:00:12. > :00:16.Hello, tonight we are on patrol with the the volunteers providing
:00:16. > :00:20.vital support to the West Midlands Ambulance Service as heavy snow
:00:20. > :00:24.sparks a big interest -- increase in 999 call.
:00:24. > :00:28.There are an awful lot of very poorly people that we saw yesterday.
:00:28. > :00:31.It was taking an awfully long time to get to the incidence and to get
:00:31. > :00:35.back out on the road. We will find out how our region
:00:35. > :00:45.coped with it the deluge of snow that followed a Met Office warning.
:00:45. > :00:48.
:00:48. > :00:53.We were promised snow and we have This is the male health centre, the
:00:53. > :00:58.fictional home of the hugely popular BBC One daytime show
:00:58. > :01:02.Doctors. Every day over 800,000 people attend surgeries, more than
:01:02. > :01:07.200,000 a visit hospital. How safe are you on the wards? We have
:01:07. > :01:17.discovered that nearly half of all serious incidents in hospital
:01:17. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:20.involved a condition that is almost always preventable.
:01:20. > :01:23.This is obviously going back, just general family members and sisters
:01:23. > :01:27.and brothers. Some cars. He was really into his cars. Claire Cross,
:01:27. > :01:32.from Tewkesbury, loves talking about her first hero, her dad.
:01:32. > :01:37.was very quiet actually. Very home loving. But amongst the hundreds of
:01:37. > :01:42.photos, there is one that she can hardly bear to look at. He didn't
:01:42. > :01:45.really have a quality of life. I don't feel. He just sat in a chair
:01:45. > :01:53.watching television or sleeping and that was his life from that point
:01:53. > :01:59.on really. So what was it that robbed David Chalkley of his
:01:59. > :02:01.independence, forcing him to spend his final days in a nursing home?
:02:01. > :02:08.Alarmingly, it was something that happened to him in hospital,
:02:08. > :02:11.something that ensured he would never walk again. I feel that he's
:02:11. > :02:15.suffered needlessly. I feel that he could have possibly stayed at home
:02:15. > :02:21.a bit longer and enjoyed a bit more of family life and being around the
:02:21. > :02:31.surroundings that he loved and his garden. Instead of going off into a
:02:31. > :02:35.strange place and having to stay there until the end of his life.
:02:35. > :02:42.Two years on, Clare wants to know if what happened to her dad could
:02:42. > :02:49.have been avoided and if others are suffering as well. We offered to
:02:49. > :02:51.help. And we've discovered that each year
:02:51. > :02:53.there are thousands of similar incidents in hospitals across
:02:53. > :02:57.England, costing the health service billions. And they're almost always
:02:57. > :02:59.preventable. What am I talking about? Simple bed sores. The NHS
:02:59. > :03:04.insists hospitals record and investigate all incidents that
:03:04. > :03:08.unexpectedly cause death or severe harm. It calls them Serious
:03:08. > :03:13.Untoward Incidents. So under Freedom of Information laws, we
:03:13. > :03:19.asked to see last year's summary. It turns out there were almost
:03:19. > :03:24.12,000. They're broken down into more than 70 categories, like child
:03:24. > :03:27.deaths, surgical errors, and delayed diagnoses. But more than
:03:27. > :03:35.40% of all the serious incidents recorded at English hospitals last
:03:35. > :03:37.year involved severe bed sores. They're also known as pressure
:03:37. > :03:46.ulcers because they happen when pressure restricts blood supply to
:03:46. > :03:50.the skin. And they range from small sores to large open wounds. Their
:03:50. > :03:55.severity is graded from one to four. Most aren't suitable to show on
:03:55. > :03:58.this programme. And they can be lethal. It was a bed sore that
:03:58. > :04:04.claimed the life of paralysed actor Christopeher Reeve, a man who was
:04:04. > :04:08.for so long known simply as Superman. Perhaps what's most
:04:08. > :04:18.worrying about our research is that the NHS itself admits that in 95%
:04:18. > :04:20.
:04:20. > :04:23.of cases bed sores are completely So what's going on? Why are
:04:23. > :04:27.thousands of people suffering unnecessarily? Could it be
:04:27. > :04:34.something to do with the standard of nursing in our hospitals? We
:04:35. > :04:38.asked the Royal College of Nursing. Well, I put it down to a lack of
:04:38. > :04:41.staff actually. If we think of the complex needs of some of these
:04:41. > :04:44.patients we may need two or in fact three nurses to deliver appropriate
:04:44. > :04:48.care to one patient. So for example, turning someone who is obese would
:04:48. > :04:51.take more than one nurse and if you've got four nurses who are on
:04:52. > :04:55.duty at one time on a ward of say 36 patients, to take three nurses
:04:55. > :05:05.off to be able to turn one patient on a regular basis, you know, takes
:05:05. > :05:06.
:05:06. > :05:08.time. So is it simply down to a lack of nurses? Well, the
:05:08. > :05:11.Department of Health told us nursing ratios are down to
:05:11. > :05:14.individual hospitals. So we had a look at the worst offender. Last
:05:14. > :05:18.year 192 severe bed sores were recorded under the care of Dudley
:05:18. > :05:23.Group NHS Trust, more than any other in England. Half occurred
:05:23. > :05:31.here at Russells Hall Hospital and half in the community. So I've come
:05:31. > :05:33.to ask the woman in charge why. The latest figures for serious untoward
:05:33. > :05:36.incidents, the number of bed sores recorded at hospitals, your
:05:36. > :05:40.hospital had the highest number. Is that down to not enough nurses?
:05:40. > :05:42.What's the reason? No, absolutely not. As an organisation we have
:05:42. > :05:44.followed the guidance from the National Patient Safety Agency
:05:44. > :05:47.which says that high recording levels of incidents throughout
:05:47. > :05:50.hospitals actually tends to be indicative of a high level of
:05:50. > :05:59.patient safety culture, of openness, of an honest culture of where
:05:59. > :06:02.people report and then learn from it. So are you saying that other
:06:02. > :06:06.hospitals aren't doing that? Well, I can't speak for other hospitals
:06:06. > :06:09.but what I can speak for is Dudley Group and that we have a system of
:06:09. > :06:12.recording and capturing pressure sores throughout the hospital which
:06:12. > :06:16.is extremely rigorous and not only do we capture them from within the
:06:16. > :06:19.hospital itself but also those that are prevalent in the community.
:06:19. > :06:22.you've always been so rigorous, though, at recording and reporting
:06:22. > :06:25.these you would have known that there was a problem. Why didn't you
:06:25. > :06:27.do something about it sooner? I think the whole NHS has
:06:27. > :06:30.acknowledged that there's been a problem with pressures sores.
:06:30. > :06:33.That's why it's been a national priority. And we, as an
:06:33. > :06:35.organisation, have acknowledged it's been a problem so we started
:06:35. > :06:38.the initiatives that we've been running over the last two years.
:06:38. > :06:44.That included this awareness campaign in which managers showed
:06:44. > :06:54.off parts of the body prone to bed sores. And the hospital says the
:06:54. > :06:57.
:06:57. > :07:01.number of cases has now started to come down. It develops under the
:07:01. > :07:04.skin. If it is not treated it can quickly become so via... But it's
:07:04. > :07:07.not just Dudley Group NHS Trust that believes better awareness and
:07:07. > :07:17.training is the answer. This information video has gone out to
:07:17. > :07:18.
:07:18. > :07:27.frontline staff across the Midlands. There are simple steps you can take
:07:27. > :07:36.to prevent pressure ulcers. education the only solution or so
:07:36. > :07:39.do our hospitals be doing even more? Well, there was one in the
:07:39. > :07:42.West Midlands that last year didn't record any severe bed sores at all.
:07:42. > :07:52.It was this one, the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in
:07:52. > :07:53.
:07:53. > :07:56.Oswestry. And I'm here to discover its secret. How are you? We have
:07:56. > :07:59.just turned you so we will check your dressings... Matron Julie
:07:59. > :08:02.Roberts has agreed to share that secret. And I'm shocked when I
:08:02. > :08:09.realise this is it, nurses simply turn patients and check their skin
:08:09. > :08:12.every couple of hours. So this is something that's really, really
:08:12. > :08:15.basic in preventing these pressure sores? It is. Yeah. We assess all
:08:15. > :08:17.our patients on admission. And obviously we look at their age,
:08:17. > :08:21.their skin integrity, any medication that they're on, what
:08:21. > :08:26.their mobility is like. And that really makes a difference to
:08:26. > :08:33.preventing these sores? As well as physically turning them. You have
:08:33. > :08:37.to continually turn them. You and your team of nurses are spending a
:08:37. > :08:40.lot of time turning patients aren't you? We are but we do it from the
:08:40. > :08:43.top to the bottom. And fortunately a lot of our patients now are quite
:08:43. > :08:46.independent and mobile very, very quickly after surgery because we do
:08:46. > :08:50.get them up on the day of surgery. So we promote independence very
:08:50. > :08:53.quickly. So there isn't as many as you'd think. I'll turn you over to
:08:53. > :08:55.your left hand side... It's perhaps unfair, though, to compare this
:08:55. > :08:58.specialist orthopaedic trust with general city hospitals which must
:08:58. > :09:00.cater for all types of complex conditions. Here they're able to
:09:00. > :09:07.invest in expensive specialist equipment like this mechanical
:09:07. > :09:12.turning bed and these motorised foot pumps. But perhaps we can
:09:12. > :09:15.learn from the ethos here. We're quite old-fashioned. I remember
:09:15. > :09:19.when I first started here 25 years ago that I was told by my
:09:19. > :09:22.consultant here, patients do not get pressure sores and if they do I
:09:22. > :09:31.will chop your hands and head off, because it was so important that
:09:31. > :09:34.that didn't happen. And that is what I try to instill in all the
:09:34. > :09:43.training in all the nurses on this specific unit and within this
:09:43. > :09:51.hospital. Back in Tewkesbury I tell Claire what we've learnt.
:09:51. > :09:57.We found that over 40% of serious incidents of bed sores -- of bed
:09:57. > :10:00.sores. And show her some of the footage from Oswestry. They're
:10:00. > :10:04.checking the skin underneath the hills that they're not red. That's
:10:04. > :10:07.something that Dad could have probably done with. Now obviously
:10:07. > :10:10.we've only just shown you the numbers and that short film. As
:10:10. > :10:14.it's all sinking in, what's your reaction? I'm quite cross now. I
:10:14. > :10:17.didn't realise the numbers were so high. And it just makes me want to
:10:17. > :10:24.ask the question why hospitals such as Oswestry can't pass on their
:10:24. > :10:29.good practice and their training to other hospitals. Why can one
:10:30. > :10:34.hospital do it and other hospitals can't? But the hospital where
:10:34. > :10:37.Claire's dad got his bed sores has been in touch. The Alexandra
:10:37. > :10:40.Hospital in Redditch claims new practices brought in last year have
:10:40. > :10:42.helped bring about a significant reduction in the incidence of
:10:42. > :10:52.pressure ulcers and Claire has accepted an invitation to see the
:10:52. > :10:55.
:10:55. > :11:00.changes for herself. Well, if they can improve, it is
:11:00. > :11:02.great, they are going in the right direction. There obviously is room
:11:02. > :11:10.for improvement on some hospitals and the sooner it happens the
:11:10. > :11:18.better really. So, what is your verdict on the
:11:18. > :11:23.NHS? You can talk to was right now on Twitter, using the hash tag
:11:24. > :11:29.inside out. You can also contact me on e-mail.
:11:29. > :11:33.Still to come tonight: Under a blanket of snow, how Red Cross
:11:33. > :11:37.volunteers the road to the rescue. They are very appreciative of the
:11:37. > :11:41.sport we can -- support we can provide and having a good
:11:41. > :11:46.communication link is essential. But next, the NHS is about to
:11:46. > :11:54.undergo its biggest ever shake-up. What does this mean for you and me
:11:54. > :11:57.and our families? At the doctor and This is lovely, madam, because this
:11:57. > :12:01.inhaler would actually go with your coat. And a free examination. Do
:12:01. > :12:06.you want to come here and cough, sir? I can give you those half
:12:06. > :12:10.price. Plus something for your water retention. I'm a GP. And
:12:10. > :12:13.today I'm taking healthcare into the community, where it's needed.
:12:13. > :12:18.All the sample bottles you could ever need and I'll throw in a
:12:18. > :12:22.crutch. It's all free. It's all paid for. This is what the biggest
:12:22. > :12:25.shake-up in the history of the NHS is all about - giving local doctors,
:12:25. > :12:31.nurses and patients the chance to call the shots and shop around for
:12:31. > :12:33.the best care. At least that's the Government's plan. But many doctors
:12:33. > :12:42.think the reforms are untested, expensive and over-complicated - a
:12:42. > :12:45.view I shared with the former health secretary Andrew Lansley.
:12:45. > :12:48.The difficulty with this is that it's 353 pages of wonk. It's
:12:48. > :12:53.absolutely impossible to understand it. I choose my words carefully. It
:12:53. > :12:56.is unreadable. What did you actually say? It's wonk. But I've
:12:56. > :13:00.been wading through the jargon, and it's clear the reforms will affect
:13:00. > :13:03.us all. It's vital we put politics aside and try to understand exactly
:13:03. > :13:09.what they'll mean for patients. Until now the NHS has been like a
:13:09. > :13:13.big supermarket chain that only sells its own brands. It's a one
:13:13. > :13:16.stop shop where all the tricky decisions are made for you. In
:13:16. > :13:24.theory, you should get the same high quality care whether you live
:13:25. > :13:27.in Scunthorpe or Southend. But like any monopoly, it's far from perfect.
:13:27. > :13:29.The Government's bringing in the market place model instead -
:13:29. > :13:36.introducing more choice and competition, and putting GPs in
:13:36. > :13:40.charge instead of civil servants. But will it work?
:13:40. > :13:44.So if I just check your eyes there... I can confirm you have two
:13:45. > :13:48.eyes. We're doing two X-rays for the price of one. And I can throw
:13:48. > :13:50.in a free brain scan if you like. One change we're told patients
:13:50. > :13:53.should notice is care much closer to home.
:13:53. > :13:57.Hospitals and GPs will have more freedom to bring in innovative
:13:58. > :14:02.ideas. Technology might monitor your health at home and routine
:14:02. > :14:05.surgery could be done at high street clinics. Hospitals in
:14:05. > :14:10.Gloucestershire have already teamed up with a charity to send this
:14:10. > :14:16.mobile chemotherapy unit into rural communities. For cancer patients
:14:16. > :14:24.like Graham Freeman, it's a lifeline. The concept is great,
:14:24. > :14:29.moving the treatment to the person. Because it is a bit of a trauma,
:14:29. > :14:35.suffering from the chemotherapy and the travelling. Bringing the
:14:35. > :14:45.treatment closer to the person is a lot better. You do feel a little
:14:45. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:51.bit better. Everything is positive. It is one of the few positives
:14:51. > :14:54.since I have found out about cancer. It is one of the positive things we
:14:54. > :14:57.have got. But could this shift towards more localised care mean
:14:58. > :15:00.hospitals will have to close? To find out I've come to London, to
:15:00. > :15:07.one of the world's most respected independent think tanks on health
:15:07. > :15:10.policy - the King's Fund. I don't think we'll see many hospitals
:15:10. > :15:12.closing as a result of care coming closer to home. It will mean
:15:12. > :15:18.hospitals changing their roles, perhaps fewer A&E departments,
:15:18. > :15:21.fewer maternity services provided in existing hospitals. But that
:15:21. > :15:23.could be to the benefit of patients if we're able to plan that in the
:15:23. > :15:30.appropriate way and get better outcomes by concentrating those
:15:30. > :15:35.services in fewer hospitals. might not be keen though, if it's
:15:35. > :15:40.your A&E that's closing. The second thing patients should notice is
:15:40. > :15:44.more choice. Three tomatoes for �1! Anybody?
:15:44. > :15:48.Three inhalers for the price of two. Come and get them! Two caulies,
:15:48. > :15:51.�1.50 over there! We've got a separate queue here for six
:15:51. > :15:54.symptoms or less. Competition in the NHS isn't new, but the reforms
:15:54. > :16:01.step it up a notch. The NHS will become a marketplace,
:16:01. > :16:05.with private companies competing with the NHS for business. So when
:16:05. > :16:13.your GP says you need a scan, your options may look less like this,
:16:13. > :16:18.and more like this. But it should be quality, not price, that will
:16:18. > :16:20.decide which are allowed to offer care. It's already happening here
:16:20. > :16:28.on the high street, where Specsavers are treating NHS
:16:28. > :16:31.patients in 218 of its hearing centres. When I came to Specsavers,
:16:32. > :16:36.they do private and NHS, which I find is better than going to the
:16:36. > :16:45.hospital. You know you go to the hospital, there's a lot of
:16:45. > :16:51.travelling and I don't think you get such a personal attention. So
:16:51. > :16:54.this is much, much better. When you press the button in, you'll hear
:16:54. > :16:57.two beeps which will allow you to use the telephone then. The plan is
:16:57. > :17:00.for patients like Doreen to choose their provider by looking at new
:17:00. > :17:02.performance league tables. But companies must play by the rules
:17:02. > :17:06.and can't encourage NHS patients to go private. Ultimately, Specsavers
:17:06. > :17:10.want to protect the NHS work that we've managed to gain here and we
:17:10. > :17:14.don't want to do anything to try and jeopardise that. We're not
:17:14. > :17:20.going to try and sell a hearing aid, upsell a patient at all during that
:17:20. > :17:23.time. More competition could drive up standards and lower costs. But
:17:23. > :17:28.if profits slip, companies could pull out or even go under, leaving
:17:28. > :17:31.patients in the lurch. Remember the collapse of Northern Rock? Imagine
:17:31. > :17:38.if its customers had been queuing not for their life savings but for
:17:38. > :17:41.life-saving surgery. If there is going to be a bigger role for
:17:41. > :17:43.private companies in delivering care to patients, then there is
:17:43. > :17:46.always a possibility, however remote, that that company will not
:17:46. > :17:48.be successful, that we will see something like Northern Rock in
:17:48. > :17:51.healthcare. The Government's anticipating that. It's putting in
:17:51. > :17:54.place what's called a "failure regime" so that the regulator can
:17:54. > :18:03.intervene and ensure continuity of services even if the organisations
:18:03. > :18:07.are not providing care to the right standard. The third thing patients
:18:07. > :18:10.may notice is a shift in their relationship with their GP. So if I
:18:10. > :18:13.said, "Trust me, I know the best place to go to get your heart
:18:13. > :18:20.surgery." Would you say, "Yeah, you're the doctor. Dr Phil, you
:18:20. > :18:23.look like a ginger George Clooney. I love, I trust you."?
:18:23. > :18:29.Since the birth of the NHS, doctors have taken the trust of patients
:18:29. > :18:32.for granted. But as GPs offer more and more treatments, they could
:18:32. > :18:35.find themselves referring patients to their own services. Add private
:18:35. > :18:42.companies into the mix and there's real scope for a conflict of
:18:42. > :18:46.interest. So just open really wide. Say "ahh." Ahh. That's great, thank
:18:46. > :18:49.you. But should we really be worried? In Bath, Jasmine Bishop is
:18:49. > :18:52.seeing a GP on the NHS. But believe it or not, he actually works for
:18:52. > :18:57.Virgin. Yup - they of planes, trains and super-fast broadband
:18:57. > :19:03.fame also run this walk-in centre, along with 170 other NHS services...
:19:03. > :19:07.Although you wouldn't know it from the branding. As Virgin takes over
:19:07. > :19:10.more of the NHS, what's to stop you referring patients on to another
:19:10. > :19:13.Virgin service to make money for the company, rather than in the
:19:13. > :19:16.best interests of the patient? of our GPs, like any GP in the
:19:16. > :19:23.country, have to offer patients a choice when they're being referred
:19:23. > :19:27.for another service. So in the end, it's down to the patient to choose
:19:27. > :19:29.where they go. And of course, GPs and other clinical staff have a
:19:30. > :19:34.professional responsibility too to make sure that they're finding the
:19:34. > :19:40.best care for their patients. That doesn't differ because those GPs
:19:40. > :19:43.are employed by us. And you have to ask if patients really mind who
:19:43. > :19:47.provides their care. Did you know that this health
:19:47. > :19:50.centre was run by Virgin? No. it make any difference to you as a
:19:50. > :19:56.patient whether it's run by an ordinary NHS GP or a private
:19:56. > :19:59.company? No. So all that matters to you is what? What do you care about
:19:59. > :20:02.in your treatment? That I get the best treatment I possibly can get
:20:02. > :20:04.really. Which of these sample bottles would
:20:04. > :20:08.you like, madam? We've got three on choice today.
:20:08. > :20:13.The bottom line is that if you have a good idea to improve your care,
:20:13. > :20:16.tell your GP. If he or she can make it happen, we know the reforms are
:20:17. > :20:23.working. It's been a huge upheaval just to get the NHS to listen to
:20:23. > :20:25.patients. And I hope for all our sakes it works. I can't lug all
:20:25. > :20:35.this back again. Come on, it's got to go today. Last
:20:35. > :20:39.
:20:39. > :20:42.chance! You are watching Inside out here in
:20:42. > :20:47.the West Midlands. The Met Office did warn it is going to snow and it
:20:47. > :20:56.has cost chaos. 999 services were at full stretch but they were able
:20:56. > :21:00.to call on the vital support of some volunteers.
:21:00. > :21:05.For the last four days, snow and freezing temperatures have gripped
:21:05. > :21:09.in the West Midlands. We still have a Met Office amber warning in place,
:21:09. > :21:13.the second highest and it is staying right the way through to
:21:13. > :21:18.tonight. The snow is staying with us. If snow made driving
:21:18. > :21:22.difficult... This is the worst I have known it for a few years, to
:21:22. > :21:27.be honest. This is the first time we have had to turn around and come
:21:27. > :21:31.back. Emergency services struggled to reach patients in need but there
:21:31. > :21:35.is help at hand. Hundreds of volunteers turned out to exist.
:21:35. > :21:40.Meet one of them, Adrian, a former teacher who has been volunteering
:21:40. > :21:45.for the Red Cross since he was a child. Today he is operational with
:21:45. > :21:48.the 4x4 Red Cross ambulance. I have West Midlands and villains service
:21:48. > :21:52.when the weather gets extreme and I am joining them. Talk me through
:21:52. > :21:57.which you do at the beginning of a shift. There are two main things we
:21:57. > :22:00.like to do when we are setting up the ambulance. One of which is to
:22:00. > :22:05.check the roadworthiness of the vehicle, the lights and the engine,
:22:05. > :22:11.the tyres and bodywork. The next thing is to check the integrity of
:22:11. > :22:16.the vehicle in terms of the supplies. It is quite a long shift
:22:16. > :22:20.and we need to know we have got the right amount of equipment. It is
:22:20. > :22:24.the special Land Rover which makes the team so useful when 10
:22:24. > :22:30.centimetres of snow has fallen. are very lucky to have his vehicle.
:22:30. > :22:36.It is worth its weight in gold, with certainly snow responses and
:22:36. > :22:43.also inaccessible places due to flooding, or also muddied, things
:22:43. > :22:48.like music festivals in the summer. It is useful in any kind of weather,
:22:48. > :22:53.we would be utilised to get too inaccessible places. Either a very
:22:53. > :22:57.rural locations or perhaps places hit hard by the snow and have lots
:22:57. > :23:07.of hills. I will let you get on with your prep because I know you
:23:07. > :23:10.
:23:10. > :23:18.have to sign on at the beginning of the shift. Thank you.
:23:18. > :23:22.Signing on for a shift with the today, over. Now, the team are
:23:22. > :23:27.signed on. Adrian just needs to check one last thing. Can I have
:23:27. > :23:30.clarified with regards to transfer a fusion of patience, are all
:23:30. > :23:36.patients when being transported to hospital going Asprey yesterday,
:23:36. > :23:39.over? The weather meant the roads were blocked yesterday so every
:23:39. > :23:47.patient they picked up had to be blue lighted to hospital through
:23:47. > :23:51.the traffic. We had a lot of poorly people yesterday and the problem
:23:51. > :23:57.was that it was taking an awfully long time not only to get two
:23:57. > :24:01.incidents but to get back out on the road. To assist with getting
:24:01. > :24:09.patients into care and to get us back onto the road, we were asked
:24:09. > :24:14.to do that. So it is just a waiting game? I am afraid so, yes. It is
:24:14. > :24:20.one of those things, it can happen at any moment. On Friday, they had
:24:20. > :24:24.six jobs in six hours and they are expecting another busy day. Whilst
:24:24. > :24:31.Adrian and the other volunteers wait at kiss, many are out enjoying
:24:31. > :24:41.the snow that has covered the West Midlands. -- which at the base. A
:24:41. > :24:49.
:24:49. > :24:54.call has, in. -- has come in. Roger, I do, all received. Lovely, cheers,
:24:54. > :24:59.thank you. You have got to get moving, but what is happening?
:24:59. > :25:04.are going to a patient in Walsall assessed by their GP. It is
:25:04. > :25:08.recommended due to a systemic problem with their joints, and also
:25:08. > :25:16.be a pig feed that they have into their stomach, they need to go into
:25:16. > :25:22.hospital. -- also a feat that they have into her stomach.
:25:22. > :25:27.The snow eased off, so getting to the patient is quick. It is a vital
:25:27. > :25:35.piece of equipment for us and we operate as a resource for the
:25:35. > :25:42.ambulance service. We can get to places that a land ambulance would
:25:42. > :25:45.struggle or possibly even be dangerous for it to go.
:25:45. > :25:51.We will just take that and to check on her.
:25:51. > :25:55.What is the first thing you will do? We will have a chat. This is
:25:55. > :25:59.residential accommodation. We would chat with the staff and patient and
:25:59. > :26:09.find out what has been happening, how they are feeling, what has been
:26:09. > :26:11.
:26:11. > :26:16.going on the last couple of days. This is a line in it and it keeps
:26:16. > :26:24.getting moved. Kathleen has only just come out of hospital but is
:26:24. > :26:31.still in pain and her GP wants her to be readmitted. What is your
:26:31. > :26:37.assessment? This lady has had recent surgery and has been
:26:37. > :26:40.receiving antibiotics at home. The main problem for her is that the
:26:40. > :26:46.antibiotics are unable to get into her system because there is a
:26:46. > :26:50.blockage in the tubing she has been set up with. It is important post
:26:50. > :26:54.operatively to receive those drugs on a regular basis so we need to
:26:54. > :26:59.take her to hospital so it can be rectified -- rectified and the
:27:00. > :27:04.medication process can start to harbour with recovery. With their
:27:04. > :27:11.elderly patient on the ambulance, the snow does not stop them getting
:27:11. > :27:18.her into Walsall Manor Hospital. Kathleen has had knee surgery and
:27:18. > :27:23.she needs antibiotics. She had was seen by the community nurses
:27:23. > :27:30.morning and her line is blocked. Hopefully they will be able to give
:27:30. > :27:34.her the antibiotics that she needs in hospital to take the pain away.
:27:34. > :27:40.With this job done, it is back to base with the team, but the weather
:27:40. > :27:45.is still threatening. It may get a lot I see you later on with the
:27:45. > :27:53.prediction of more snow. -- a lot I see her. It could become more
:27:53. > :27:58.treacherous. You might get a cup of tea and! Are if you are lucky.
:27:58. > :28:01.Coming along makes a huge difference, doesn't it? We are very
:28:01. > :28:05.lucky to have as they go and it really comes into its own in bad
:28:05. > :28:09.weather. Certainly with the snow that we have now, I cannot see it
:28:09. > :28:19.not been used over the next two days. I will let you get back and
:28:19. > :28:19.
:28:19. > :28:26.get ready for the next job. Thank They at his it. Do not forget you
:28:26. > :28:31.can find more information on our Facebook page. With more of this
:28:31. > :28:37.forecast over the next few days, stay tuned to your local BBC radio
:28:37. > :28:42.station. From snowing Birmingham, good night.