Episode 1 Secret Life of the Hospital Bed

Hospital beds in the NHS have never been under more pressure...

It's just unrelenting at the moment.

..with more patients to care for than ever before,

and only 150,000 beds to go round.

It is a fast-paced job. It's a non-stopping conveyor belt.

In this series,

we use special cameras on beds in four very different hospitals...

Comfy bed.

..to see the world through the beds' eyes.

Left at the lights.

SHE SOBS ..as they share the most challenging...

-SHE SIGHS

-Oh, it's coming again.

Don't get upset. We'll look after you, OK?

Are you OK, pet?

..most intimate...

That's good.

..and most rewarding moments of our lives.

So, so happy.

Coming up...

In Newcastle, on Resus Bed Two, toddler Nicholas fights for breath.

He's two, and he's saying, "Mummy, help."

It's horrible. It's absolutely...horrible.

In Birmingham, on Day Surgery Bed 30,

25-year-old Thomas is having a life-changing operation.

Any questions that you want to ask me about your anaesthetic?

Nope. Just make sure I'm asleep. I don't mind the operation.

It's the whole sleeping process what does me in.

And in Romford, on Maternity Bed Seven,

32-year-old Mevish faces complications.

Roll a little bit onto your left side, please.

Yeah? Baby's heart rate's dropped down ever so slightly.

Your bed's like an extra member of staff, almost.

This is The Secret Life Of The Hospital Bed.

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Here, the Royal Victoria Infirmary is rated one of the top five

hospitals in the country.

All these people are still in the main waiting room waiting to be seen.

Like most hospitals, its A&E department

has a special area for critical patients called Resus.

Right, what I need to do, my love, is listen to your lungs

and your heart, and all that, OK?

Resus beds are real workhorses...

Get some bloods off her.

..running around the clock, and rarely getting a break.

This is Resus Bed Two,

standing by for its next emergency.

PHONE RINGS

Emergency department, RVI. Ten minutes, lovely. Thanks a lot, bye.

Two-year-old Nicholas has been rushed in by ambulance with his mum,

Claire, because he's struggling to breathe.

Do you want to come and sit on the bed with the little one?

-And who's this?

-This is Nicholas.

Nicholas, come on, then. My name's Laura, I'm one of the doctors.

Bed Two has seen its fair share of respiratory problems.

It's the fifth most common cause of death in children.

-His mam said he did have a temperature last night.

-Yeah, he's very flushed, isn't he?

-Yeah.

Lots of children come in acutely short of breath, with a very high respiratory rate.

So they're breathing very fast.

Dr Attwood is the consultant in charge today.

-So has he been in for a similar kind of episode before, then?

-Yeah.

Back in March, he had...

-That was after his adenoids were taken out, was it?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Staff are hoping that salbutamol, a medication to treat asthma,

might help stabilise Nicholas.

They're also monitoring oxygen levels in his blood.

He's two, and he's saying, "Mummy, help."

It's horrible. It's absolutely...horrible.

Are you OK, Mum?

So I think we'll just give him a few more of the nebulisers back-to-back.

We'll let that settle. He's just really, really tight in his chest.

So we can't hear much. We're going to give him a little bit of steroids

to help dampen all the tightness down and help with the wheeze as well.

-And he's had a little bit of Calpol, as you know.

-Yeah.

-Is that all right? Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

Student nurse, Kirk, has mainly dealt with adults in her career so far.

It's just normally, like, they fill the bed, and he doesn't even fill...

Like, his mum's holding him on the bed, because he's so tiny.

We're, like, adult nurses.

Because we're not used to it, it's scary, cos they're just so little.

It's absolutely awful, you know.

You're the protector, at the end of the day. You know, I'm a single mum.

I am his only, sole protector.

NICHOLAS CRIES

Nicholas has been on Resus Bed Two for 50 minutes.

Staff prepare him for a drip in case his condition gets worse.

The next 20 minutes will be critical.

We'll return to Resus Bed Two to find out if Nicholas's condition stabilises.

Good boy.

At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham,

Bed 40 in day surgery has been part of the team

for the last three years.

-We always go to make the trolleys as a bed.

-I know.

-Always.

Unlike the fast turnaround beds of A&E,

this bed is by your side all day.

-Next.

-Ready for the next patient!

It's waiting to meet patient Thomas, who has very high expectations.

Yeah, yeah, course.

Is it a double bed, or...?

You may top and tail!

THEY LAUGH

Thomas's lip and gums failed to develop properly in the womb,

so he's been in and out of hospital since birth.

Today, he's come for a final attempt to reconstruct his palate.

His girlfriend, Sophie, and her dad, are here for support.

-So we're just going to Bed 40, which is just here.

-Brill.

'When I was born, it was quite horrific.

'The cleft lip and palate was.

'So I think I was about six months old when I had my first operation.

'I'm now 25.

'So it's a long process.'

-Do you want me to take my shoes off?

-If you want to.

-Yeah, yeah, course.

I just don't want to get the bed dirty.

It's like, if we go out for a meal, cos of his artificial teeth,

he can't eat properly with them in, so he has to, like, take them out.

It's just constantly - if he wants to brush them,

he has to take them out, brush his teeth.

Because it was supposed to have all been done by the age of 18.

But now, obviously, he's 25, so I think he's fed up of it now.

This is the fourth time we've had this one done.

Basically it's just failed, so I've got to come and get it done again.

But I've had maybe, what...

Maybe 10-15 operations previous to this, which have all gone well.

It's just this one what's holding it back.

-Hello.

-Hi. How are you?

-I'm all right, how are you?

Surgeon Mr Sharp, who is a cleft palate specialist,

will be carrying out the tricky procedure.

So, risks. Infection is the big one.

We'll give you antibiotics in theatre and afterwards,

and it's important you keep your mouth clean.

Basically, today is about a final attempt to get enough bone

to give him the implants that he wants to replace his missing teeth.

And if that doesn't work, then there are other options.

But I think for a man of his age, this is the better option, if we can,

to put implants in and fix his teeth to him,

rather than having a plate, or anything else.

-So, if you want to put your gown on.

-Yeah.

-We'll get you up there.

-Right.

-Right.

-Thank you very much. Cheers. Thank you.

-There you go.

Thomas is almost ready for the operation,

but Bed 40 is about to learn something else about this patient.

He just doesn't like when he's being put to sleep.

That's it. I think he doesn't mind the actual operation,

it's just the putting to sleep bit,

cos he watches this film called Awake,

and then it's where this man has been put to sleep,

but he's still awake, so, yeah.

-Just worried about it.

-Yeah, that's his worrying bit.

-You all right?

-Hi, Thomas. How are you?

-Yeah, good, are you?

-I'm one of the anaesthetists.

-Yep.

I've looked at your previous anaesthetic charts.

-There doesn't seem to have been any problem with anaesthetics you've had before.

-No, seems fine.

-Fantastic.

-So, you're the one who puts me asleep?

-Yeah, there's two of us today.

Just make sure you put plenty in there. I always say that!

Don't leave me half soaked!

-We won't do that.

-Just put plenty in, and then I'll be fine.

Have you watched that film called Awake?

-No.

-Haven't you ever watched it?

-No! Should I?

I hate that film, I do.

Go back home and watch it.

It's brilliant.

Any questions you want to ask me about your anaesthetic?

No, just make sure I'm asleep.

Keep an eye on me, cos that's me worst... I don't mind the operation.

It's the whole sleeping process what does me in, so, yeah.

-Good. All right. We'll see you shortly, then, OK.

-See you later.

-You're in good hands.

-Yeah. Best put me to sleep.

The one thing Thomas can rely on throughout his procedure

is Day Surgery Bed 40.

It will be with him from the ward,

into surgery, and then back into recovery.

We're going to theatre now.

-Here we go.

-Can I just check your wristband again, please?

-Yeah. Thank you.

Give us a kiss. Yeah.

-Right, love you.

-Love you.

All right, then, mate. Yeah. Look after yourself.

I hate this part!

So, have you ever been with us before, then?

Yeah, quite a few times, to be fair.

-Oh, OK.

-Yeah.

I just hate the whole putting to sleep process, I do.

Yeah, it's a bit daunting, isn't it?

Yeah. I don't mind the operations, it's just, you know when they say,

-"Oh, you're going to go to sleep," sort of thing.

-Yeah.

-It's a bit weird, isn't it?

Right, I need to get mentally prepared for this.

-Oh, you'll be fine.

-Huh?

We'll rejoin Thomas later, as he undergoes this important operation.

In Newcastle's A&E, the waiting room is filling up fast.

Here, seriously ill patients take priority.

A&E Bed Nine is about to meet one patient

who fears she's had a stroke.

Do you think you'll be able to pop up on the trolley?

If we give you a hand?

Yeah, we could help.

73-year-old Sandra has been rushed in by ambulance

after her speech became slurred.

She's with her daughter, Alexis.

-There we are. Well done.

-That's it.

Oh, Alexis, you're brilliant.

It's down to junior Dr Richardson, who's been at the RVI for just two months,

to try and diagnose Sandra.

'When we examine the patient we look for speech problems,

'and, you know, loss of sensation, things like that.'

She does have a little bit of slurring of her speech.

This is quite a deterioration of her normal baseline.

At the moment, she's just not particularly safe.

I'll just come and run those blood tests,

and then we'll take things from there, all right?

-Thank you, very much.

-No problem at all.

I know.

It's OK. It's OK.

I'm here.

SANDRA SOBS

Strokes are the third most common cause of premature death in the UK.

They occur when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.

Dr Richardson sends Sandra for a scan of her brain.

I've just come to tell you, I think we're going to get a scan of your

-head, and then they're going to come and see you after that.

-Yes.

We need to make sure whether they've had a stroke, which is a blood clot,

or whether there's a bleed on the brain.

If there's a bleed on the brain, there's a lot less we can do,

than if there's a clot.

I'm right behind you, Mum.

I'm just kind of worried about what they're going to find,

or if something is really wrong.

-Ready, steady.

-Oh, that's it.

Here you go.

Diagnosis is tricky

due to Sandra having a serious existing condition,

Parkinson's disease,

which affects her mobility.

Suddenly, you're the one looking after your mum.

It's quite scary, as a child.

I know I'm not a child,

but you still feel like a child with your mum, you know?

I'll hold that, you just get the straw.

'I don't know. It's quite scary.

'It's a real reality check today.'

-That's better.

-Yeah?

We'll come back to Sandra and daughter Alexis as they find

out the results of Sandra's blood tests and her brain scan.

As UK birth rates reach an all-time high,

we join Bed Seven on one of the NHS's largest maternity units

in Romford, Essex.

We've got the next patient coming.

-OK.

-Make sure that you have your room prepared.

She's in triage.

Queen's Hospital is just 15 miles from London.

Its 25 labour beds offer round-the-clock care,

meeting about two women each day.

Go on, push again.

Yes!

Congratulations! Hello!

BABY CRIES

Today, midwife Pareva will be part of the team

looking after the next expectant mother.

'It can be really quick.'

Sometimes within 20 minutes, half an hour.

Yeah, every person's different.

32-year-old Mevish has joined Maternity Bed Seven

to give birth to her second child.

She had a long labour with her first,

and is hoping this time it won't be so drawn out.

Finally, I've got a very nice and comfortable bed.

The couple were introduced to each other by family members.

It's kind of arranged marriage. It's not a love story, actually.

My family doesn't believe it, but, yeah, that's true.

We started seeing each other in February or March somewhere,

and in June and July we decided, "Look, we can't go without marrying."

So, you know, that's when we decided...

We have to get married.

I think it was just four months, that's it.

That was over three years ago.

The couple have since had a son.

We've been through this three and a half years ago!

What do you already have?

-A boy.

-A boy.

-He is excited.

We asked him, "You want a baby boy or a baby sister?"

-And he said...

-And he always says sister.

Oh, he's always wanted a sister!

Play with the ladies, not...

He's going to be a gentleman.

There were serious complications with their son's birth,

and they're worried the same thing might happen this time.

It's a very normal concern that what happened before will happen again.

And, you know, we can never say it won't happen either,

so we can't say to him, "Right, that won't happen."

We'll return to Mevish later as her labour progresses.

The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Back with Resus Bed Two,

toddler Nicholas is still battling for breath.

He was rushed into A&E by his mum, Claire,

and is still being treated with an inhaler to deal with asthma attacks.

Anybody as poorly as this little one,

we really need to treat them quickly.

That's why we're in Resus.

Nurse Emerson has 22 years of medical experience.

So he's had...

One, two, three, four, five, six lots of medication.

And that's got on top of his problem a little bit.

But he's still a poorly man.

NICHOLAS COUGHS

'We probably get more respiratory problems than anything else, really.

'More so, as well, in the winter.'

The weather's just changing now, so we'll see a lot more.

Ow, hurts!

"Ow, hurts," he said.

I'm keeping a record of his observations,

just so we can look back and see.

He has improved a little, we can see by that.

It's much easier if you do them regularly,

so you can see what's going on.

NICHOLAS CRIES Nicholas has now been in Resus Bed Two for close to three hours.

Now he's getting his voice back a little bit -

this is a good sign, I think.

This is a good sign.

He's starting to show some signs of improvement.

Here you go.

Do you want some?

-NICHOLAS GRUNTS

-No? OK.

Yes? Oh, that's good.

Oh, you want your juice.

He's like, "Oh, water, urgh!"

All done? All done?

Shall I slip in the back, and try and have a listen?

Do you want to lean him forward for me?

Dr Astell is a specialist from the children's unit.

She's back to check on Nicholas's progress.

Mummy!

I think he's a bit better.

I'm not going to rush to give him that medicine through the drip.

I think he's just turning a corner with all that salbutamol.

We'll pop him into the monitoring bay round the corner

-where I can dip in and out a lot easier.

-Yeah.

I think the fact that he's just talking...

Yeah. He's woken up a bit, hasn't he?

Where are we going?

Nicolas and Bed Two are moved around the corner

to the children's observation unit.

He's perked up, and the one thing he wants is his wellies.

Come on, then.

Wellies!

We think that he's probably had some sort of asthma attack,

probably triggered by a viral infection.

Doctors want to keep Nicolas overnight,

to make sure he's fully recovered.

You happy now?

Yes.

Mama!

Ba-ba.

Ba-ba. Ba!

Coming up on The Secret Life Of The Hospital Bed...

In Birmingham, on Day Surgery Bed 40, Thomas faces his biggest fear.

-It's this whole thing about going to sleep.

-Yeah.

Well, you're out of control, aren't you, completely?

In Newcastle, on A&E Bed Nine,

73-year-old Sandra hits a real low point.

It's OK. It's OK.

I know.

And in Romford, on Maternity Bed Seven, Mevish goes into full labour.

We'll be having Baby soon.

MEVISH GROANS

Coming thick and strong now.

She'll be here soon.

Back at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital,

Day Surgery Bed 40 has not left the side of anxious Thomas.

He's having an intricate bone graft operation to rebuild his palate,

following several failed attempts.

-You all right? You all right?

-I'm Simon, I'm your anaesthetist.

-Fantastic.

But it's not the two-hour procedure that's worrying him.

It's his fear that the anaesthetic won't knock him out.

Are you guys over there all the time?

Yeah, so we're with you all the time.

We're with you in here, in the theatre, and then in recovery when you wake up.

-Just monitor everything and make sure.

-Yeah, we'll keep a close eye on you.

-It's just the whole thing of going to sleep.

-Yeah.

Well, you're out of control, aren't you, completely?

-It's not good. So, please keep an eye on me, make sure...

-Yeah, no problem.

-So what we're going to do is give you a little bit of oxygen to breathe, OK?

-Nice, easy breaths.

-Just a few big breaths.

-Just relax your breathing.

Just breathe normally for me, OK?

THOMAS MUTTERS

Doing really, really well.

Keep your eyes open as long as you can.

THOMAS MUTTERS

Surgeon Mr Sharp has carried out over 1,000 cleft palate operations

in his 12-year surgical career.

In previous attempts,

Thomas's body has rejected artificial implants,

and an implant using bone from his hip.

While the bed stays with Thomas throughout the operation,

girlfriend Sophie is left waiting in the empty bay.

I think it's nerve-racking, actually.

Because I always think there's a slight, so many percentage, I don't know what the percentage is,

but it could always go wrong, couldn't it?

And I know it's really, like, a dull moment, but, yeah,

I think it could always go wrong. You never know, do you?

Tom?

Tom?

Come on, Tom.

He was just saying how comfy this bed is.

It is, it's very comfortable.

Come on, Tom.

Tom?

I can't relax until he's back, and he's awake,

and I know he's all right. Yeah.

Take a big, deep breath for me.

-Well done, Tom.

-Well done.

There we go. Open, open, open.

Well done. Hello.

I just want to see him now.

That's it - I just want to see, because I think he'll be in a bit of a mess, really.

It went well.

I think I've got to be cautious here because I've bone grafted Tom before

and thought that it went well, and found out that I was wrong,

so I can't guarantee it, and he knows that.

But I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to finish this now,

and get him some teeth that are fixed and that will be the end.

Back on the ward, and Thomas has rallied.

-I feel really good.

-Good.

I feel really good.

I do, honestly.

I feel really good. So...

I think the best I've ever felt after an operation.

So, if someone said to me now, "Go and do something,"

I could easily go do it.

So, yeah, they've got it spot on, haven't they, yeah?

Let's go.

Let's go. Yeah?

It'll be six months before Thomas finds out if his good feeling

about his operation does mean his palate is finally fixed.

Back at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary,

A&E Bed Nine has been with 73-year-old Sandra for over an hour.

She fears she may have had a stroke after her speech became slurred,

and has undergone a series of tests.

You what, pet?

No, no, this is A&E, darling.

Sandra is already having to cope with Parkinson's disease,

a progressive condition affecting her nervous system.

So, Sandra, my name's Currie.

-I'm one of the stroke specialist nurses, OK?

-Hello.

So I'm just going to ask you some questions,

and ask you to do some things, OK?

So just stay with us.

Whilst Sandra waits on A&E Bed Nine for the results of a brain scan,

specialist nurse Currie carries out some physical tests.

What I want you to do now, if I stand down here,

is just keep looking at my nose. OK?

And just follow the pen with your eyes.

Keep your head still. Just keep looking at me, sweetheart.

-I am!

-I know it's hard to do.

Excellent, well done. OK.

What I want you to do is squeeze...

Grab hold of my hands, and squeeze both my hands as tight as you can.

As hard as you can. You won't hurt us, you're fine.

Pull us towards you.

And push us away.

-OK. Does that feel normal for you?

-Yes.

The strength in your arms there?

-Does that feel normal?

-Yes.

-You're nice and warm!

What I want you to do is keep looking at my nose, OK, and

tell me what's moving, OK?

-So what's moving now - can you see anything moving?

-Your fingers.

How many fingers are moving, can you see?

-Two.

-Two. Now?

Sandra's decreased mobility has been putting a strain on the family.

Her time on A&E Bed Nine is proving cathartic.

My dad's, I think, really frustrated for you, cos at first he kind of

wanted to take charge, and, like, "We can get through this.

"I can manage this. We can do this.

"Keep going, Sandra, keep going.

"Stand up straight, do this, do that."

And my mum couldn't do that and he's had to realise,

"OK, I'm going to have to take a step back and actually support her."

And now my dad's doing things like the dishes

and things like that, which is amazing because my dad -

no idea, couldn't boil an egg.

And I'm not kidding.

One time we made some toast.

Next thing I know, the grill's smoking like mad and I'm like,

"What have you done?" He said, "Well, I put butter on."

I'm like, "But you don't put the butter on the bread and then put it under the grill, Dad!"

"Oh! Oh, right, I see." You know?

And I mean, it's frightening me on a level,

because the idea of my mum not being there terrifies my dad.

Because they've been in love, and I mean REALLY in love.

They never argued when we were kids.

It's OK, Mum.

It's OK.

I know.

'Some days she can be really good.

'And then other days it's down.

'So we just keep assuming that she's going to get better.'

You know, that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

We just keep assuming that, you know, one day you're going to wake up

and everything's going to go back to normal.

And you've got to have that level of hope.

You know. It's just difficult being confronted.

Yeah.

Yeah.

SHE TRAILS OFF

Low blood pressure?

Yeah.

Just shut your eyes for a bit.

SHE MUMBLES

She needs to be seen by the ED doctor.

Sandra's CT scan has come back all clear.

And specialist nurse Currie is happy

Sandra's passed the key cognitive tests.

I couldn't find anything out of the norm.

Her daughter states that this is her baseline.

All right, OK. That's fine.

They've both said that her mouth is OK, as well.

-Her mouth looks absolutely fine to me.

-OK.

But obviously if she deteriorates more just give us another ring

-and we'll come down and reassess her.

-That's fine.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah, that's great.

-Thanks.

-Cheers.

But Dr Richardson is still concerned.

Sandra had a few issues going on.

Her blood test came back normal. CT and everything was OK.

And the stroke team were quite happy from that point of view.

And she's not having a stroke, or had had a stroke.

But, obviously, it's just something we'd like to put to bed quite early

and make sure we're not missing something on that front.

Dr Richardson believes her slurred speech

may be a worsening of her Parkinson's disease.

But Bed Nine is needed for another patient.

At the moment, she's just not particularly safe.

I didn't feel safe in sending her home, so we've got her through to the assessment suite,

where they can take a bit more time,

and then we can get on with seeing other patients

who we may be able to turn around, or we may need to admit.

-Right.

-It's a little hop down, OK?

Sandra parts company with A&E Bed Nine

as she's moved to a more comfortable one on a ward,

where she'll stay until her condition stabilises.

Bed Nine, meanwhile, is prepped for its next patient.

Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth is the biggest single-site hospital

in Britain.

Its day surgery ward can handle more than 100 new patients

every day.

Any of these patients arrived yet?

The cardiac has been allocated.

I'll go and see if 25 and 26 are ready.

Today, Day Surgery Bed 32 is playing host to Anthony.

He's coming in for a double hand operation after an accident

last year.

We had some removal men moving our offices,

and one of them was coming in through the door of the offices,

I opened the door for him, the crates were too high,

he tripped, the crates fell on him, and I caught them like this,

and now I've had problems ever since.

So it's that typical catching, and your thumbs bending back over,

so that was what caused it.

I was advised to have one done, then the other,

but it would have meant too much time off work,

so I've elected to have them both done together.

And it will probably turn out to have been a very silly decision.

Anthony is a senior manager at the hospital.

Today, he's taking time out to have his tendons repaired by

consultant surgeon Mr Gupta.

It's not very often that you operate on both hands together.

Most people do prefer it to have one at a time done,

so that they can carry on with their normal life in the other hand.

The big advantage of having them both done at the same time is

that your recovery time is cut into half.

So the anaesthetist will come and have

a chat with you about the anaesthesia,

but it's most likely going to be a GA since we're doing both of them.

There is a nerve that goes down from there up into your thumb.

It supplies the area of the skin just around this.

So we know that nerve is there,

and we'll take a lot of precautions to protect it.

-But it doesn't like being pushed and pulled around.

-Sure.

So there may be some numbness around that area afterwards,

-but that will recover with time.

-OK. Yep.

No worries.

As well as being a senior manager here,

Anthony is also a regular patient.

He's had five operations this year.

Mike Hallissey took a cyst off here, I've had Socrates do my shoulder...

I'm on Liam Blaney's pain team,

so he sees me two to three times a year for bilateral sub-patellar knee blocks.

It's getting to the bit I don't like, now.

I can't bear being cannulated.

-Oh, dear.

-Hate it.

Cannulation is the process of putting a needle into a vein

to allow drugs to be administered intravenously.

I don't worry about the surgery, but I absolutely hate being cannulated.

I'll probably go into a cold sweat and I'll just be thinking

something else.

Anthony and Bed 32 move to surgery.

He's prepped for his cannula.

It's inserted into his foot, leaving his hands free for surgery.

-Done.

-Thank you.

-Without the sharp scratch.

Anthony is separated from Bed 32 for the duration of the operation.

We'll come back to him later.

Back in Romford,

Maternity Bed Seven has been with Mevish for almost an hour.

She and her husband, Mohammed, are anxious about the birth.

With their first son, which was three years ago,

they had a shoulder dystocia,

which is where the baby's head is born,

but the shoulder will get stuck. So it can be quite stressful.

You know, it's an emergency.

Mevish's labour is proving uncomfortable,

increasing the couple's anxiety.

Is it still hurting?

MEVISH MOANS

Gas and air?

The options that we have for pain relief are this,

and if you think this is not good enough then there's pethidine - that's an injection into your thigh.

If you don't want that one, you can still go for epidurals,

but with the epidural, it's going to be a little while -

it's not like it's going to be straightaway.

When we had our first baby, she had an epidural,

so probably she didn't feel the pains that time.

So, probably, I should say that it's going to be her first time.

-Do you have any pressure down below?

-Yeah, yeah.

-You're getting pressure?

Loads of it.

I'm thinking...a bit tricky.

She really wanted pain relief, and she's feeling pressure,

so most likely she's... She's likely going to deliver.

MEVISH GROANS

Especially when it's not first baby, it can be really quick.

-Well done.

-My back!

My back is killing me!

-SHE GROANS

-OK. That's it, don't panic.

-My back is killing me!

-It's all right, just breathe, OK?

Mev, you have to breathe.

-My back...

-Yeah, that's fine,

you just have to breathe, and then it will be fine.

Mevish has been in labour for just under two hours,

when suddenly, there's a complication.

You can change your position. Roll a little bit onto your left side, please. Yeah?

Baby's heart rate's dropped down ever so slightly,

so just roll onto your side.

-Let go of this hand completely, my darling.

-Leave this one.

Just go a little bit over.

That's a girl. Don't worry, don't panic.

It's OK, it's all right. Go with it, all right?

MEVISH GASPS

Mevish had serious complications with her first birth.

The medical team are watching the baby's heartbeat closely.

If it doesn't stabilise soon, they may have to intervene.

MEVISH MOANS

Back at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital,

Day Surgery Bed 32 has been reunited with Anthony.

He's been in surgery for just over an hour

for an operation on both of his hands.

OK, Anthony, there we go. Back on the ward.

Thank you.

All the best, now. Take care.

-See you later.

-See you later.

-That's better, thank you.

I can't shield my eyes.

THEY LAUGH

Tendon damage is the second most common injury to hands.

To aid recovery, he'll need help washing, dressing, and cooking.

They found what they expected.

There were no undue problems along the way.

It all went very smoothly.

It's not an unfamiliar environment for him,

so it's not a strange environment.

He's not overawed by the whole thing.

-Are you comfortable?

-Yeah, I'm fine, thank you very much.

A surgery is still a surgery.

It doesn't matter whether you are a layperson out on the street,

or even if you're a surgeon yourself.

When you have a surgery, it's a big deal.

Now, if you're in any pain, you must let me know,

but I will be coming around here every half an hour...

Sure. I'll shout, don't worry.

It takes time to recover back to normal, and that time can sometimes

be quite frustrating for people, so patients do need a lot of support.

Anthony has been alone for his operation,

but as he is a senior manager here at the hospital,

there's an ample supply of colleagues lining up to visit.

-WHISPERS:

-Hello.

-Hello, you.

-How are you?

HE SCOFFS

Hello.

-Hello.

-How are you? What can I say?

-Speechless.

-Hello.

-Hello. How are you?

-I'm all right, thank you.

How long are you going to be elevated for?

Well, probably until I go home.

Cos I'm certainly not going to be elevated in the car.

Well, no. You can't go home like that, can you, really?

-Certainly not.

-They couldn't do anything to my hands,

so my drips and everything have gone through my foot.

-Oh, of course. That's interesting.

-Can you just hold that for me, could you?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, but you'll need to slip it under the covers.

How are you going to do things?

I'll manage.

Do you want a sip of that water?

Oh, please, yeah. Sue's doing some nursing care.

Nasty.

Don't... I'm not nasty, you know that.

We'll come back and have a look at you in a minute.

This is an opportunity to be abusive, isn't it?

When I can't do very much about it.

Could you take these off for me, please? I need to go to the loo.

After six hours, Anthony is ready to say goodbye to his day surgery bed

and get home, where he'll be supported throughout his recovery.

Thank you.

Day care surgery's great, because you're in, you're out.

I mean, you know, I arrived at half seven this morning.

Here we are now - half one, I'm off home,

back to my own bed and house, all sorted, so it's great.

I guess the thing for me is not to do too much,

otherwise I'll undo the work that Manish has just done in theatre.

I need to let it rest and heal, so...

Day Surgery Bed 32 is free, and ready for its next patient.

Back at Queen's Hospital, Romford,

the maternity beds are with women throughout their labour,

whether it lasts an hour or over a day.

Bed Seven has now been with mum-to-be Mevish for two hours.

I'm shivering.

-Sorry?

-I'm shivering.

You're shivering? That's OK.

Nothing wrong. OK?

You're doing great.

-Can I have gas and air, please?

-Yep.

There were concerns the baby might be in distress,

but the baby's heart rate is now stable,

and Mevish is in the final stages of labour.

What are you feeling with the contractions now?

-There's pressure.

-You're feeling pressure?

-Yeah.

Are you feeling like pushing?

-Good. OK. Very good.

-MEVISH EXHALES DEEPLY

Well done.

It's all right. I don't think we'll need that pethidine.

Midwife Pareva recognises the signs.

-We've got baby on the way?

-Yes.

We'll be having baby soon. All right.

MEVISH GROANS

Good girl. Is another one coming?

OK, go with it.

Coming thick and strong now.

She'll be here soon.

It's all right, you go with it now, listen to me.

When you feel that contraction, go with it. OK?

Do what your body's telling you to do.

All right.

MEVISH GROANS

Good girl.

Bringing your baby a little bit closer every single time.

Good girl! Good girl.

Good girl. That's it.

That's it. Fabulous.

Well done. Come on, baby.

And soon, Mevish gives birth to a healthy baby girl.

Hello! Happy birthday to you!

Hello, Mummy. You're amazing.

Oh, my baby!

Look at that hair!

-BABY CRIES

-Oh!

-Beautiful.

-Well, we were so scared, actually.

-I know.

With the shoulder dystocia, etc.

Oh, my God.

Very happy.

I'm so glad, I can't tell you.

And I don't believe it that it happened so quick, like that.

It's a textbook delivery.

Great joy, and a new life.

It's job done for Bed Seven, and on to the next.

Our hospital beds have given us intimate access

to the work of the NHS.

Thomas has since needed a follow-up operation.

He's now seeing real improvements.

After his short spell on Resus Bed Two, Nicholas's breathing is stable.

And Mevish quickly recovered from her labour,

and is enjoying time with baby Alise.

The beds are now back on their wards,

ready and waiting for their next round of patients.