Episode 3 Secret Life of the Hospital Bed

SIRENS WAIL

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 nonstop conveyor belt.

In this series, we use special cameras on beds

in four very different hospitals...

Ah, comfy bed.

..to see the world through the bed's eyes...

Left at the lights!

..as they share the most challenging...

SHE GASPS

Oh, it's coming again.

SHE WHIMPERS

It's better you don't get upset. And we'll look after you, OK?

Are you OK, pet?

..most intimate...

..and most rewarding moments of our lives.

So, so happy.

Coming up,

in Birmingham, on day surgery bed 33,

70-year-old Christine's fingertip may have to be amputated.

But if the bone isn't too good,

they're thinking about taking it off.

In Barnsley, on resus bed 2,

doctors fight to save 27-year-old Jordan's lung.

OK, a bit of pushing.

And in Leeds, on paediatric bed 3,

six-year-old Olivia faces her fear of operations.

-Are you going to be brave for your mummy today?

-No.

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

This is The Secret Life Of The Hospital Bed.

At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham...

Hello, sister.

..the day surgery unit has 81 beds caring for up to 100 patients a day.

These beds work under pressure, getting patients through surgery

before moving to the next on the waiting list.

The lists are so long, everywhere.

People have been on the waiting list for weeks, months.

So we just try our best to try and get patients in and out.

The room's all good.

Day surgery bed 33 is being prepped for its first patient of the day.

70-year-old retired cleaner Christine...

Socks.

..has come in for an operation.

I'm all prepared.

She developed complications when a splinter in her finger went septic.

I saw a little bit in, so I got a needle

flicking it out. Pfft.

Within two hours it was like a big green plum.

-You're very accident-prone.

-I know.

-Very accident-prone.

Best friend Janet is supporting Christine today

as she may need to have her fingertip amputated.

They're going to put a screw in or, if it's really bad,

take it off to there.

Christine left the infection untreated,

causing permanent damage and pain to her finger.

I mean, look at that to that. Something's not quite right there.

So I should come out with a new finger or no finger.

SHE LAUGHS

Day surgery bed 33 is now cleaned and ready.

OK, sweetheart.

THEY LAUGH

-Good luck.

-Yeah, thanks, darling.

-Yeah.

-All right, then. See you later.

-And I'll be waiting.

-Are you sure you're OK with that?

-Yeah. Yeah.

Nurse Russell will be taking care of Christine today.

-There you go.

-That's fine, thank you, because I've got a bad back.

-OK.

-I've got a lot of problems, ain't I?

-You got any children?

-Yes, I have.

-Two.

-Ooh, have you really?

Two boys.

There's only me at home with the cat, the budgie and the fish.

THEY LAUGH

-Have you ever had a stroke?

-No.

-And you're not allergic to anything?

-Not as I know to, no, no.

Only men!

THEY LAUGH

-Do you smoke at all?

-No.

I drink.

-How many glasses?

-I ain't telling ya!

-Oh, my God!

I have a whisky and lemonade every night.

-What does that taste like?

-Lovely.

It's lovely.

-It's nice to meet you.

-Yeah, you too, love.

-Hope everything goes well.

-Thank you very much, yeah.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye, love.

'She's hilarious.'

Just a splinter and now she can't bend it

and it's really...surprising that she may lose it.

Christine's finger became deformed because, like one in four of us,

she self-diagnosed rather than go to the doctors.

Her best friend Janet is waiting in the reception area.

I'll be glad when it's over for her.

Er, she's gone through enough. She really has.

And we do look out for one another. We really do.

But, no, we're good friends.

Christine's husband of 27 years died two years ago.

He was my soulmate. Can't get over it.

And he was a glazier, you know?

Do you know putty buckets that you put putty in?

Well, I had one of them for his funeral.

I had one made with all the flowers in with Norman's putty on.

And I brought it home and it's in my garden.

And I put little candles in and little flowers

and talk to... Sometimes I kick it!

"Why did you leave me?" I do, I do.

You can't help it, can you, when it's a loved one like that.

After an hour-and-a-half on the ward,

it's time for day surgery bed 33 to take Christine to theatre.

-Wagons roll, eh?

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

-Left at the lights!

-Negotiate this corner.

-It's a bit tight.

-It is tight there, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Breathe in, please? Watch your feet.

I'd hate to bang ya.

We'll return later to find out what happens to Christine's finger.

'I am a bit frightened. I'll just be glad when it's all done now.'

In the heart of the city centre sits Leeds Children's Hospital.

Its paediatric day surgery unit has 26 beds

caring for over 500 patients a month.

I've got four pre-op patients to admit.

I've got another two acutes to go down as well.

These beds are with children of all ages before and after surgery.

You coming to Mummy?

Paediatric bed 3 is waiting for its first patient.

We can build all the men up, can't we?

Oh, look at this bed.

Six-year-old Olivia has come in with mum Kathy for a biopsy of her bowel.

Ah, look at this chair. It's more comfy than the other one.

Oh, it's all squishy.

She suffers from chronic constipation

and, at the moment, her bowels are extended

so they need to do a biopsy to see what it is.

During a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed

so it can be tested.

We're going to build some stick men.

I'll show you how to do it.

There.

Olivia is one of around 100,000 children in the UK

who suffer from constipation, but hers is chronic.

She's very bright, intelligent, aren't you?

One minute you're really happy,

the next minute she can be a little madam.

Olivia's surgeon, Mr Sugarman, will be testing

for a serious underlying disease that would require invasive surgery.

There is one condition

which is a condition called Hirschsprung's disease.

It's quite rare, about one in 5,000 births.

So we try and rule it out.

Are you sticking your tongue out? Ha!

Put that tongue back in!

OLIVIA GIGGLES

Just leave that tooth alone.

Olivia's been on bed 3 for only 40 minutes

when something unexpected happens.

Oh! It's just fallen out.

SHE LAUGHS

Your tooth's just fallen out.

How cool's that?

Here! Use a bit of tissue to dab it.

While losing a tooth doesn't faze Olivia,

she's developed a phobia of operations.

Are you going to be a brave girl for Mummy today?

No.

Olivia's had to come to hospital dozens of times

due to her chronic condition.

Who was brave last time? Remember?

That was cos I didn't feel it.

Anaesthetist Dr Guruswamy needs to decide the best approach.

I had a look at the notes from the previous anaesthetist.

-It looked like she was quite upset.

-Yeah, she was.

-Was she screaming?

-Yeah, she was screaming yeah.

-I had to hold her.

-You had to really hold her.

-Yeah.

-I mean, any kid would be scared.

-Yeah.

Dr Guruswamy has prescribed a sedative medicine

to make Olivia more relaxed ahead of her general anaesthetic.

Are you going to do these medicines?

-No!

-Can Mummy do them for you?

-No.

We have this problem all the time with her meds.

With Olivia flatly refusing the medication,

she'll have to go to theatre for her anaesthetic without any sedation.

Later we rejoin bed 3 as the team try to get Olivia to theatre

for a vital procedure.

Barnsley Hospital in South Yorkshire.

Five minutes. OK, so we'll see them in resus

when they get here, then, please? Thank you, cheers. Bye.

The A&E department has a resuscitation area

with six specialist beds and lifesaving equipment.

That sepsis man needs to come in here.

These beds look after patients with the most serious conditions.

You've got the sickest patients going to resus

and you need to decide, are they going to die in front of me now?

Are they going to die in the next hour?

And, if so, what do I need to do?

27-year-old railway engineer Jordan has been rushed on to resus bed 2

with a potentially life-threatening collapsed lung.

It's a stabbing pain but constant every time you try and breathe.

Horrible feeling.

He's struggling to talk and breathe properly.

He's been given gas to ease the pain.

An X-ray has been taken.

Dr Hickinbotham is assessing the damage.

You can see that there's a large rim of air around the lung

with the lung tissue here that's actually collapsed down.

There's a good 5.3 centimetres there.

I can feel that the left side of my chest is not getting any air.

It just seems like every time I breathe in it hurts.

Every year more than 9,000 people are admitted to hospital

with a collapsed lung.

Left untreated, it can be fatal.

If it got to the point that the lung collapsed even further

and it started compressing all of his heart and his lung

further across to the right-hand side,

then that can cause his heart rate to increase,

but also his blood pressure to drop.

His heart may stop as a result of that and require resuscitation.

If that wasn't done in time then he may die as well.

Doctors need to act fast and drain Jordan's lung.

It's a risky procedure requiring a steady hand

as the pipe passes near vital organs and arteries.

We can cause bleeding into the cavity itself.

And also that left-hand side is his heart.

Put some local anaesthetic in once it's all clean

and then put the drain in.

Dr Reddi, who is a consultant, and Dr Hickinbotham's senior,

is keeping a close eye.

I think it's important to get the operation right

as to where the drain is going to be.

Just a little short stab.

You're just going to feel that bit of pushing.

It is a very, very delicate procedure

and quite risky as well if you don't do it properly.

cos there is potential to cause a lot of injuries in the chest cavity.

We'll return later to find out if the procedure is a success

and Jordan's lung is saved.

At Leeds Children's Hospital on paediatric bed 3,

six-year-Olivia is waiting to go to theatre.

Mum, look!

-Are we ready to go?

-Yeah.

-Yay!

Finally!

Finally!

She's having a biopsy

to try and find out why she suffers from chronic constipation.

-Have you got SpongeBob?

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah, let's not forget SpongeBob!

Doctors need to rule out a serious underlying condition

but Olivia is adamant she doesn't want the operation.

Now, sweetheart if you're walking you need to put some shoes on.

-Are we going home?

-No, we're not going home, we're just going down.

Just going to go down and see another doctor.

-No, and then we'll go home.

-And then you'll go home.

Yay. Finally.

I don't have to get an operation.

-I think we do, Olivia!

-No, we don't.

Paediatric bed 3 is left behind as Olivia heads to theatre.

Oh, and my tummy's starting to go.

After two previous operations,

Olivia's developed an intense fear of having a general anaesthetic.

-No, no, no!

-SHE SOBS

-All right, OK.

-Look here.

-Come on.

-OLIVIA SOBS

Listen.

OLIVIA CRIES

-Olivia, listen.

-Calm down.

Yeah, listen Olivia, we're trying to do you some good, OK?

We're trying to make you better. OK?

Right, Mum, what do you want me to do?

-Are you happy to hold her?

-Yeah, I'll just settle her, yeah.

OLIVIA WAILS

Sweetheart.

You just lay and have a cuddle with Mummy.

OLIVIA SOBS

Right, OK, I'm not going to do anything to you.

I'm just going to place it on your face. OK?

With the help of mum Kathy,

anaesthetist Dr Guruswamy sedates Olivia.

Well done!

-Lift up.

-Can you get the head down?

Well done, Mum, OK.

Thank you.

-Shouldn't be too long.

-Right, OK.

-About half-an-hour or so.

-Great.

-OK?

-Yeah, I'm fine.

-See you soon.

I know she's scared.

I just don't like seeing her going under

cos it's just a scary thing to see her eyes just droop back.

That's what's worrying me the most.

But I know she's in safe hands.

Surgeon Mr Sugarman will perform the procedure

which will take around 45 minutes.

Can I have a swab, please?

Half-an-hour in and the sample is taken.

OK, can I have a stitch, please?

After 15 minutes, once her anaesthetic has worn off,

Olivia is reunited with mum Kathy.

-Hi.

-Hiya.

-You OK?

-Here's Mummy.

-OLIVIA CRIES

Olivia, Mummy's here.

It's OK, darling, it's OK.

The procedure went fine. Got a nice sample.

I hope we should be able to get a formal result.

If she turned out to have this condition called Hirschsprung's,

that would require a major operation.

Olivia heads back to the ward.

I'm all right now she's back up here and settled.

Just be glad to get home.

Mummy.

They'll have to wait a few weeks for the results of her biopsy.

But, for now, Olivia can go home.

Oh, we need to be let out, don't we?

Paediatric bed 3 is prepped ready for its next patient.

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

..in Birmingham, on day surgery bed 33,

Christine reports back to Janet on her finger op.

You could hear the drilling. Grrr.

I thought they was building me a fence! Ha!

On day surgery bed 40,

there's concern about 39-year-old Helen's heart.

There's some very serious things it could be

and, until you eliminate everything, you are worried.

And in Barnsley, on A&E bed 12, Lewis' wife fears for his life.

Oh, I love him to bits.

If anything were to happen, I don't know what I'd do.

Back in Birmingham at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital...

Aren't they all lovely?

I've always said in here they're a different class.

-Thank you!

-Different class of people.

..day surgery bed 33 is carrying 70-year-old Christine

back from theatre after an operation on her finger.

-And in again.

-Oh, we're here.

-Yay.

-I'm home.

-Home again.

-I'm home again!

CHRISTINE LAUGHS

Back up the naughty corner.

-You take care of yourself.

-Thank you very much

and I hope you get home OK. Thank you so much.

Lovely.

Following an infection, the finger became painful and deformed.

There were fears it would have to be amputated today.

I tell you, it was like 60 Minute Makeover.

I could hear them say, "Drills, screws." Then you get...

-SHE IMITATES DRILLING

-..and clipping.

SHE LAUGHS

But they wouldn't let me see, you see, they wouldn't let me see it.

Surgeons managed to save and straighten the finger.

They did say I might have a little bit of movement in the top as well.

So we'll have to wait and see.

I've never seen anything like it.

Want to see the bandages on here?

Look at the bandage on here just for a finger.

What are you doing taking that off?

-I was just going to look.

-Put it back on!

You're not supposed to take it off yet.

You're not supposed to take it off yet.

-You're not supposed to take it off yet.

-Smack her!

Sister Harris has taken over Christine's care on the ward.

-I'll do your blood pressure first.

-Right.

-And then we'll get a cup of tea.

-Lovely.

Christine's best friend Janet

has been waiting in reception throughout

due to having a bad cough.

We've just got, I think, the same outlook on life, really.

Don't moan about things.

Just get on with it.

SHE COUGHS

I think my friend might come in now.

-I'll bring her in.

-She was getting a bit embarrassed

-cos she has asthma and keeps coughing, see.

-Oh, no.

I think she'll come down now.

-I haven't noticed anyone who's coughing out there.

-No.

It might have calmed down for her now.

-Is one of them seats for me?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Ah, bless.

Put this on. I'd better put it round your neck?

-Oh, right, thank you.

-It's hurting.

-Thank you.

-But honest to God, Janet, you could hear a drilling.

-Mm.

Then he'd say, "The drill."

Then he'd say, "Some wire."

Then he'd say, "Blow it."

-You could hear the bone being chipped.

-Yeah.

I mean, I couldn't feel nothing. But you could hear it!

SHE MAKES A DRILLING NOISE

SHE GIGGLES

-I thought they was building me a fence!

-Oh, bless.

But they were lovely. They really were.

Oh, but I've got us some tea.

-I've just got us some tea.

-JANET COUGHS

Know what I'm like with me left hand. I can't...

Oh, gosh, Janet, that's better than a whisky, that is!

Love. that's better than a whisky, that!

SHE GIGGLES

Isn't she lovely?

After five hours with day surgery bed 33,

Christine and her great friend Janet can head home

with Christine's finger still intact.

Keep it elevated, though.

Can't fault the staff here. What they've done for me.

They're all brilliant.

But the most of it is, is my friend has been gold.

Wouldn't have known what to do without her.

Good friends,

better than all the money in the world is a good friendship.

It is, yeah.

It's a good job, we've got no money, ain't it?

THEY LAUGH

-Have you brought me a dud 'n?

-I have.

-Some kind of crash.

-No good, is it? Left.

-Go on, left.

-Thank you! Bye!

-Bye.

Bed 33 will soon be prepped ready for its next patient.

Back at Barnsley Hospital's A&E...

What's his mobility normally like?

..bed 2 in the resus unit is looking after 27-year-old Jordan...

..as he undergoes a risky procedure to save his left lung.

OK, a bit of pushing.

His five-year-old son jumped on his chest causing the lung to collapse.

Got the drain.

Yeah.

Dr Hickinbotham has to insert a tube into the chest cavity

to drain the lung without causing any internal injuries.

With these, is there a different connector?

Dr Hickinbotham is supervised by consultant Dr Reddi.

So what Leon is trying to do is to get him ready to get the drain in

so that the air can be removed from the chest cavity

and the lung will expand.

As a trainee within the specialty, within A&E, we have to get

certain procedures signed off by the consultant body.

Just a couple of coughs. Sorry.

JORDAN COUGHS

Yeah, bubbling away. And swinging.

Yep, swinging nicely.

'Does make it a little bit more nerve-racking

'having plenty of eyes on you.

'But, thankfully, it's gone in first time without a problem.'

'He's done fantastically well.'

As the air comes out, you'll start feeling a lot better.

And gradually over today that will resolve

and more and more air will come out.

Dr Hickinbotham has successfully inserted the tube.

We're just going to put a stitch in, just so that it holds it in place

then we'll put a dressing over the top, just keep it nice and clean.

His breathing should continue to improve as that air comes out

and the lung re-expands from its collapsed form.

We'll request a bed up on to the ward so that we can keep an eye

and make sure that he continues to improve

with a view getting the drain out later on today.

It is a risk that it will happen again.

But the respiratory team will be following him up closely.

Once a bed is freed up on a ward,

Jordan will say goodbye to resus bed 2.

Back at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham,

another wave of patients is due to fill up the day surgery unit's beds.

With current NHS pressures, staff and beds here rarely get a break.

It's very, very busy.

Today I've had a complete, full board.

Nurse McDonald will look after 17 beds and patients

throughout the day.

So, you've got a little bit of blood round there but that'll come off.

That'll come off eventually, yeah.

It is a fast-paced job. It's like a nonstop conveyor belt.

Day surgery bed 40 is about to meet its second patient of the day.

39-year-old speech therapist Helen has a suspected heart condition

which doctors are struggling to diagnose.

-Are you nervous?

-Yeah. Of course.

-Mm, it won't take long.

She's come in with husband of 18 years, window cleaner Johnny.

We'll be in by half-12 and hopefully out by about half-past-three.

-Get today out the way.

-Mm.

Helen's had a heart monitor fitted under her skin

to help doctors understand her heart problem.

Helen Thompson?

Today it's being removed.

Day surgery bed 40 is now ready to meet Helen.

-Pop yourself there.

-Yep, thank you. Cheers, thanks.

I can be nosy here. You can see everything going on.

Four years ago, Helen's heart started to beat rapidly

and irregularly.

-Did they say what it is?

-No, no.

-No, it's just random.

-Living with me!

-At least you're honest about yourself!

-Isn't he? He's very honest.

-Very honest.

Helen was placed on tablets to control the attacks

but she still has symptoms.

Every day I have effects from it.

So, in the morning, I have to go make the cup of tea

which isn't a problem. No, it's true.

He's so hard done by!

-Yeah.

-When she goes upstairs, she can't speak at the top.

-I can't get my breath.

-She can't get her breath.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. And that hasn't improved...

-Mornings are worst.

-..with tablets or anything.

Unless she's blagging me just so she can stay in bed

and I get the cup of tea! Ha!

That's the least you can do.

Helen is unusually young to have a heart condition.

Doctors have tried to rule out atrial fibrillation or AF,

a disease associated with increased risk of heart failure and stroke.

You wonder. You read a little bit on the internet,

you think there's some very serious things it could be.

And, of course, until you eliminate everything, you are worried.

-At 34, 35 when it started...

-Yeah.

-..it was a big thing.

I mean, I thought, what the hell's going on?

Originally they wanted to rule out atrial fibrillation.

-Still might be that, but I don't think it is.

-I don't think it's that.

Trouble with that, you can only deter it if it's that

if you catch a major attack.

And because she's been on the tablets,

she hasn't had a major attack.

So there's a bit of a catch-22 going on.

Atrial fibrillation affects between 2% and 3% of the population.

They say people with AF have got a huge chance of a stroke

and things like that.

We don't think like that.

You know, we haven't been told it is that, so presume it's not that.

Helen and Johnny met in 1995.

They got married four years later and now have two children.

Ooh, yeah, there. Yeah. Oh, God, yeah.

-Yeah.

-You, hey, it should be me having massage! I'm the patient.

-He wasn't my type at first.

-No.

-Yeah, he wasn't my type.

-But now you're my rock, aren't you?

-Oh, she's easy going.

-I'm very chilled, aren't I?

-That's why we're still together.

-It's true.

-No-one else'd put up with him, that's why.

You say no, I'm having major heart surgery!

Ha-ha!

No, I can feel a takeaway coming on.

-Are you getting nervous?

-I'll be nervous when I go down there.

Well, you're in good hands here, bab, aren't you?

I was nervous more about today, about having it out

than what I was it going in.

-It'll be fine.

-I'll be glad to get it out.

-Absolutely.

-I just hope it comes out as easily as what it went in.

Later, we'll find out how Helen gets on having her heart monitor removed.

Back at Barnsley Hospital in South Yorkshire...

OK. She's in, yeah, she's in cubicle number 3. Thank you! Cheers, bye.

..A&E bed 12 is being prepped ready for its next patient.

-Can I count?

-No.

-Why not?

-Cos I'm going to do it!

Ready, steady, slide.

83-year-old ex-miner Lewis has been brought in by ambulance

after collapsing at home.

You all right?

I'll see ya later. You take care.

His wife of 20 years, Julie, is by his side.

His legs just went from under him and he's not well at all.

I feel a bit better now,

because they've given me a few jabs and that.

And wait and see what they'll do, that's all you can do.

And I've no teeth in. She's got my teeth in!

No, have I, 'eck!

LEWIS LAUGHS

Lewis has severe pain in his back from when he fell.

Wife Julie is concerned about why he suddenly collapsed.

He got his walker at the side of the bed and he went over.

Well, I can't pick him up, I can't do things like that.

That walker ripped all his legs.

You know, its screws on it.

Anyway, I just pulled the string

and it goes straight through to the warden.

And then, come here and just wait and see.

Nurse Miller is looking after Lewis today.

-I've come to do your blood tests. Is that all right?

-That's all right.

Then I'm going to pop a cannula in, do you know what one of those is?

-No, no.

-It's where we leave the needle in,

-in case we need to give you some medicine.

-Aye.

-Is that all right?

-Then I'll come back and do an ECG afterwards.

-All right, then, love.

Lewis had a serious bout of pneumonia a few months ago.

Doctors fear it may have returned, causing his collapse,

so they're running some tests.

-Is that arm OK on here?

-That's OK.

So, a bit of a sharp scratch coming. Are you ready?

And we're in. You've got nice veins.

-I've what?

-You've got nice veins.

LEWIS LAUGHS

-That's a nursie compliment, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Bet you never thought you'd be told that.

-No.

THEY LAUGH

We'll get these sent off and then I'll come back to do your ECG.

-All right? Thank you very much.

-Thanks a lot.

At 69, Lewis' wife Julie is 14 years younger

and has become his primary carer.

No. If you're hurting, you're hurting.

He doesn't want to put pressure on doctors. Says they've enough on.

I say, yeah, but you're ill, you know.

I say, you're ill, you need to have somebody.

Oh, I love him to bits. If anything were to happen

I don't know what I'd do. Honest to God, I don't.

I don't. And he's always saying,

"If you go first, I'll be following you,"

he says, "so I'll leave the coffin lid open!"

Just close your eyes a bit.

You might be feeling a little bit better if you do that. Eh?

Eh?

We'll be back with A&E bed 12 later

as Lewis finds out what caused him to collapse.

Back at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital,

39-year-old Helen has been waiting on day surgery bed 40

for several hours. Husband Johnny is by her side.

SHE YAWNS

Oh, stop it.

HE YAWNS

-Oh, you've started me now.

-Sorry.

She has an undiagnosed heart problem

and is here to have a heart monitor removed from under her skin.

Shouldn't be too much longer now.

But time's running out.

Oh, that hurts there. Ooh! Oh!

If she doesn't get into theatre soon,

Helen's operation may be cancelled.

-Oh, you're on a knot! Ooh, you're on a knot!

-No, no.

HE LAUGHS GENTLY

Ideally we need to try and get all the patients in.

Cos if there's no bed for the patient, the patient gets cancelled

cos they need a bed to recover in.

Give us a kiss.

-Don't want one now.

-Mm.

I love you, darling.

I'll be back here waiting for you.

While you're asleep, think of what you're preparing...

-I'm not going to sleep!

-..for dinner when you get home.

After nearly four hours on bed 40...

OK, ready to go.

-Do you want to say goodbye now and then...

-Yeah, OK.

..a space has become available for Helen in theatre.

-Mm. Love you.

-Good luck. See you when you come back. Ta-ta.

See you in about an hour.

Day surgery bed 40

transports Helen down the hospital corridors to theatre.

Just a little bit nervous

but I know there's nothing to be nervous about.

I can't wait to have a cup of tea.

I've never gone so long without a cup of tea.

Cardiologist Dr Magnani is carrying out the procedure today.

You've not had any further episodes since then, have you?

I have, my ectopic beats, but I've not had anything major.

-Anything different from the last time you saw us?

-No, nothing, no.

She's having a local anaesthetic so will be awake throughout.

-You all right?

-I'm fine.

I'm in good hands.

Helen's heart-rate monitor is coming out

but her underlying heart problem has still not been established.

Husband Johnny waits outside theatre.

The next concern is, they'd like her off the tablets,

I think, by the time she's 50, what happens then?

They said, maybe, hopefully, it'll just stop happening

but I'm not too sure about that

because she's very reliant on the tablets.

I'm not going to think about it and nor will Helen

so we'll see what happens, simple as that.

The monitoring device is removed successfully.

-You can see it here, just a very small scar.

-OK, great. Thank you.

That will heal.

It's not the most pleasant of things,

it's all the pushing and pulling.

Yeah, there is a lot of pushing and pulling.

Often people say it's a lot harder to take it out.

Right, we'll be back.

-Am I driving.

-I'll drive.

Day surgery bed 40 and Helen head back to the ward.

'It wasn't that pleasant, I must admit, but it didn't take very long.

'So, all done.'

-Here she is.

-Hello.

-Back with me.

Are you all right? You OK?

-She did great.

-All done?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Brilliant.

-You take care. Have a nice weekend.

-And you, bye.

Lovely. OK, so what have you got to do, then?

-Ten days of keeping it strapped?

-Yeah, and they said

at least five days no cooking.

JOHNNY LAUGHS

No chance.

-No washing up.

-Maybe today, that's about it!

THEY LAUGH

Have your cup of tea.

Yeah. Shall I open them for you?

Half-an-hour later, Helen's discharged...

Let's go.

..freeing up bed 40 to be cleaned for the next day.

We need to go and find the kids.

-Go and pick the kids up from wherever they are.

-Yeah.

A takeaway, I think, won't it?

-So, it'll be home and chill and rest. Simple as that.

-Yeah.

Back at Barnsley Hospital, A&E bed 12

is with 83-year-old former miner Lewis.

He's come in with wife of 20 years Julie

after collapsing during the night.

Just a minute, there's another one here.

Oh! Oh. I'm sorry.

Lewis has a history of contracting pneumonia.

Dr Hickinbotham suspects pneumonia might have caused Lewis' collapse.

So, Lewis was in fairly recently

where he ended up stopping in for a month

and became very unwell during that period.

And that's what's left him very weak.

His white cell count is raised a little bit

which would suggest that there may be a bit of infection starting

and, as part of the investigation, we decided to do a chest X-ray

to see whether that would be a source.

Right, I'll get my bag.

Are you all right?

A&E bed 12 takes Lewis for an X-ray of his lungs.

-You coming with us, Julie?

-Pardon?

-She is.

-She's stood at the side of you here.

-Yeah, I'm here with you.

Have you put your coat on?

No, I don't need my coat on, I'm not going outside.

I'm going to park you up here and then I'll take you in.

Coming for you in a second.

-You all right, love?

-I'm a bit...

-Eh, are you puffed?

-I'm a bit puffed, but I'm all right,

I'm all right, I'm all right.

-Lewis Ingham.

-Right, Mr Ingham,

-we're taking you in for an X-ray of your chest.

-All right.

He's a lot older than me, obviously, but age is just a number.

After three hours in A&E, Lewis gets his X-ray.

If he can come home now, I'd like him at home, you know.

Er, I would like him at home.

What did you used to do for a living?

-A coal miner.

-You were a coal miner?

-Yep.

Returning from X-ray,

A&E bed 12 and Lewis feel the NHS bed pressures first hand.

The department is chokka.

Another patient has taken their cubicle.

I'll just put you here for a minute

and I'll let the nurse know where you are as well.

Let me pull your jumper down.

After 15 minutes, Dr Hickinbotham finds Lewis a room.

So we're just coming into this one, Lewis.

-There we go. Didn't get any bangs on the way through, Lewis.

-No, no.

-Good driving.

-We try.

Lewis' results are back.

-So, your X-ray looks nice and clear.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Just your blood tests at the moment just show that you are

a little bit dehydrated.

But, at the moment, we can't really find anything specific

that's going on.

But, given what's happened this morning,

with you having your legs giving way

and you've been a bit generally unwell,

we've decided that we're going to admit you up on to our medical floor

just to keep an eye on things

and making sure you're feeling spot-on

-before we're getting back home.

-I want to go home tomorrow.

Well, let's get you fixed first. OK?

-Don't you be...

-As long as it takes, Lewis.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, doctor.

He's poorly or they wouldn't have kept him.

And I want them to get him better.

I do, I want him to get better.

I'll see you in a bit, love. Ta-ra.

Lewis is transferred to an acute medical unit for observation,

releasing A&E bed 12 for its next patient.

Our hospital beds have given us

intimate access to the work of the NHS.

Lewis ended up with pneumonia and was in hospital for five days.

He's now back at home with wife Julie.

Helen and Johnny are waiting to see

if doctors can shed any more light on Helen's heart condition.

And Christine's fingertip now has some movement.

She and best friend Janet are still thick as thieves.

The beds are now back on their wards,

ready and waiting for their next round of patients.