0:00:02 > 0:00:03SIRENS WAIL
0:00:03 > 0:00:07Hospital beds in the NHS have never been under more pressure.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11It's just unrelenting at the moment.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14With more patients to care for than ever before
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and only 150,000 beds to go round.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It is a fast-paced job. It's a nonstop conveyor belt.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27In this series, we use special cameras on beds
0:00:27 > 0:00:29in four very different hospitals...
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Ah, comfy bed.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..to see the world through the bed's eyes...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Left at the lights!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44..as they share the most challenging...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46SHE GASPS
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Oh, it's coming again.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50SHE WHIMPERS
0:00:50 > 0:00:53It's better you don't get upset. And we'll look after you, OK?
0:00:55 > 0:00:56Are you OK, pet?
0:00:56 > 0:00:58..most intimate...
0:00:59 > 0:01:03..and most rewarding moments of our lives.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05So, so happy.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Coming up,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15in Birmingham, on day surgery bed 33,
0:01:15 > 0:01:1870-year-old Christine's fingertip may have to be amputated.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21But if the bone isn't too good,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23they're thinking about taking it off.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29In Barnsley, on resus bed 2,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32doctors fight to save 27-year-old Jordan's lung.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34OK, a bit of pushing.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42And in Leeds, on paediatric bed 3,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45six-year-old Olivia faces her fear of operations.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- Are you going to be brave for your mummy today?- No.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Your bed's like an extra member of staff almost.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59This is The Secret Life Of The Hospital Bed.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham...
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Hello, sister.
0:02:13 > 0:02:19..the day surgery unit has 81 beds caring for up to 100 patients a day.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27These beds work under pressure, getting patients through surgery
0:02:27 > 0:02:30before moving to the next on the waiting list.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32The lists are so long, everywhere.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35People have been on the waiting list for weeks, months.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37So we just try our best to try and get patients in and out.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39The room's all good.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Day surgery bed 33 is being prepped for its first patient of the day.
0:02:49 > 0:02:5170-year-old retired cleaner Christine...
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Socks.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54..has come in for an operation.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I'm all prepared.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01She developed complications when a splinter in her finger went septic.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06I saw a little bit in, so I got a needle
0:03:06 > 0:03:09flicking it out. Pfft.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Within two hours it was like a big green plum.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- You're very accident-prone. - I know.- Very accident-prone.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Best friend Janet is supporting Christine today
0:03:22 > 0:03:26as she may need to have her fingertip amputated.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30They're going to put a screw in or, if it's really bad,
0:03:30 > 0:03:31take it off to there.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Christine left the infection untreated,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38causing permanent damage and pain to her finger.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43I mean, look at that to that. Something's not quite right there.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46So I should come out with a new finger or no finger.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47SHE LAUGHS
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Day surgery bed 33 is now cleaned and ready.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54OK, sweetheart.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56THEY LAUGH
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- Good luck.- Yeah, thanks, darling.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- Yeah.- All right, then. See you later.- And I'll be waiting.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- Are you sure you're OK with that? - Yeah. Yeah.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Nurse Russell will be taking care of Christine today.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14- There you go.- That's fine, thank you, because I've got a bad back.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16- OK.- I've got a lot of problems, ain't I?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- You got any children?- Yes, I have. - Two.- Ooh, have you really?
0:04:21 > 0:04:22Two boys.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25There's only me at home with the cat, the budgie and the fish.
0:04:25 > 0:04:26THEY LAUGH
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- Have you ever had a stroke? - No.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- And you're not allergic to anything? - Not as I know to, no, no.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Only men!
0:04:35 > 0:04:37THEY LAUGH
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- Do you smoke at all?- No.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41I drink.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- How many glasses? - I ain't telling ya!- Oh, my God!
0:04:45 > 0:04:47I have a whisky and lemonade every night.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- What does that taste like?- Lovely.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It's lovely.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- It's nice to meet you. - Yeah, you too, love.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- Hope everything goes well. - Thank you very much, yeah.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- Bye-bye.- Bye-bye, love.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01'She's hilarious.'
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Just a splinter and now she can't bend it
0:05:04 > 0:05:09and it's really...surprising that she may lose it.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Christine's finger became deformed because, like one in four of us,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17she self-diagnosed rather than go to the doctors.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Her best friend Janet is waiting in the reception area.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I'll be glad when it's over for her.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Er, she's gone through enough. She really has.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And we do look out for one another. We really do.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33But, no, we're good friends.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Christine's husband of 27 years died two years ago.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43He was my soulmate. Can't get over it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44And he was a glazier, you know?
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Do you know putty buckets that you put putty in?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Well, I had one of them for his funeral.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54I had one made with all the flowers in with Norman's putty on.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57And I brought it home and it's in my garden.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01And I put little candles in and little flowers
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and talk to... Sometimes I kick it!
0:06:04 > 0:06:07"Why did you leave me?" I do, I do.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11You can't help it, can you, when it's a loved one like that.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13After an hour-and-a-half on the ward,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17it's time for day surgery bed 33 to take Christine to theatre.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Wagons roll, eh?- Yeah.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24THEY LAUGH
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- Left at the lights! - Negotiate this corner.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- It's a bit tight. - It is tight there, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Breathe in, please? Watch your feet.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38I'd hate to bang ya.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43We'll return later to find out what happens to Christine's finger.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'I am a bit frightened. I'll just be glad when it's all done now.'
0:06:54 > 0:06:58In the heart of the city centre sits Leeds Children's Hospital.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Its paediatric day surgery unit has 26 beds
0:07:04 > 0:07:06caring for over 500 patients a month.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I've got four pre-op patients to admit.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14I've got another two acutes to go down as well.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20These beds are with children of all ages before and after surgery.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26You coming to Mummy?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Paediatric bed 3 is waiting for its first patient.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34We can build all the men up, can't we?
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Oh, look at this bed.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Six-year-old Olivia has come in with mum Kathy for a biopsy of her bowel.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Ah, look at this chair. It's more comfy than the other one.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Oh, it's all squishy.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52She suffers from chronic constipation
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and, at the moment, her bowels are extended
0:07:56 > 0:08:02so they need to do a biopsy to see what it is.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05During a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed
0:08:05 > 0:08:07so it can be tested.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10We're going to build some stick men.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I'll show you how to do it.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15There.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Olivia is one of around 100,000 children in the UK
0:08:19 > 0:08:24who suffer from constipation, but hers is chronic.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29She's very bright, intelligent, aren't you?
0:08:30 > 0:08:31One minute you're really happy,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34the next minute she can be a little madam.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Olivia's surgeon, Mr Sugarman, will be testing
0:08:37 > 0:08:42for a serious underlying disease that would require invasive surgery.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43There is one condition
0:08:43 > 0:08:46which is a condition called Hirschsprung's disease.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It's quite rare, about one in 5,000 births.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50So we try and rule it out.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Are you sticking your tongue out? Ha!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Put that tongue back in!
0:08:55 > 0:08:56OLIVIA GIGGLES
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Just leave that tooth alone.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Olivia's been on bed 3 for only 40 minutes
0:09:03 > 0:09:06when something unexpected happens.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Oh! It's just fallen out.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09SHE LAUGHS
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Your tooth's just fallen out.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15How cool's that?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Here! Use a bit of tissue to dab it.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21While losing a tooth doesn't faze Olivia,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24she's developed a phobia of operations.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Are you going to be a brave girl for Mummy today?
0:09:27 > 0:09:28No.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Olivia's had to come to hospital dozens of times
0:09:32 > 0:09:35due to her chronic condition.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Who was brave last time? Remember?
0:09:37 > 0:09:39That was cos I didn't feel it.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45Anaesthetist Dr Guruswamy needs to decide the best approach.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48I had a look at the notes from the previous anaesthetist.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- It looked like she was quite upset.- Yeah, she was.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- Was she screaming? - Yeah, she was screaming yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- I had to hold her. - You had to really hold her.- Yeah.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- I mean, any kid would be scared. - Yeah.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Dr Guruswamy has prescribed a sedative medicine
0:10:02 > 0:10:06to make Olivia more relaxed ahead of her general anaesthetic.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Are you going to do these medicines?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- No!- Can Mummy do them for you? - No.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14We have this problem all the time with her meds.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18With Olivia flatly refusing the medication,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22she'll have to go to theatre for her anaesthetic without any sedation.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Later we rejoin bed 3 as the team try to get Olivia to theatre
0:10:28 > 0:10:30for a vital procedure.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Barnsley Hospital in South Yorkshire.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Five minutes. OK, so we'll see them in resus
0:10:49 > 0:10:53when they get here, then, please? Thank you, cheers. Bye.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The A&E department has a resuscitation area
0:10:57 > 0:11:01with six specialist beds and lifesaving equipment.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That sepsis man needs to come in here.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11These beds look after patients with the most serious conditions.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15You've got the sickest patients going to resus
0:11:15 > 0:11:17and you need to decide, are they going to die in front of me now?
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Are they going to die in the next hour?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21And, if so, what do I need to do?
0:11:23 > 0:11:2827-year-old railway engineer Jordan has been rushed on to resus bed 2
0:11:28 > 0:11:31with a potentially life-threatening collapsed lung.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35It's a stabbing pain but constant every time you try and breathe.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Horrible feeling.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40He's struggling to talk and breathe properly.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43He's been given gas to ease the pain.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59An X-ray has been taken.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Dr Hickinbotham is assessing the damage.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07You can see that there's a large rim of air around the lung
0:12:07 > 0:12:09with the lung tissue here that's actually collapsed down.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12There's a good 5.3 centimetres there.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16I can feel that the left side of my chest is not getting any air.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It just seems like every time I breathe in it hurts.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Every year more than 9,000 people are admitted to hospital
0:12:23 > 0:12:25with a collapsed lung.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Left untreated, it can be fatal.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33If it got to the point that the lung collapsed even further
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and it started compressing all of his heart and his lung
0:12:37 > 0:12:39further across to the right-hand side,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42then that can cause his heart rate to increase,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44but also his blood pressure to drop.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48His heart may stop as a result of that and require resuscitation.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50If that wasn't done in time then he may die as well.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Doctors need to act fast and drain Jordan's lung.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It's a risky procedure requiring a steady hand
0:12:59 > 0:13:02as the pipe passes near vital organs and arteries.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07We can cause bleeding into the cavity itself.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10And also that left-hand side is his heart.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Put some local anaesthetic in once it's all clean
0:13:14 > 0:13:16and then put the drain in.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Dr Reddi, who is a consultant, and Dr Hickinbotham's senior,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23is keeping a close eye.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I think it's important to get the operation right
0:13:27 > 0:13:29as to where the drain is going to be.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Just a little short stab.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36You're just going to feel that bit of pushing.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39It is a very, very delicate procedure
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and quite risky as well if you don't do it properly.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47cos there is potential to cause a lot of injuries in the chest cavity.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52We'll return later to find out if the procedure is a success
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and Jordan's lung is saved.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11At Leeds Children's Hospital on paediatric bed 3,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14six-year-Olivia is waiting to go to theatre.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15Mum, look!
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- Are we ready to go? - Yeah.- Yay!
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Finally!
0:14:21 > 0:14:22Finally!
0:14:23 > 0:14:25She's having a biopsy
0:14:25 > 0:14:28to try and find out why she suffers from chronic constipation.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- Have you got SpongeBob? - Yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Oh, yeah, let's not forget SpongeBob!
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Doctors need to rule out a serious underlying condition
0:14:36 > 0:14:40but Olivia is adamant she doesn't want the operation.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Now, sweetheart if you're walking you need to put some shoes on.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Are we going home?- No, we're not going home, we're just going down.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Just going to go down and see another doctor.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- No, and then we'll go home. - And then you'll go home.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Yay. Finally.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I don't have to get an operation.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05- I think we do, Olivia! - No, we don't.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Paediatric bed 3 is left behind as Olivia heads to theatre.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Oh, and my tummy's starting to go.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21After two previous operations,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Olivia's developed an intense fear of having a general anaesthetic.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- No, no, no! - SHE SOBS
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- All right, OK. - Look here.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- Come on. - OLIVIA SOBS
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Listen.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34OLIVIA CRIES
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Olivia, listen. - Calm down.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Yeah, listen Olivia, we're trying to do you some good, OK?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43We're trying to make you better. OK?
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Right, Mum, what do you want me to do?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Are you happy to hold her? - Yeah, I'll just settle her, yeah.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50OLIVIA WAILS
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Sweetheart.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56You just lay and have a cuddle with Mummy.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57OLIVIA SOBS
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Right, OK, I'm not going to do anything to you.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01I'm just going to place it on your face. OK?
0:16:01 > 0:16:04With the help of mum Kathy,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07anaesthetist Dr Guruswamy sedates Olivia.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Well done!
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- Lift up.- Can you get the head down?
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Well done, Mum, OK.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Thank you.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Shouldn't be too long.- Right, OK. - About half-an-hour or so.- Great.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- OK?- Yeah, I'm fine. - See you soon.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I know she's scared.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25I just don't like seeing her going under
0:16:25 > 0:16:28cos it's just a scary thing to see her eyes just droop back.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30That's what's worrying me the most.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32But I know she's in safe hands.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Surgeon Mr Sugarman will perform the procedure
0:16:41 > 0:16:43which will take around 45 minutes.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Can I have a swab, please?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Half-an-hour in and the sample is taken.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55OK, can I have a stitch, please?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59After 15 minutes, once her anaesthetic has worn off,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Olivia is reunited with mum Kathy.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- Hi.- Hiya.- You OK?
0:17:04 > 0:17:05- Here's Mummy. - OLIVIA CRIES
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Olivia, Mummy's here.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10It's OK, darling, it's OK.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12The procedure went fine. Got a nice sample.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I hope we should be able to get a formal result.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18If she turned out to have this condition called Hirschsprung's,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20that would require a major operation.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Olivia heads back to the ward.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32I'm all right now she's back up here and settled.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Just be glad to get home.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37Mummy.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43They'll have to wait a few weeks for the results of her biopsy.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46But, for now, Olivia can go home.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Oh, we need to be let out, don't we?
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Paediatric bed 3 is prepped ready for its next patient.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Coming up on The Secret Life Of The Hospital Bed...
0:18:06 > 0:18:09..in Birmingham, on day surgery bed 33,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Christine reports back to Janet on her finger op.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15You could hear the drilling. Grrr.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17I thought they was building me a fence! Ha!
0:18:19 > 0:18:21On day surgery bed 40,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24there's concern about 39-year-old Helen's heart.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26There's some very serious things it could be
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and, until you eliminate everything, you are worried.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37And in Barnsley, on A&E bed 12, Lewis' wife fears for his life.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Oh, I love him to bits.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41If anything were to happen, I don't know what I'd do.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Back in Birmingham at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital...
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Aren't they all lovely?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02I've always said in here they're a different class.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04- Thank you! - Different class of people.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09..day surgery bed 33 is carrying 70-year-old Christine
0:19:09 > 0:19:12back from theatre after an operation on her finger.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17- And in again. - Oh, we're here.- Yay.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- I'm home. - Home again.- I'm home again!
0:19:19 > 0:19:20CHRISTINE LAUGHS
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Back up the naughty corner.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- You take care of yourself. - Thank you very much
0:19:28 > 0:19:31and I hope you get home OK. Thank you so much.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Lovely.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Following an infection, the finger became painful and deformed.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41There were fears it would have to be amputated today.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I tell you, it was like 60 Minute Makeover.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46I could hear them say, "Drills, screws." Then you get...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- SHE IMITATES DRILLING - ..and clipping.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50SHE LAUGHS
0:19:50 > 0:19:54But they wouldn't let me see, you see, they wouldn't let me see it.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Surgeons managed to save and straighten the finger.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08They did say I might have a little bit of movement in the top as well.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10So we'll have to wait and see.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I've never seen anything like it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Want to see the bandages on here?
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Look at the bandage on here just for a finger.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18What are you doing taking that off?
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- I was just going to look. - Put it back on!
0:20:22 > 0:20:25You're not supposed to take it off yet.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26You're not supposed to take it off yet.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- You're not supposed to take it off yet.- Smack her!
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Sister Harris has taken over Christine's care on the ward.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- I'll do your blood pressure first. - Right.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- And then we'll get a cup of tea. - Lovely.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Christine's best friend Janet
0:20:40 > 0:20:43has been waiting in reception throughout
0:20:43 > 0:20:45due to having a bad cough.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49We've just got, I think, the same outlook on life, really.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Don't moan about things.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53Just get on with it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57SHE COUGHS
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I think my friend might come in now.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02- I'll bring her in. - She was getting a bit embarrassed
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- cos she has asthma and keeps coughing, see.- Oh, no.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06I think she'll come down now.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- I haven't noticed anyone who's coughing out there.- No.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It might have calmed down for her now.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- Is one of them seats for me? - Yeah, yeah.- Ah, bless.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Put this on. I'd better put it round your neck?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- Oh, right, thank you.- It's hurting. - Thank you.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- But honest to God, Janet, you could hear a drilling.- Mm.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Then he'd say, "The drill."
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Then he'd say, "Some wire."
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Then he'd say, "Blow it."
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- You could hear the bone being chipped.- Yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I mean, I couldn't feel nothing. But you could hear it!
0:21:42 > 0:21:44SHE MAKES A DRILLING NOISE
0:21:44 > 0:21:46SHE GIGGLES
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- I thought they was building me a fence!- Oh, bless.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52But they were lovely. They really were.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Oh, but I've got us some tea.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- I've just got us some tea. - JANET COUGHS
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Know what I'm like with me left hand. I can't...
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Oh, gosh, Janet, that's better than a whisky, that is!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Love. that's better than a whisky, that!
0:22:06 > 0:22:07SHE GIGGLES
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Isn't she lovely?
0:22:11 > 0:22:15After five hours with day surgery bed 33,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Christine and her great friend Janet can head home
0:22:17 > 0:22:21with Christine's finger still intact.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Keep it elevated, though.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Can't fault the staff here. What they've done for me.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28They're all brilliant.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32But the most of it is, is my friend has been gold.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Wouldn't have known what to do without her.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Good friends,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38better than all the money in the world is a good friendship.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40It is, yeah.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It's a good job, we've got no money, ain't it?
0:22:42 > 0:22:44THEY LAUGH
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Have you brought me a dud 'n? - I have.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53- Some kind of crash.- No good, is it? Left.- Go on, left.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- Thank you! Bye!- Bye.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00Bed 33 will soon be prepped ready for its next patient.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Back at Barnsley Hospital's A&E...
0:23:11 > 0:23:13What's his mobility normally like?
0:23:16 > 0:23:19..bed 2 in the resus unit is looking after 27-year-old Jordan...
0:23:21 > 0:23:25..as he undergoes a risky procedure to save his left lung.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28OK, a bit of pushing.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34His five-year-old son jumped on his chest causing the lung to collapse.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37Got the drain.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Yeah.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43Dr Hickinbotham has to insert a tube into the chest cavity
0:23:43 > 0:23:47to drain the lung without causing any internal injuries.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52With these, is there a different connector?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Dr Hickinbotham is supervised by consultant Dr Reddi.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06So what Leon is trying to do is to get him ready to get the drain in
0:24:06 > 0:24:10so that the air can be removed from the chest cavity
0:24:10 > 0:24:12and the lung will expand.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15As a trainee within the specialty, within A&E, we have to get
0:24:15 > 0:24:19certain procedures signed off by the consultant body.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Just a couple of coughs. Sorry.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23JORDAN COUGHS
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Yeah, bubbling away. And swinging.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Yep, swinging nicely.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'Does make it a little bit more nerve-racking
0:24:31 > 0:24:33'having plenty of eyes on you.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36'But, thankfully, it's gone in first time without a problem.'
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'He's done fantastically well.'
0:24:39 > 0:24:42As the air comes out, you'll start feeling a lot better.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46And gradually over today that will resolve
0:24:46 > 0:24:48and more and more air will come out.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Dr Hickinbotham has successfully inserted the tube.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55We're just going to put a stitch in, just so that it holds it in place
0:24:55 > 0:24:59then we'll put a dressing over the top, just keep it nice and clean.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11His breathing should continue to improve as that air comes out
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and the lung re-expands from its collapsed form.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18We'll request a bed up on to the ward so that we can keep an eye
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and make sure that he continues to improve
0:25:20 > 0:25:23with a view getting the drain out later on today.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28It is a risk that it will happen again.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32But the respiratory team will be following him up closely.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Once a bed is freed up on a ward,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Jordan will say goodbye to resus bed 2.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Back at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05another wave of patients is due to fill up the day surgery unit's beds.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13With current NHS pressures, staff and beds here rarely get a break.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16It's very, very busy.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Today I've had a complete, full board.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Nurse McDonald will look after 17 beds and patients
0:26:21 > 0:26:23throughout the day.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25So, you've got a little bit of blood round there but that'll come off.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27That'll come off eventually, yeah.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31It is a fast-paced job. It's like a nonstop conveyor belt.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Day surgery bed 40 is about to meet its second patient of the day.
0:26:39 > 0:26:4339-year-old speech therapist Helen has a suspected heart condition
0:26:43 > 0:26:45which doctors are struggling to diagnose.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49- Are you nervous?- Yeah. Of course.- Mm, it won't take long.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53She's come in with husband of 18 years, window cleaner Johnny.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57We'll be in by half-12 and hopefully out by about half-past-three.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Get today out the way.- Mm.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Helen's had a heart monitor fitted under her skin
0:27:03 > 0:27:05to help doctors understand her heart problem.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Helen Thompson?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Today it's being removed.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Day surgery bed 40 is now ready to meet Helen.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- Pop yourself there.- Yep, thank you. Cheers, thanks.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I can be nosy here. You can see everything going on.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Four years ago, Helen's heart started to beat rapidly
0:27:28 > 0:27:30and irregularly.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34- Did they say what it is? - No, no.- No, it's just random.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Living with me!- At least you're honest about yourself!
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Isn't he? He's very honest. - Very honest.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Helen was placed on tablets to control the attacks
0:27:42 > 0:27:45but she still has symptoms.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Every day I have effects from it.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50So, in the morning, I have to go make the cup of tea
0:27:50 > 0:27:52which isn't a problem. No, it's true.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54He's so hard done by!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56- Yeah.- When she goes upstairs, she can't speak at the top.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- I can't get my breath. - She can't get her breath.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- Oh, really? - Yeah. And that hasn't improved...
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- Mornings are worst. - ..with tablets or anything.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Unless she's blagging me just so she can stay in bed
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and I get the cup of tea! Ha!
0:28:08 > 0:28:09That's the least you can do.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Helen is unusually young to have a heart condition.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Doctors have tried to rule out atrial fibrillation or AF,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22a disease associated with increased risk of heart failure and stroke.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24You wonder. You read a little bit on the internet,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27you think there's some very serious things it could be.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31And, of course, until you eliminate everything, you are worried.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36- At 34, 35 when it started... - Yeah.- ..it was a big thing.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40I mean, I thought, what the hell's going on?
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Originally they wanted to rule out atrial fibrillation.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Still might be that, but I don't think it is.- I don't think it's that.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Trouble with that, you can only deter it if it's that
0:28:49 > 0:28:51if you catch a major attack.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54And because she's been on the tablets,
0:28:54 > 0:28:55she hasn't had a major attack.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58So there's a bit of a catch-22 going on.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05Atrial fibrillation affects between 2% and 3% of the population.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08They say people with AF have got a huge chance of a stroke
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and things like that.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12We don't think like that.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15You know, we haven't been told it is that, so presume it's not that.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Helen and Johnny met in 1995.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22They got married four years later and now have two children.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Ooh, yeah, there. Yeah. Oh, God, yeah.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30- Yeah.- You, hey, it should be me having massage! I'm the patient.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34- He wasn't my type at first. - No.- Yeah, he wasn't my type.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37- But now you're my rock, aren't you? - Oh, she's easy going.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- I'm very chilled, aren't I? - That's why we're still together.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42- It's true.- No-one else'd put up with him, that's why.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48You say no, I'm having major heart surgery!
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Ha-ha!
0:29:50 > 0:29:52No, I can feel a takeaway coming on.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57- Are you getting nervous?- I'll be nervous when I go down there.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Well, you're in good hands here, bab, aren't you?
0:30:00 > 0:30:03I was nervous more about today, about having it out
0:30:03 > 0:30:05than what I was it going in.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- It'll be fine. - I'll be glad to get it out.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- Absolutely.- I just hope it comes out as easily as what it went in.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Later, we'll find out how Helen gets on having her heart monitor removed.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Back at Barnsley Hospital in South Yorkshire...
0:30:34 > 0:30:38OK. She's in, yeah, she's in cubicle number 3. Thank you! Cheers, bye.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45..A&E bed 12 is being prepped ready for its next patient.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50- Can I count?- No. - Why not?- Cos I'm going to do it!
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Ready, steady, slide.
0:30:52 > 0:30:5583-year-old ex-miner Lewis has been brought in by ambulance
0:30:55 > 0:30:57after collapsing at home.
0:30:59 > 0:31:00You all right?
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I'll see ya later. You take care.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07His wife of 20 years, Julie, is by his side.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11His legs just went from under him and he's not well at all.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14I feel a bit better now,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18because they've given me a few jabs and that.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23And wait and see what they'll do, that's all you can do.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26And I've no teeth in. She's got my teeth in!
0:31:27 > 0:31:29No, have I, 'eck!
0:31:29 > 0:31:30LEWIS LAUGHS
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Lewis has severe pain in his back from when he fell.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Wife Julie is concerned about why he suddenly collapsed.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44He got his walker at the side of the bed and he went over.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Well, I can't pick him up, I can't do things like that.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52That walker ripped all his legs.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54You know, its screws on it.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Anyway, I just pulled the string
0:31:56 > 0:31:58and it goes straight through to the warden.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02And then, come here and just wait and see.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Nurse Miller is looking after Lewis today.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- I've come to do your blood tests. Is that all right?- That's all right.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Then I'm going to pop a cannula in, do you know what one of those is?
0:32:14 > 0:32:16- No, no.- It's where we leave the needle in,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- in case we need to give you some medicine.- Aye.- Is that all right?
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- Then I'll come back and do an ECG afterwards.- All right, then, love.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Lewis had a serious bout of pneumonia a few months ago.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Doctors fear it may have returned, causing his collapse,
0:32:31 > 0:32:32so they're running some tests.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- Is that arm OK on here? - That's OK.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40So, a bit of a sharp scratch coming. Are you ready?
0:32:40 > 0:32:43And we're in. You've got nice veins.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45- I've what?- You've got nice veins.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47LEWIS LAUGHS
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- That's a nursie compliment, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54- Bet you never thought you'd be told that.- No.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00THEY LAUGH
0:33:01 > 0:33:04We'll get these sent off and then I'll come back to do your ECG.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06- All right? Thank you very much. - Thanks a lot.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13At 69, Lewis' wife Julie is 14 years younger
0:33:13 > 0:33:15and has become his primary carer.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19No. If you're hurting, you're hurting.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24He doesn't want to put pressure on doctors. Says they've enough on.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27I say, yeah, but you're ill, you know.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30I say, you're ill, you need to have somebody.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Oh, I love him to bits. If anything were to happen
0:33:32 > 0:33:36I don't know what I'd do. Honest to God, I don't.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38I don't. And he's always saying,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41"If you go first, I'll be following you,"
0:33:41 > 0:33:45he says, "so I'll leave the coffin lid open!"
0:33:47 > 0:33:48Just close your eyes a bit.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52You might be feeling a little bit better if you do that. Eh?
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Eh?
0:33:55 > 0:33:58We'll be back with A&E bed 12 later
0:33:58 > 0:34:00as Lewis finds out what caused him to collapse.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Back at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital,
0:34:12 > 0:34:1539-year-old Helen has been waiting on day surgery bed 40
0:34:15 > 0:34:20for several hours. Husband Johnny is by her side.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22SHE YAWNS
0:34:22 > 0:34:23Oh, stop it.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25HE YAWNS
0:34:25 > 0:34:28- Oh, you've started me now. - Sorry.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30She has an undiagnosed heart problem
0:34:30 > 0:34:34and is here to have a heart monitor removed from under her skin.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Shouldn't be too much longer now.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40But time's running out.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Oh, that hurts there. Ooh! Oh!
0:34:44 > 0:34:48If she doesn't get into theatre soon,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Helen's operation may be cancelled.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54- Oh, you're on a knot! Ooh, you're on a knot!- No, no.
0:34:54 > 0:34:55HE LAUGHS GENTLY
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Ideally we need to try and get all the patients in.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Cos if there's no bed for the patient, the patient gets cancelled
0:35:01 > 0:35:03cos they need a bed to recover in.
0:35:06 > 0:35:07Give us a kiss.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11- Don't want one now.- Mm.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14I love you, darling.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15I'll be back here waiting for you.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18While you're asleep, think of what you're preparing...
0:35:18 > 0:35:20- I'm not going to sleep! - ..for dinner when you get home.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23After nearly four hours on bed 40...
0:35:23 > 0:35:24OK, ready to go.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28- Do you want to say goodbye now and then...- Yeah, OK.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32..a space has become available for Helen in theatre.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36- Mm. Love you.- Good luck. See you when you come back. Ta-ta.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39See you in about an hour.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Day surgery bed 40
0:35:41 > 0:35:45transports Helen down the hospital corridors to theatre.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46Just a little bit nervous
0:35:46 > 0:35:49but I know there's nothing to be nervous about.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52I can't wait to have a cup of tea.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54I've never gone so long without a cup of tea.
0:35:55 > 0:36:00Cardiologist Dr Magnani is carrying out the procedure today.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03You've not had any further episodes since then, have you?
0:36:03 > 0:36:07I have, my ectopic beats, but I've not had anything major.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10- Anything different from the last time you saw us?- No, nothing, no.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15She's having a local anaesthetic so will be awake throughout.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18- You all right?- I'm fine.
0:36:18 > 0:36:19I'm in good hands.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Helen's heart-rate monitor is coming out
0:36:24 > 0:36:27but her underlying heart problem has still not been established.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Husband Johnny waits outside theatre.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35The next concern is, they'd like her off the tablets,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38I think, by the time she's 50, what happens then?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40They said, maybe, hopefully, it'll just stop happening
0:36:40 > 0:36:42but I'm not too sure about that
0:36:42 > 0:36:45because she's very reliant on the tablets.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47I'm not going to think about it and nor will Helen
0:36:47 > 0:36:50so we'll see what happens, simple as that.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56The monitoring device is removed successfully.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- You can see it here, just a very small scar.- OK, great. Thank you.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00That will heal.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02It's not the most pleasant of things,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04it's all the pushing and pulling.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Yeah, there is a lot of pushing and pulling.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Often people say it's a lot harder to take it out.
0:37:11 > 0:37:12Right, we'll be back.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15- Am I driving.- I'll drive.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Day surgery bed 40 and Helen head back to the ward.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25'It wasn't that pleasant, I must admit, but it didn't take very long.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27'So, all done.'
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- Here she is.- Hello.- Back with me.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Are you all right? You OK?
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- She did great.- All done?- Yeah.- Good.
0:37:38 > 0:37:39Brilliant.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42- You take care. Have a nice weekend. - And you, bye.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Lovely. OK, so what have you got to do, then?
0:37:44 > 0:37:48- Ten days of keeping it strapped? - Yeah, and they said
0:37:48 > 0:37:51at least five days no cooking.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52JOHNNY LAUGHS
0:37:52 > 0:37:53No chance.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- No washing up. - Maybe today, that's about it!
0:37:56 > 0:37:57THEY LAUGH
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Have your cup of tea.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Yeah. Shall I open them for you?
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Half-an-hour later, Helen's discharged...
0:38:10 > 0:38:11Let's go.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17..freeing up bed 40 to be cleaned for the next day.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22We need to go and find the kids.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25- Go and pick the kids up from wherever they are.- Yeah.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27A takeaway, I think, won't it?
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- So, it'll be home and chill and rest. Simple as that.- Yeah.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Back at Barnsley Hospital, A&E bed 12
0:38:45 > 0:38:49is with 83-year-old former miner Lewis.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52He's come in with wife of 20 years Julie
0:38:52 > 0:38:55after collapsing during the night.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Just a minute, there's another one here.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Oh! Oh. I'm sorry.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Lewis has a history of contracting pneumonia.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11Dr Hickinbotham suspects pneumonia might have caused Lewis' collapse.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12So, Lewis was in fairly recently
0:39:12 > 0:39:15where he ended up stopping in for a month
0:39:15 > 0:39:18and became very unwell during that period.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20And that's what's left him very weak.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23His white cell count is raised a little bit
0:39:23 > 0:39:26which would suggest that there may be a bit of infection starting
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and, as part of the investigation, we decided to do a chest X-ray
0:39:29 > 0:39:31to see whether that would be a source.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Right, I'll get my bag.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Are you all right?
0:39:37 > 0:39:40A&E bed 12 takes Lewis for an X-ray of his lungs.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44- You coming with us, Julie?- Pardon? - She is.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48- She's stood at the side of you here. - Yeah, I'm here with you.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49Have you put your coat on?
0:39:49 > 0:39:52No, I don't need my coat on, I'm not going outside.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00I'm going to park you up here and then I'll take you in.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Coming for you in a second.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- You all right, love?- I'm a bit...
0:40:09 > 0:40:11- Eh, are you puffed?- I'm a bit puffed, but I'm all right,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13I'm all right, I'm all right.
0:40:13 > 0:40:14- Lewis Ingham.- Right, Mr Ingham,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- we're taking you in for an X-ray of your chest.- All right.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23He's a lot older than me, obviously, but age is just a number.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26After three hours in A&E, Lewis gets his X-ray.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32If he can come home now, I'd like him at home, you know.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Er, I would like him at home.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41What did you used to do for a living?
0:40:41 > 0:40:43- A coal miner. - You were a coal miner?- Yep.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Returning from X-ray,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50A&E bed 12 and Lewis feel the NHS bed pressures first hand.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53The department is chokka.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Another patient has taken their cubicle.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57I'll just put you here for a minute
0:40:57 > 0:40:59and I'll let the nurse know where you are as well.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Let me pull your jumper down.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10After 15 minutes, Dr Hickinbotham finds Lewis a room.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16So we're just coming into this one, Lewis.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- There we go. Didn't get any bangs on the way through, Lewis.- No, no.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- Good driving.- We try.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Lewis' results are back.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- So, your X-ray looks nice and clear. - Yeah.- OK.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Just your blood tests at the moment just show that you are
0:41:33 > 0:41:34a little bit dehydrated.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37But, at the moment, we can't really find anything specific
0:41:37 > 0:41:38that's going on.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40But, given what's happened this morning,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42with you having your legs giving way
0:41:42 > 0:41:44and you've been a bit generally unwell,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47we've decided that we're going to admit you up on to our medical floor
0:41:47 > 0:41:49just to keep an eye on things
0:41:49 > 0:41:51and making sure you're feeling spot-on
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- before we're getting back home. - I want to go home tomorrow.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Well, let's get you fixed first. OK?
0:41:58 > 0:42:00- Don't you be...- As long as it takes, Lewis.- Yes.- Yes.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- Thank you. - Thank you very much, doctor.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07He's poorly or they wouldn't have kept him.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10And I want them to get him better.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12I do, I want him to get better.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18I'll see you in a bit, love. Ta-ra.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26Lewis is transferred to an acute medical unit for observation,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29releasing A&E bed 12 for its next patient.
0:42:37 > 0:42:38Our hospital beds have given us
0:42:38 > 0:42:41intimate access to the work of the NHS.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47Lewis ended up with pneumonia and was in hospital for five days.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50He's now back at home with wife Julie.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Helen and Johnny are waiting to see
0:42:54 > 0:42:57if doctors can shed any more light on Helen's heart condition.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02And Christine's fingertip now has some movement.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05She and best friend Janet are still thick as thieves.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10The beds are now back on their wards,
0:43:10 > 0:43:12ready and waiting for their next round of patients.