0:00:03 > 0:00:05RADIO: ..fall from a tree.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07It's one of the most beautiful,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09but dangerous places on earth.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11My name's Helen, I'm one of the doctors. Any pain in there?
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Any teeth loose or anything like that?
0:00:14 > 0:00:16And when Australians call out the Flying Doctor...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Keep 'em coming round.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20..they're likely to be British.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24And so is the pilot's paramedic and crewmen.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'We'll see lots sharks, 200, 300 metres out.'
0:00:27 > 0:00:29I think they get the idea when we go like that.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32- RADIO:- Life Saver 24...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35They said they got the bends from coming up too quickly.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37From shark attacks on surfing beaches,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41to exploding barbecues in the Sydney suburbs,
0:00:41 > 0:00:42these are the Brits
0:00:42 > 0:00:46who can make the difference between life and death down under.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14James Milligan is an NHS consultant working at Leeds General Infirmary.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16How's that tummy pain now?
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Now, like hundreds of medics every year,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- he's swapping rainy Britain... - It's wet.- It IS wet.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23..for a life in the sun.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'We're living right by the ocean, it's a beautiful spot,'
0:01:26 > 0:01:28work's nice and relaxed.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The atmosphere's great, life probably couldn't be much better.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35But it's a place where the nearest hospital can be 200 miles away
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and the wildlife can kill you.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Are you ready? Can I listen to your heart?
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Welcome to one of the world's most extreme health services.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Today, with minutes to live,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53a drowning sailor is plucked from the sea.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55'He knows that's his angel from above.'
0:01:55 > 0:01:58A tiny premature baby with breathing difficulties
0:01:58 > 0:02:00needs the British Flying Doctor.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03We'll put some earmuffs on him, because the helicopter's loud,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and that can be quite distressing for the babies.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09And the 76-year-old biker who's crashed off the road.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11- PATIENT GROANS - Sore? Sorry, brother.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Eight out of ten Australians live within a half hour drive of the sea.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30That's 18 million people who regard the beach as their playground.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32But the coast's a dangerous place.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Around 300 Aussies drown each year.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39DISTANT SIREN
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It's former Yorkshire lifeboatman John Sheader's job to save them.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46He's a crewman on the Life Saver Rescue chopper,
0:02:46 > 0:02:51covering Sydney's beaches, including the world-famous Bondi Beach.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55'I was in the ambulance and I left Yorkshire about 2005, 2006.'
0:02:55 > 0:02:58I always wanted to do search and rescue, helicopters and things,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01so it was a natural to move on from that.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03John's not the only Brit here.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08Former Marine Tony Wood from Brighton is on duty too.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10We're on call at the drop of a hat.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13From the time we pick up the phone to the time the phone's put down,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16we're airborne within three and a half to four minutes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Today, it's an unusual emergency for John and Tony.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26A trawler's run aground.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30It's become a new attraction on the Sydney shore
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and the crowds are gathering.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35The crew's safe, but Life Saver One has been sent
0:03:35 > 0:03:40to help the salvage team being sent aboard to refloat the boat.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42ON RADIO: Good afternoon.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45How are you guys, any update on this?
0:03:47 > 0:03:51We wondered what the guy's doing. Like, why is he that close?
0:03:51 > 0:03:55How can he be that stupid to get caught there? Amazing.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Salvors want to inspect the hull in case it leaks oil.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03And this is the only way they can get aboard.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08If this goes wrong, they'll need the Life Saver team.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11The rocks mean rescue boats can't get far enough inshore.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Luckily, the salvors are good swimmers
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and the boat is still watertight.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20RADIO: Yes, Life Saver One, go ahead.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Yes, just got a situation update...
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The harbourmaster's in charge and he's a Brit too.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30The vessel's in a pretty sound condition.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32There is some fuel on board,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35but the fuel tanks are solid and sound as well.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39So we're confident that if we pull the vessel clear of the rocks,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43she'll be good to float, then we'll take her for repairs elsewhere.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And I'm pretty hopeful that we'll make our first attempt
0:04:46 > 0:04:48in the early hours tomorrow morning.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53The Life Saver chopper is returning to base.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But not every emergency is that simple, or with such a happy ending.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03John and Tony operate the winch, dropping a rescue diver,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06known locally as "the dope on a rope".
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Dozens of people like this shipwrecked yachtsman
0:05:11 > 0:05:13owe their lives to them.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It's quite a low rescue there so the downwash of the aircraft is
0:05:16 > 0:05:19making it rougher than what it probably is.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I mean, it's still moving about a bit but,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23as you can see, there's rocks as well.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25You can see the chap in the water there.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28With that type of rescue, that's called a snatch rescue.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30It's extremely quick.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32You basically get up to the patient, the individual,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34you assess the size of the individual.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37The boat is overturned and the old fellow has just managed to
0:05:37 > 0:05:39grab hold of this particular rock.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41He's getting washed all over the place but that's...
0:05:41 > 0:05:43He's holding on for grim life.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45If they're drowning and think they're breathing their last,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48they will tend to grab the rescue crewman and can push them under.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51That man is grabbing. He knows that's his angel from above.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56You bring them out the water about ten foot then you let them
0:05:56 > 0:05:58settle down to make sure it is all on correctly
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and then you bring them up.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03You don't appreciate the strength of the sea
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and how unforgiving it really is.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12For John, this is a very different coastline to the one
0:06:12 > 0:06:14he used to safeguard back home as a volunteer crewman
0:06:14 > 0:06:17on the Scarborough Lifeboat.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20In Australia they have houses right on the end of the cliff but,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22you know, Yorkshire and Filey and everywhere,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24they keep falling into the sea.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28My first few flying sorties down here, I was thinking,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32"Hm, don't they fall in the sea? Because they do in the UK."
0:06:32 > 0:06:33But those formidable cliffs
0:06:33 > 0:06:36have a lethal attraction for foreign tourists.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43This summer, a German walker found herself in terrible danger.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So, they have spotted the young lady, as you can see.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50The phone was next to them as well.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53That turned out to be extremely fortuitous
0:06:53 > 0:06:55because, as you can see,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59the gradient there is absolutely straight down.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01I think they are 110 foot here
0:07:01 > 0:07:04which is one third of the length of the wire
0:07:04 > 0:07:08but you don't want the wire
0:07:08 > 0:07:10scraping and rubbing against the rocks.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17They're just going to bring her up to the top of the cliff, bring
0:07:17 > 0:07:22the hook and the person over to the grass then just lower them down.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25That's what we call tea bagging.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27So, we are just disconnecting her from the hook there
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and taking our strop off. And, as you can see, "Thanks very much."
0:07:31 > 0:07:33That's the best part of the job.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The waters around Sydney teem with fish
0:07:37 > 0:07:39and sea angling is a popular pastime here.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Tony Wood shares the national passion
0:07:43 > 0:07:46but at work he sees the risky side of rock fishing.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It's the most dangerous participated sport in Australia out here.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Last year alone I think we had 14 rock fisherman that
0:07:55 > 0:07:59lost their lives. Of which we picked up probably eight of them.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02So it is a very, very dangerous sport.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Tony knows that, even on his day off, this is no place to relax.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Oh. I lost that one. That was a nice fish.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13I have come here purely because it is safer.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15To go over there where you see all the waves crashing now,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18or further around the headland, it is absolutely dangerous.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20There might be a chance that you might get more fish
0:08:20 > 0:08:23but basically you have just got to respect the sea
0:08:23 > 0:08:24because it will come up
0:08:24 > 0:08:27and bite you every time with these rogue waves that one in nine
0:08:27 > 0:08:31is not the same as all the other waves that are coming on board.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34The team find even those who are equipped to survive
0:08:34 > 0:08:35can get into trouble too.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38This kayaker has been blown out to sea.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And he is telling him to come away from the kayak.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Come away from the kayak. It's going to be easier.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Otherwise it means he has got to either swim round the kayak
0:08:47 > 0:08:51when he's in the water... And, as you can see, he has left the kayak.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53He is in the water. Two or three kicks.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59And he was absolutely exhausted, this man. Exhausted.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06I'm a believer in karma and in the 28 years I was in the Marines,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10life was taken, it had to be, that was my job.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14And somehow I have come full circle and now I am saving people
0:09:14 > 0:09:17and I think that is just a great way of living.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I go to bed now quite peaceful.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27In Sydney and the rest of New South Wales,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29critically ill babies and children
0:09:29 > 0:09:32have their own specialist area ambulance.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33It is called NETS.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Dr Victoria Sheward is from London.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42She has been working for NETS in Sydney for five months.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Back home in England, I am a children's intensive care
0:09:44 > 0:09:47medicine trainee doctor.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I have done several years in paediatric intensive care back home
0:09:50 > 0:09:53but the difference is really out here in Australia the distances
0:09:53 > 0:09:57are massive and so we rely on helicopters
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and fixed-wing small planes to cover the distances to go
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and get these very, very unwell children.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Today, Dr Victoria is going to transfer a premature baby
0:10:06 > 0:10:08from one hospital to another.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Thank you.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14This sounds simple but flying a tiny baby who weighs about the same
0:10:14 > 0:10:18as a bag of sugar in a helicopter is potentially very risky.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23So what happens now is we just wait for the local staff who have
0:10:23 > 0:10:26been looking after the baby for the last few weeks to give us
0:10:26 > 0:10:29a really good hand over of how the baby has been
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and what the current issues are and things that we need to know.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34And then what we will do, is we will get our equipment ready
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and get the baby onto our monitoring and I'll examine the baby
0:10:37 > 0:10:39and make sure there is nothing else
0:10:39 > 0:10:41that we need to do differently or change.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Baby Jackson was born 14 weeks early.
0:10:44 > 0:10:50- He is going to come by helicopter. - Hello.- Look at him. He's wide-awake.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52He is wide-awake, isn't he?
0:10:52 > 0:10:56It has been a worrying five weeks for Jackson's mum and dad.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Jackson was born while they were house-sitting for friends.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02He has had lung problems but now the doctors think
0:11:02 > 0:11:05he is ready to be moved to a hospital closer to home.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The reason that we will be taking him and being very, very careful
0:11:09 > 0:11:11on the way is that he has been having those dips
0:11:11 > 0:11:13in his oxygen levels still, hasn't he?
0:11:13 > 0:11:17So we have put a little drip in his hand so that we can give him
0:11:17 > 0:11:20some sugary fluid on the way so that his blood sugar levels don't drop.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Dr Victoria will spend half an hour at Nepean Hospital
0:11:24 > 0:11:27moving Jackson into the incubator he will fly in.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Jackson looks great.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32There is nothing really that worries me
0:11:32 > 0:11:34about his clinical situation at the moment.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37He has got a mask on his face, which is helping his breathing.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40We will put some earmuffs on him because the helicopter
0:11:40 > 0:11:44is extremely loud and that can be quite distressing for the babies.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47So, yeah, it's all about getting him onto our system now.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Victoria is one of four British doctors working for NETS.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57You know, the more people that want to give looking after babies a go,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01like, why not? The more help, the better.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04And, to be honest, you guys are very nice too.
0:12:09 > 0:12:15OK. You're looking all right, buddy. Good boy.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17All right.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31We are just putting our CPAP mask onto his nose.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Have a good seal.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37He has got quite big nostrils.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39They're quite long prongs though, aren't they?
0:12:39 > 0:12:41But his nostrils are so big.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46He seems very comfortable now that we have changed his mask to
0:12:46 > 0:12:50a different shape and we have got a good seal there.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53His oxygen levels are good and he looks very comfortable, really.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55His breathing is not a problem.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57We make sure that we have got everything we need
0:12:57 > 0:13:00so that we have got things for all eventuality, really.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01We are prepared if he stops breathing.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04If he needs help with his breathing, we have got equipment to support him.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06And we have got a drip in to give him
0:13:06 > 0:13:09any medications that we would need to give him on the way.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Every year, Dr Victoria and the NETS team
0:13:13 > 0:13:19make around 1,400 journeys carrying sick babies and children.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It means that specialist doctors and nurses in hospitals
0:13:22 > 0:13:25don't have to leave the wards to travel with their patients.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Jackson is travelling fairly well.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Nicole was just making some adjustments
0:13:32 > 0:13:34because with the vibrations of the helicopter,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38the mask had slightly slipped off his nose
0:13:38 > 0:13:41so he wasn't getting the same pressure that he was getting
0:13:41 > 0:13:43when he was down on the ground and that was just meaning
0:13:43 > 0:13:47that his oxygen levels were a little bit lower than they had been.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49At just 37 days old,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53baby Jackson has already flown 80 miles in a helicopter.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55That's more than most people do in a lifetime.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01We always try to give the smoothest ride we can
0:14:01 > 0:14:02so it doesn't really matter
0:14:02 > 0:14:04what the patient is.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I get a lot out of it knowing you helped speed them
0:14:07 > 0:14:10on their way to the right facilities, yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Jackson's been cared for during the flight by a British doctor
0:14:14 > 0:14:18and at his new hospital there is another Brit waiting to receive him.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23I was working in London and I was actually training in paediatrics
0:14:23 > 0:14:27and a friend of mine was over in Australia doing NETS and flying
0:14:27 > 0:14:29around in a helicopter and a plane and I thought,
0:14:29 > 0:14:30"What a fantastic thing to do."
0:14:30 > 0:14:32So within about three months I was over here as well.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37We have fantastic weather. Quality of life is fantastic as well.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And, you know, the people in Australia
0:14:40 > 0:14:41are just wonderful to work with.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44This is my bit done.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49It's always nice to see them settled into the new place.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52When his parents come back home this evening,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55they will know that Jackson is nearby, which will be much,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59much nicer for them than being all the way down in Nepean.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But Jackson still needs lots more tests.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06In the next few days, he will have an eye examination to check
0:15:06 > 0:15:10if his vision has been permanently affected by his premature birth.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Although Australia has a reputation as a young country,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24like Britain, its population is ageing.
0:15:24 > 0:15:2714% of Aussies are aged over 65.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38But these Sydney-based pensioners have no intention of slowing down.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41When you retire, you find you have got nothing to do
0:15:41 > 0:15:45so you join this club and it's just amazing the amount of mates you meet.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48A lot of the old blokes... We've got guys at 75.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51A lot of them have a problem getting on their bikes
0:15:51 > 0:15:53so the young ones - in their 40s and stuff -
0:15:53 > 0:15:57they help the older ones on their bikes and help them off.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58As long as they get on
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and get the balance and take off, they're all right.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Even though these elderly bikers
0:16:07 > 0:16:09say they never break the speed limit,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11that doesn't guarantee accident-free outings.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Today, one of the gang has skidded off his cruiser on a remote road.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Because of the location and the age of the patient,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25the New South Wales Ambulance Service helicopter
0:16:25 > 0:16:27has been scrambled.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30RADIO: Apparently we have a 75-year-old male
0:16:30 > 0:16:34travelling approximately 70K came off onto the bitumen.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Was wearing a helmet.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39On-board is British-born doctor Toby Fogg.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42He has lived in Australia for ten years and has a young family.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48'We go back to England every year or so.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51'Their grandparents are there and, you know, they love the trips'
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and they themselves have got English passports as well as Australian.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58They know Dad is an Englishman. He sounds a bit different.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The accident site is surrounded by electricity pylons
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and trees so landing will be difficult.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Yeah, if you're happy, we are happy to bring it in next to that van
0:17:10 > 0:17:12just to the north of you.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Hanging this far out of the helicopter is routine for emergency
0:17:15 > 0:17:19medical crews in New South Wales but it rarely happens in the UK.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25The elderly biker's cruiser
0:17:25 > 0:17:28has come out of the crash relatively unscathed.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Now Dr Toby and the team are about to find out what
0:17:32 > 0:17:36hitting the tarmac at 45 miles an hour has done to their patient.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Any medical history or medications we need to know about?
0:17:40 > 0:17:45He has got a history of emphysema, cardiac bypass 16 years ago.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50- Just some gout, hypertension, high cholesterol.- Nice. OK, thank you.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- Allergy to Bactrim.- OK.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56We were coming along the road here and he just went a little bit...
0:17:56 > 0:18:01Drifted a bit too wide on the corner and just came off the bike
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and probably skidded about, I don't know, six metres, eight metres
0:18:04 > 0:18:07into the gravel and ended up in the dirt there.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12Peter? G'day, mate, I'm Toby. I'm one of the doctors. Where does it hurt?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15'The English would say I sound Australian,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18'the Aussies say I can sound a bit English at times.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21'Probably one of the first things you pick up when you move over
0:18:21 > 0:18:25'here is those little very Australian colloquialisms.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- And this way.- Aargh!- Sore? Sorry, brother. Keep breathing.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30'I suppose, in a way,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34'I want to belong rather than stand out as being a pom.'
0:18:34 > 0:18:39Wriggle your toes for me. Good man. Did you feel me touching your feet?
0:18:39 > 0:18:45All right. You had a helmet on, did you? Open your eyes for me.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49He's 76 years of age and he's one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51You don't want to see this sort of thing happen.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- There seems to be restriction. - Restriction, yes.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59You've probably got a couple of broken ribs so we'll roll along.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I am a bit concerned about his chest injuries.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03He's certainly got some broken ribs.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06My fear is whether or not he has got a punctured lung as well.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08But he's oxygenating well enough at the moment
0:19:08 > 0:19:11so we are just going to get him to hospital as soon as we can
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and be prepared for any deterioration in flight.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Hopefully that won't happen.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17So what have we got?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19He had his helmet, he had his leathers.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The helmet is really scratched. Maybe it was a little bit loose
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and was partly dislodged when he came off but it was certainly there
0:19:25 > 0:19:27so it could be a lot worse.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29So, straight to Liverpool Hospital,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31which is about eight minutes' flight
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and the emergency team will be ready for us when we get there.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Dr Toby is doing an ultrasound scan to check that Peter
0:19:41 > 0:19:43doesn't have a collapsed lung.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47This is difficult to detect by eye in its early stages
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and is potentially fatal.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Although Dr Toby trained in British hospitals,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55he doesn't see himself working back in the NHS.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00I sweated blood for the NHS, probably four, five years.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'Look, there are aspects of the NHS and I would love to go back
0:20:03 > 0:20:07'and work for the London HEMS or one of the other helicopter services.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'Working in one of the major trauma centres would be really interesting.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'But it is a huge upheaval for family.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15'I can't foresee that happening at the moment.'
0:20:17 > 0:20:20You guys ready? This is Peter McKenzie.
0:20:20 > 0:20:2475-year-old chap riding his motorbike about one hour ago.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Came off doing 70. Slid it down on a corner, hit his left-hand side.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Reportedly no loss of consciousness although bystanders said
0:20:32 > 0:20:35they couldn't feel a radial pulse initially.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39At Liverpool Hospital, Peter has a second ultrasound scan
0:20:39 > 0:20:44and there's bad news. He has got internal bleeding.
0:20:44 > 0:20:50The black line is some free fluid. Just a trace. That is abnormal.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56So it's probably some blood in the abdominal cavity, which is abnormal.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Because he is stable, he will go for some CAT scans.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01If he was unstable,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04he'd probably go straight to theatre but he is stable so we have
0:21:04 > 0:21:07got time to do a CAT scan to see exactly where it is bleeding from.
0:21:07 > 0:21:13Peter was travelling at around 40 miles an hour when he crashed.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17'I'd say he's been a lucky guy. You know, it's an open road, high speeds.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20'If he had been going any faster, it could have been a lot different.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:24But Peter wasn't that lucky.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27He had nine cracked ribs and a collapsed lung
0:21:27 > 0:21:28and spent several weeks in hospital.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31He hasn't been out on a motorbike since
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and his gang of mates are missing him out on the road.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Away from the major cities, Australia's road system is patchy,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45some places only served by dirt tracks.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49So helicopters are used for routine hospital transfers
0:21:49 > 0:21:53that in the UK would be carried out by road ambulance.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Today, the New South Wales Ambulance Service helicopter
0:21:58 > 0:22:02and Scottish doctor David Anderson are flying 40 miles to pick up
0:22:02 > 0:22:04a patient with pancreatitis.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07She needs some medicine at the moment to support her blood pressure,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09which is why she needs a medical escort so we are going to go
0:22:09 > 0:22:12pick her up there and take her to the intensive care unit at
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Wollongong Hospital.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16The flight takes them down the holiday beaches
0:22:16 > 0:22:18of the New South Wales coast
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to a small hospital in the seaside town of Shoalhaven.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Acute pancreatitis is a pretty common condition where you get
0:22:23 > 0:22:25inflammation of the pancreas
0:22:25 > 0:22:27It can cause problems with blood clotting
0:22:27 > 0:22:28and a number of other things.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It can be a very serious and often fatal condition.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36The team's elderly patient needs specialist care closer to Sydney.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38We end up doing some very long transfers,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40both helicopter and fixed wing,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and it gives you a really good opportunity that you wouldn't get
0:22:43 > 0:22:46anywhere else to manage really sick patients in a really
0:22:46 > 0:22:49unusual environment for a prolonged time.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- RADIO:- This is Rescue 26. Arrived Shoalhaven. Thanks. 26.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Valerie Maguire is 79
0:22:56 > 0:23:01and suffering from complications caused by a gallstone.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- I'm just going to have a wee feel of your tummy, OK?- Are you?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Let me know if it hurts when I press anywhere. OK?
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Sorry, my hands might be a bit cold.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15This hospital is private
0:23:15 > 0:23:19and Valerie's care will be funded by an insurance company.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And doctors here have no shortage of equipment.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26This is a CT scan of Val's abdomen
0:23:26 > 0:23:29so it kind of slices through her like this,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32using a spinning X-ray machine and the organ of interest
0:23:32 > 0:23:36is the pancreas, which is a kind of indistinct...
0:23:36 > 0:23:39It's this kind of vague blob you can see here which the radiologist
0:23:39 > 0:23:41reckons is a bit inflamed.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44And here is the gall bladder, which has got thickening
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and fluid around it so it is likely that she has got
0:23:46 > 0:23:50a stone from the gall bladder which has passed down through the pancreas,
0:23:50 > 0:23:51which is causing the inflammation.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Which is a common cause of pancreatitis.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Dr David came to Australia via New Zealand
0:23:57 > 0:24:00but he's not the only Brit at this hospital.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Expat nurse Pam Mason has been caring for Valerie.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07There was, I think, only myself and a couple of others
0:24:07 > 0:24:11but at the moment we have got six young doctors come out from the UK.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14They came over in July for a year
0:24:14 > 0:24:18so I've been inundated with fellow poms now.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- Blood pressure is as low as 75.- OK.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23Valerie was on holiday
0:24:23 > 0:24:26with her husband when she developed pains in her abdomen.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30A family friend recognised the symptoms of a gallstone.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I just had a talk to the other doctors here.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35It looks as though they've done about as much as they can
0:24:35 > 0:24:37and they've done all the right stuff but you need to
0:24:37 > 0:24:40just have a bit more closer tender loving care at Wollongong, OK?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- OK. Fine.- Gosh, your hands are bit cold there, aren't they?
0:24:48 > 0:24:49Valerie was on holiday
0:24:49 > 0:24:52with her husband when she developed pains in her abdomen.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55A family friend recognised the symptoms of a gallstone.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- RADIO:- 1945. Thank you, Rescue 26. 6 PNE.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06We checked by the coast. It's going to be pretty rough over those hills.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Rescue 26 is flying Valerie to a bigger hospital
0:25:10 > 0:25:12in Wollongong, south of Sydney.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14It is a short flight but Dr David
0:25:14 > 0:25:16will be monitoring his patient carefully.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Pancreatitis can deteriorate very quickly.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24'New South Wales is the size of France
0:25:24 > 0:25:26'with a population of only seven million,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29'so it makes sense to fly someone from a small peripheral hospital to
0:25:29 > 0:25:31'a major ICU because this is a disease
0:25:31 > 0:25:33'where patients can deteriorate
0:25:33 > 0:25:35'quite rapidly and you don't want to be in the back of an ambulance
0:25:35 > 0:25:39'in the middle of nowhere if you're going downhill fast.'
0:25:39 > 0:25:43She has been unwell for about the last four days with increasing
0:25:43 > 0:25:46abdominal pain, malaise, off her food. This morning, went to the GP.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50They did some bloods and referred her in. High amylase, high lipase.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52A bit of abdominal discomfort.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'Pancreatitis can be very serious
0:25:55 > 0:25:58'and she needs that medicine to control her blood pressure.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00'I was altering the rate a bit as we went to maintain'
0:26:00 > 0:26:03a good blood pressure. She has had a huge amount of fluid.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06What happens with pancreatitis is the blood vessels get really leaky
0:26:06 > 0:26:07and leak fluid out into the tissues
0:26:07 > 0:26:10so she has needed a huge amount of fluid to replace that
0:26:10 > 0:26:12and now she needs the medicine to support her blood pressure.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15So she is still not out of the woods yet but it is reassuring that
0:26:15 > 0:26:18she's been very stable with us and she has stayed in good spirits.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Valerie is immediately taken to intensive care.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24The next day, she is sent for surgery.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28It is successful and a few days later she goes home.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Newcastle is a two and a half hour drive north from Sydney
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and its children's hospital has one of the largest neonatal
0:26:38 > 0:26:41intensive care units in New South Wales.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43More than 100 babies are brought here
0:26:43 > 0:26:45from other hospitals every year.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51One of those tiny travelling patients was baby Jackson.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55British doctor Victoria Sheward
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and the Newborn And Paediatric Emergency Transport Service or NETS
0:26:59 > 0:27:03flew him 18 miles from Nepean near the Blue Mountains
0:27:03 > 0:27:06so he could be treated nearer home in Newcastle.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10One week on and baby Jackson
0:27:10 > 0:27:13is having the first of many eye examinations.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Let's just move Jackson around.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Nurse Shirley Graham is carrying out the tests.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22She worked for 13 years in the National Health Service in Glasgow
0:27:22 > 0:27:24before coming to Oz.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29'My husband was always keen to emigrate so he asked me this time'
0:27:29 > 0:27:31and I was at a stage where jobs weren't that
0:27:31 > 0:27:36secure in the Southern General and I agreed so we came here in 1991.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I have never regretted it. I wish I had come earlier.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Right, my man.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Not very nice. I know.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Like many premature babies, Jackson's eyes may not
0:27:46 > 0:27:50develop properly, putting him at risk of blindness.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52We are just taking a picture of your red eye.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55'We put eye drops in to actually... Sort of, like a pain relief'
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and then we dilate the pupil
0:27:57 > 0:28:01so that we can get a good window to look through and we also give
0:28:01 > 0:28:04the baby some sucrose, oral sucrose, for pain relief
0:28:04 > 0:28:05and we put a topical gel on
0:28:05 > 0:28:08between the eyeball and the lens of the camera.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Babies 32 weeks less and under have got premature development
0:28:14 > 0:28:18of the vessels behind their eyes. So we monitor them
0:28:18 > 0:28:20'as soon as they're 28 days of age
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'and then every two weeks until the retinas mature.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:27That's it. All done. You were very good.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29The test shows that, so far,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Jackson's eyes have not been affected.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35He's now at home with his mum and dad.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd