birth to triplets last year.

-Pleasure to meet you both. You're in good hands.

-Thank you.

Thank you, thank you very much.

The mortality rate for triplets is ten times higher

than for single births.

Midwife Pattinson will be one of more than a dozen medical staff

helping to deliver Shola's three babies.

We will have three midwives

so that there's a midwife to take each baby.

We have three of the resuscitaires,

so the equipment to resuscitate the babies, if we need.

We will also have three paediatricians present,

one for each baby, and then on top of that,

we will have the normal theatre team as well.

After trying to have children for 20 years,

Shola is now carrying two sons and a daughter.

Have you got hats for baby, your hats?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Consultant gynaecologist Mr Opemuyi

is in charge of Shola's Caesarean.

The average pregnancy lasts around 40 weeks,

but triplets are often born prematurely.

I've had to adjust the timing of the delivery

and she is only about 33 weeks today,

and what is important is the safety of the babies.

It's 8.49am and time to go into theatre.

Maternity bed six will have to stay on the ward.

OK? All right?

Would I be allowed to take pictures in there?

Yes, of course, yes.

We have a waiting game.

The prayer warriors!

Hello, morning.

So, just before you step up, my name is Susan,

-part of the anaesthetic team here.

-OK.

So, if I can just get your gown undone here.

So, what you are going to do is step up onto this stool,

turn around and face the wall there.

Excited and elated.

Yeah.

Shola's friends, Olushola and Stella,

are waiting in her room with maternity bed six.

I'm so happy for Shola that she has got this, God has been good to her.

Yeah.

To know that she is going to be a mother of triplets today,

it's amazing.

She has waited a long time.

-Sir, you are about to have three babies, come on!

-All right.

Yeah, come on, then.

-She's doing very well, all right?

-Oh, thank you.

-She's fine.

-All right.

-Follow me.

Shola's two friends know the risks involved with multiple births,

but the hope is that within the hour,

Shola will have three healthy babies.

Next door, at the Great North Children's Hospital,

head injuries are the fifth most common reason

children are brought to the A&E department.

Hello, Paed A&E.

Bed 27 is prepped for nine-year-old Bobby.

I won't be long, I've just got a kid in X-ray that I need to review

and then I'll be ready.

He's cut his head open.

His parents, Kerry and Stephen,

are concerned he may have concussion.

My son was out walking his dogs

and he fell and bumped his head and it split the skin.

I sort of tried, um...

..down the stream for my dog, I went to get it

and I slipped and bashed my head off the rock.

It just stings a bit.

Yeah, my forehead.

He stood up and he had blood running down his forehead.

Nurse Practitioner Raine is the nurse in charge

of the emergency team today.

All parents are upset, naturally,

when they see their child has been hurt or they are unwell.

Especially coming to an environment like this.

Bobby, if you can have a seat on that bed for me...

Bobby is examined by Nurse Park.

-Are you allergic to anything?

-No.

-Not that you know of?

-Just baths!

-LAUGHTER

-And has he had any paracetamol or ibuprofen today?

-No.

-No.

Right, I'm just going to do the obs on you.

Pop this little plaster on your finger.

-How do you feel?

-Em, OK - my cut stings a bit.

It hurts, but you don't feel dizzy or anything?

No?

In the UK, nearly 750,000 children under the age of 15

come to A&E with a head injury.

I think any head injury, you've just got to make sure

that there is nothing going on underneath,

like a serious bleed.

We need to assess that they're fully awake,

that they haven't lost any consciousness,

they haven't vomited, and then just have a little look

at his eyes and his ears, up his nose.

You are a brave soldier, aren't you, son?

Right, can you squeeze my hands nice and tight?

And this... Oh, you'll end up breaking them!

Squeeze them nice and tight.

Right, perfect. They're all absolutely fine.

I think he's just got a big laceration to his head,

his obs are fine.

Does the cut...? It will just heal by itself?

-Does it need, like...?

-No, it'll probably need a glue.

Looking at it, it might come together with glue.

We'll see how it goes.

-Thank you so much, thank you.

-Thanks very much.

Bye. Yay!

If you're going to be made up with glue,

you'll be like a model, won't you, son?

The wound on his head is about two centimetres long,

slightly gaping, so my plan is to give them a little clean

and then pop some glue on there

just to hold it, so that it can heal.

Big day off school tomorrow.

I had a big cut there on my head.

You can see it if you look. Look at Dad's cut.

Now I'm going to look like a mixture between both of you.

I've got my ma's red hair, I've got your looks.

-KERRY LAUGHS

-At least you're good-looking, then, son.

You've got his scar and my red hair!

Do you forgive Mum for landing on you like a fat lump?

Yeah.

So, having stitches would be a lot more painful for Bobby.

Hello, have we got Bobby?

-Yes.

-It would involve some local anaesthetic on the area,

which is usually a needle and then using, you know,

needle and thread to sew it back together.

Will it sting?

It might just feel a bit cold. It's just sterile water.

He's brave, aren't you, son?

Just trying to get these little bits lovely and clean, there.

So, you will have a little scar here,

but you won't know it's there unless one day

you get your hair shaved off.

What type of glue is it?

So, it's just tissue glue, so they used to...

Even like back in World War I and II they used it,

but we've developed it a bit more than superglue and things now.

-Are you ready?

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah?

-Clever lad.

-It may just feel a little bit warm now.

It doesn't feel that warm.

Stay here for a few seconds, maybe count to ten, shall we?

One, two, three...

That looks like it's together lovely.

Just keep it dry, no swimming,

no hair washes for about...five to seven days.

Is that all right?

-Thank you so much for your help.

-What a super boy!

How are you feeling now, son? Let's look at the glue.

Oh, wow!

-Maybe don't touch it.

-It looks brill, doesn't it?

That looks brilliant, son.

Less than two hours after being admitted, Bobby can go home.

Come on, then, let's go.

But for paediatric bed 27, the next patient could be here soon.

At Queen's Hospital in Romford,

maternity bed six is empty and will be for a while.

Keep coming back until I ask you to stop.

Keep coming back. Well done. That's perfect.

49-year-old Shola is having triplets by Caesarean section.

Gosh, you're brave! Three of them!

-I know.

-Oh, dear, you're brave.

-Buy one, get two free.

-Oh, lovely - Tesco's don't do that!

Shola is one of the many mums giving birth later in life.

In the last decade,

the number of women having babies over the age of 45 has trebled.

Husband Ike will be by her side throughout.

-Are you all right?

-I'm all right.

-You're all right. Good.

There will be three midwives in theatre today, one for each baby.

Midwife Pattinson is one of them.

Multiple pregnancy is high-risk.

No matter how many babies, it's high-risk in itself

and the triplets will be delivered at 33 weeks,

so obviously that is quite a bit

before they're classified as term babies,

so that makes them then high-risk,

and they are smaller anyway because there are three of them

trying to fit into the same space as one baby would

in a single pregnancy.

Today's procedure also carries danger for Shola.

She has a greater risk of haemorrhaging during the delivery.

At the side of maternity bed six, Shola's friends,

Olushola and Stella, are waiting for news.

They're up and running, Shola - just wait and see who comes first.

At just 33 weeks, the triplets are being delivered prematurely.

There are concerns one of the babies is very small.

Shola's friends are still by the side of maternity bed six.

Jesus, we thank you.

Shola has been in theatre for 25 minutes.

BABY CRIES

The couple have waited nearly two decades for this moment.

The first baby is born.

It's a boy.

Then, one minute later...

BABY CRIES

There we go, number two. There we go.

Crying, that's a good sign.

Another boy - he is only 2 lbs 4oz.

Crying, so that is a good sign.

We just wait for number three now.

This baby needs extra medical help and is placed in an incubator.

Finally, after just five more minutes,

baby three, a girl, is born.

-BABY CRIES

-This one has to be a girl now.

Congratulations! Three babies!

Sorry, boys.

All the babies have been delivered safely.

On the ward, with maternity bed six,

are Shola's friends, Olushola and Stella.

# Perfect God You are excellent, God

# Perfect God You are excellent, God

# Perfect God You are excellent, God... #

Good to get that done now, babies out, it's a relief,

isn't it, that they're out?

-They were all crying well, weren't they?

-Yes.

Good, lovely.

BEEPING

Go with him, Molly, go with him.

-Yeah, and then...

-This the girl?

-The girl!

This is the little girl, yeah.

To see them...very cute.

Lovely babies.

Wow, I'm so happy, I'm so happy!

Thank you so much. Thank God for you, thank God for you.

Right from the beginning to the end.

-Yes.

-Thankful for the successful completion of the journey.

-We are very grateful, thank you so much.

-Thank you.

# Perfect God You are wonderful, God

# You are perfect, God... #

As the triplets are premature,

they'll be taken straight to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Shola and Ike will visit them later.

At Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary,

the A&E's minor injuries unit often sees sports injuries.

That patient is just about to go round

and this gentleman is not well enough to move at the minute.

Do see quite a few sports-related injuries,

usually when the unis are having their sport afternoons

when the football's on or the rugby's on.

Nurse practitioner Scorgie is in charge of the unit today.

Minor injuries is a nurse-led unit

that's co-located with the emergency department

and we are open seven days a week and our patients are deemed minor.

Minor injuries bed 12 is used to seeing patients

with anything from sprains to bruises and broken bones.

Its next patient is 20-year-old geography student James.

OK, if you'd like to take a seat through there.

We'll come through as soon as we can. Thanks very much indeed.

He's come to A&E with girlfriend Melissa,

with a suspected broken finger after playing rugby.

Somebody tackled me and I brushed past

and my finger just sort of bent out that way

and I fell on it and it bent back in again when I fell on it.

And then it's been really sore since.

I don't want to leave it to its own devices and recover

because if it is broken or something,

I want to make sure it's fixed properly

before it starts healing itself.

Rugby is one of the top ten most dangerous sports.

It's not the first time James has been injured.

I sprained my ankle once and I broke my nose once,

so this is not the worst I've ever had.

Obviously it's a very risky sport,

it's quite high-contact and there's...big boys as well.

Like 19-20st people running at you, full-pelt.

It can be quite dangerous.

Do you want to come through?

Minor injuries bed 12 will be looking after James.

Quite comfy.

Nurse Practitioner Scorgie examines his injuries.

-Mind if I just have a feel...?

-Yeah, go for it.

No pain down your wrist?

It was hurting down there when it first happened.

-That's not painful now?

-It's not painful any more, no.

And just check your hand over.

-Everything else all right there in your hand?

-Yeah.

-Starts to hurt there.

-OK.

-Here? Bit more tender?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Finger?

-Not too bad, actually.

-Pain here?

-Yeah.

Can you just pull your fingers up all nice and straight for me, if you can?

Ooh!

Keep your fingers like that, don't let me push you down.

That one?

-That's fine. Yeah, just the pinkie.

-Turn your hand over.

Can you make a fist for me?

Keep it in that position, turn it back over.

Straight back out. Feel me touching you?

-Feels the same and normal?

-Yeah.

-Yep.

OK, so we need to get an X-ray of that hand, OK?

-Yep.

-So I'll organise that for you now.

And you can pop straight round to get your hand X-rayed.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-OK?

-Cheers.

James leaves bed 12.

He's heading to the X-ray department to see if his finger is broken.

Hello, James, my name's Louise, one of the radiographers here.

I'm going to do a couple of X-rays on your left hand.

Nice and still like that, please.

The X-ray reveals a break in the bone on James's hand.

OK...

Nurse practitioner Scorgie gives James the news.

OK, James, so you've been round to X-ray, had your X-ray,

so your hand's broken.

-It's broken?

-Yeah, yeah.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-So we can show you that on the X-ray.

-Yeah.

Come on, pop over.

So this is your X-ray here. We'll start on the top.

-Yeah.

-So...see?

-Yeah.

So that's there and that would fit with you,

seeing as your finger got pulled out that way.

So that's why it's literally

broken the bone?

With the stress on there. Big metacarpal.

So this is something that our hand surgeons look after here,

a stress injury.

It's a serious fracture that will need assessing by a hand surgeon.

-You can have a seat there and I'll go and organise the appointment.

-Just here?

-Yeah.

-What were you expecting?

-A broken finger, not your hand.

-I'm not dramatic, am I?

-I thought you were being quite dramatic.

Have you seen how swollen it is?

Yeah, no, I didn't think it was that swollen

until you took your tape off it.

I wasn't being dramatic at all. You thought I was making it up.

I thought he was being dramatic about it, so...

He just kept complaining and I was like, "Oh, OK."

She never listens to a word I say, so...

I really thought he hadn't done anything.

I thought we'd come and they'd be like,

"Oh, no, it's fine." But it's broken.

James has broken his fifth metacarpal.

Even though I've broken my hand, I'm still going to go out.

-You're a legend.

-The party lives on.

-Everyone will be gutted if I'm not there.

-OK.

So even if I've broken my hand, I have to go.

-Go to where?

-Going out tonight with the rugby boys.

OK, well, your appointment's at 10.25 in the morning.

Maybe I shall not go out then!

-So that's your appointment to come in tomorrow.

-Thank you.

-Do I need this with me?

-Yeah, it's best to,

and it does tell you on that you should be fasting from midnight,

so I probably would follow the instructions

just to be on the safe side.

-So don't eat after midnight?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-OK?

-No two o'clock in the morning kebabs then?

-Absolutely not.

-Shame.

OK, I'll show you the way to the plaster room, OK?

Thank you.

James will need a splint to prevent further damage to his broken bone

until he can see a specialist.

My mum was, like, going to come up last night to make me go to A&E

and I was like, "No, I'm not going to go tonight."

I was already at the pub and I'd already had a few beers

and she was like, "James, I'm coming up to see you."

And I was like, "No. Don't you dare."

She didn't come up in at the end, thank God,

but I promised her today I'd come to A&E.

-This is just a temporary one until tomorrow.

-Yep.

-Will it be, like, a full cast on my whole arm?

-Not today, it won't be.

-It'll be half of one.

-Tomorrow, will it be on my whole arm?

Have no idea. Obviously, the doctors will review and decide.

James will receive follow-up care as an outpatient.

Going to take it a little bit easier than I would do normally,

still hoping to have a good time.

Minor injuries bed 12 is prepped, ready for the next patient.

-PHONE RINGS

-Good morning.

In Queens Hospital, Romford, on maternity bed six,

49-year-old Shola and husband Ike

have become parents for the first time...with triplets.

The first boy is Chilo.

The full name is Chilotam. It means "God remembered me".

The second boy is Chibuikem.

It means "God is my strength".

So we call him Chibu.

And then the third one, who is the girl,

is Chinaza or Chinazae.

It means, "God answers prayers".

It's been 48 hours since the babies were delivered prematurely.

Shola's recovering well from her Caesarean.

When they come home with me and then wake up in the morning,

we bath them, the routine starts running in,

then it dawns on me, we're a family of five now.

We were two, and we're a family of five now.

Shola's leaving maternity bed six to visit her babies,

who were taken straight to the neonatal intensive care unit.

It provides expert care around the clock

for babies as young as 27 weeks old.

Welcome to Queen's Hospital, where we have triplets.

Sister Nathaniel is the ward manager.

Maternity do a lot of deliveries, so most of the times,

as you can see, we're forever full.

-Triplet one.

-Ooh.

-Doing very well.

-Hello, Chilo.

Self-ventilating in air.

And the weight today is 1.630.

Oh, that's good.

Yeah, Mummy's here. You all right?

The triplets were delivered at 33 weeks.

The smallest weighed just 2 lbs 4oz.

-The smallest of the three.

-Chibu, how are you?

Weighs just over a kilo.

Hello.

He's getting better. My son's going to be bigger, don't worry.

Hello, Chibu. You all right?

As soon as he came in, required a bit of oxygen and some CPAP.

Later on, it was retaining carbon dioxide,

so we just intubated for 12 hours

and today is the first day he's breathing by himself.

-The girl.

-Hello, Chinaza.

That's the princess, the pretty princess.

-She's sleeping.

-Yeah.

Oh-oh.

She's got lovely, nice, smooth skin, this one. I keep looking at her.

Chinaza.

Say hello.

Are you really sleeping or pretending?

You may find that triplet two may go before triplet one or vice versa,

although we try our utmost best to send them all together.

But don't be surprised if we say,

"Oh, triplet one is ready. Off you go."

Shola and Ike are taking the opportunity

to bond with their babies.

It will be a few weeks before they can take them home.

Our hospital beds have given us intimate access

to the work of the NHS.

James made his ten o'clock appointment

and had surgery on his hand.

He's not allowed to play rugby until after Christmas.

Following his car accident, Stuart made it back home to York,

much to the relief of his wife.

And a month after being born,

all three triplets are at home with Shola and Ike.

The beds are now back on their wards,

ready and waiting for their next round of patients.