This programme contains some strong language,
scenes which some viewers may find upsetting, and deals with Suicide.
Ambulance Service. Is the patient breathing?
Every minute of every day,
the Ambulance Service answers our cries for help...
..from the crews on the ground saving lives...
Just keep going. ..to the staff in Control,
making the split-second decisions on who should get help.
I've got another Cat 1. I hope to God that's not real.
God, this is crackers!
The North East Ambulance Service delivers emergency care
for the 2.7 million people of Newcastle and beyond.
We're coming as fast as we can. We've got multiple crews travelling.
We've got you. We've got you.
We're going to look after you.
This is the story of how both the region
and the service that cares for them are struggling to bounce back
through the most testing times.
We are one big Ambulance Service. One big family.
Saving lives, breaking hearts,
helping little old ladies cross the road.
Thank you very much. It's alreet.
Welcome to the north-east.
It's the weekend and the start of a new 12-hour shift
for the North East Ambulance Service.
Morning!
Morning, Louise, you all right? Morning!
Morning, Marty. Are you raring to go? Always.
Coordinating emergency resources to the 2.7 million people
of the north-east is the dispatch team,
including Marty, Louise and Jordan.
What day is it? Saturday? Saturday. Yeah.
Saturdays, anything could happen, really.
Is there any football on today? Do you know? Is there a Newcastle game?
Newcastle's at Leeds, Sunderland's at home.
6-0 Sunderland. Haway the lads.
Of the 167 vehicles on shift today,
ten are stationed at Blucher base, west of Newcastle...
..including BL-328, Shamel and his crewmate, Perry.
Ah, more sweets!
Pineapple lolly?
Oh, I'm not going to say no!
Also on duty is Blucher 330, Hayley and Joe.
Freezing again. Well, put your jacket on!
So, I brought these.
You are taking the mick! No! Look how great they are!
Blucher 328, good morning.
I hope yous had a good sleep last night and ready for the day ahead.
Yeah, good morning, same to you.
Yeah, me and Shamel sprang out of bed on coiled springs this morning.
Yeah, that's us ready for the road. Over.
Thank you very much. I hope we have a good shift today,
and I'll send a job through. Stand by, one. Roger that. Thank you.
LINE BEEPS Ambulance Service. Hello, police.
Oh, gosh.
330.
3-3-0, thank you. I've got this job for you.
Unfortunately, it's not a nice one to start your day.
It's an unknown person, not breathing. The police are on scene.
Any updates would be greatly appreciated. Over.
Can you just ask if the police are doing CPR? Yeah, no worries.
Can I just confirm police have commenced CPR at all?
Helicopter's lifting, as well. The police are doing CPR.
Also, just had another update.
Helimed 63 is lifting from Teesside. Over.
Yeah. We'll give you a quick update when we get there.
What a horrible start to the day. Yeah, it's awful, that.
If we're first on scene,
we'll try and manage the scene as much as we can.
Police to do CPR. We're management as a priority.
Quick assessment on whether injuries are compatible with life. OK? Yep.
So we just need to make that decision very, very quickly,
because it'll decide what we're doing
and who we're getting to scene, all right?
Do we know how long she's been here or no? Not that long, because...
Just grab us a blanket for now, mate, and we'll just cover her up.
I'll stand HEMS down.
330. Blucher 330, go ahead. Over.
Yeah, thank you. Just to stand down Helimed
and any further resources. Injuries incompatible with life. Over.
That all received there.
Thank you, Joe. We'll stand everyone down. Over.
We've just had the update. You can stand down.
Stand down from this detail. Not required.
I don't think there's anything more we can do for this patient. Over.
In the past week,
North East Ambulance Service has already attended
more than 30 suicidal patients.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
You don't know what people are going through.
I'm going to sit in the cab for a bit. Yeah.
Someone somewhere could be waking up this morning,
not knowing what's happened to their relative.
I know it sounds horrible -
that's if she's got any family, which will make it even more...
..more sad.
Sometimes the breaking point just crops up on you.
Creeps up on you, even.
And that's the scary thing, isn't it?
LINE BEEPS
Bucher 330. I've got you clear there.
I just want to check that you and Joe are both all right,
cos that couldn't have been a nice sight. Over.
No, it really wasn't, and I don't think we are.
But we'll do what we always do and have a bit of a chat
and just support each other, and we'll be all right.
Oh, of course. Obviously, if I can do anything for you up here,
just let us know. That's what I'm here for.
Go and make yourself a cuppa, have a good chat about everything
and then give us a shout once you're all sorted. Over.
Yeah, that's really gratefully received.
Thank you very much, Jordan. No, it's no problem at all.
Red Base out.
Oh, that wasn't nice. That'll be in their mind now
for the rest of the day and maybe the rest of the weekend.
Thing is, we don't really have time to digest it, either.
It's, like, you just crack on with the job. Mm-hm.
I'd always wanted to be a part of the Ambulance Service,
looking after people and trying to sort out their problems.
The hardest jobs, I find, are when they're past the point of help.
I see people so isolated, in such desperate situations,
just doing the best they can.
I think there's always a breaking point for everyone.
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service. Is the patient breathing?
How old is he, please?
LINE BEEPS
328?
Blucher 328, this job is an 88-year-old male.
Says they've got lower back pain. Not able to mobilise or get up.
Yeah, just pass it through and we'll go over and check him out.
Thank you.
Perfect. Thank you very much. Base out.
This gentleman has got loads of medical history -
Parkinson's, prostate cancer, pacemakers, all sorts.
Poor bugger. It's probably all getting on top of him.
Hello. Here for Colin, are we? Yes.
What's your name?
Right, Colin, what's happening today?
He's got Parkinson's. He's got a tumour on his head.
He's got lower back pain - is that why we're here today?
He's had it for about a fortnight. It just came on, sitting one night.
It must be hard for you. It is.
I've just finished me treatment for cancer, as well.
Oh, dear. You got a lot on your plate, then?
Yeah. Can't manage him.
It's all right. It's OK. It's all right.
It's what we're here for. All right?
We're not going to abandon you or anything.
You've got pain in your back around here. Is that right?
COLIN GROANS QUIETLY
It's all right. We are here to help.
Just give yourself a couple of minutes. We'll do our checks
and then I'll come back and grab you. All right?
No problem.
Blood pressure's sky-high. I wasn't expecting that.
Colin, there's going to be a sharp scratch on your finger, all right?
Do you get any carers, any help or anything like that? No?
Colin, can you spin your legs round?
COLIN GROANS Yeah, I know, it's going to hurt.
Just take your time. All right. You're doing really well.
Aye, we've got you. We've got you.
Big push, mate, through the pain. That's it.
Get your head up. Excellent. Well done.
Just keep coming.
That's it. You're doing really well.
There you go. Right. So whereabouts in Scotland are you from?
Ah, right.
So how did you end up in Newcastle, then?
He went to sea. That's how I met him. Ah!
Went to sea? You a seaman?
Yeah. Merchant Navy. I was.Really?
My grand-uncle was in the Merchant Navy.
So is that where the tattoos and stuff are from? Yeah.
And I went on oil rigs. And the rigs?
Then he went to work in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi? Yeah. All over.
So where's your favourite place, then?
Home.Home. Newcastle. I like it!
Your blood pressure's really high at the moment.
That's the only anomaly that we've found so far.
Obviously, you've got the back pain,
but if you feel like you're not coping in your own home,
that's another issue. OK?
So we'll take him into hospital,
cos I think my other worry is that if we do leave you here, Colin,
I think the Ambulance Service will end up getting another call
sometime tonight or tomorrow where you're not coping.
I just can't manage. I'm nearly 90 this year.
Oh, yeah? Would you be happy for us to put a referral in for you
and get you some help?
Come, assess Colin, see what his ability is?
Might get some handrails, some walking aids.
Would you be happy with that? Oh, yes, yes.
Good. We'll put that in for you. My mam used to say to me,
"You're so strong, you'd cut your nose off to spite your face."
And I would. I wouldn't let nothing beat me.
The day they told me I had cancer, I thought,
"No, you're not going to beat me." Mm.
That's it.
You just keep your hands where you are, all right?
Try not to grab out.
Thank you very much.
Amazing life together. Eh? You've had an amazing life together.
I know. Brilliant.
Nice house we have. Nice house.
So that's you there. Lovely.
If you can try and sit a bit further back...
And another.
I'll come and sit next to you, Colin, for the ride in.
So have you ever been to Chittagong?
Yeah? Well, that's where my family are from.
They're from Bangladesh.
Big ports around there.
Are you ready? Aye, good to go, mate. Cheers.
VOICEOVER:My dad came here in the '60s.
He had the first Indian restaurant in Newcastle.
He always did his best to look after his family,
look after his friends, the people around him.
I just need to carry on some of that.
A lot of what we do isn't the clinical side. It's about care.
I think if people can see
that there's someone that cares about them,
they can see that someone's there for them,
I think that really does make a difference.
Colin will be assessed at hospital
to investigate the cause of his back pain.
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service. Is the patient breathing?
Yeah, is the patient awake?
Oh, you're the patient, are you? What's happened? What's wrong?
So your nose has been bitten.
Six hours into shift,
and Control have so far answered over 1,300 calls.
What is your emergency, please?
Are you one of the carers?
Call handler Phil is taking his 25th call of the day.
Would she manage to answer a few questions with me on the phone?
Or is that not possible for this lady?
Hello there. Can you hear me?
Hello there.
The carers said, obviously, that you've bashed your face
and head a couple of times today - is that right?
Not too bad?
You've had worse.
Yeah. Don't worry...
No, you're not making a fuss.
I'm just going to run you through a bit of information, a few questions,
Florie, and then we'll see what we need to do. Is that OK, yeah?
Do you feel a normal temperature, like, on your chest,
for instance, do you think?
The carer, obviously, I know mentioned that your legs
had gone from underneath you. Is that what had happened, is it?
You think the carer's exaggerating.
I mean, Flo, we're only just looking out for you, that's all.
Obviously, we're not here to exaggerate,
or make it look horrific, or anything.
Just to know what's happened.
Have you had any speech difficulties?
CARER LAUGHS
I mean, Florie, you are stuck on the floor.
I would definitely suggest an emergency ambulance.
I don't know how else you're going to get up, really,
without us coming out. I know you really don't want to
and you think we're making a bit of a fuss. But is that OK?
All right, brilliant.
Now, obviously, if she has any new symptoms, things get worse, change,
any new concerns, just to ring us back, OK?
All right, then.
No worries. Thanks a lot. Nice to speak to you there.
See you later. Thank you. Bye. Bye.
In Walker, Joe and Hayley are seven hours into their 12-hour shift.
LINE BEEPS Blucher 330. Thanks, Joe,
I've got you clear there. What was the outcome? Over.
Yeah, this patient was awake by the time we got there.
Didn't want any help, and has just walked off away somewhere.
Oh, well. At least it wasn't nothing too serious. Over.
That's always a positive, mate. It's always good when it's not.
100%. But, no, go back for your meal break.
Brilliant, mate. Thank you.
Thank you. Red Base out.
LINE BEEPS Ambulance Service.
Is the patient breathing?
Group broadcast, group broadcast.
Any crews available for a Category 1?
Current ETA for a crew is nine minutes.
Requesting a paramedic to back them up.
If any crew's available, please page in.
Blucher 330.
Blucher 330, are you OK to clear for the C1? Over.
Yes, just send it through, then, and I'll see.
A Category 1 emergency is for life-threatening conditions
and is the highest priority.
Joe and Hayley are the nearest available ambulance,
four minutes away from scene.
I don't like jobs with kids, me.
It knocks me sick. I know.
I want you to place the baby on a flat surface,
roll him on to his side, OK?
Put a small pillow or a rolled-up blanket behind the baby's back,
just to keep him in that position.
He's not bleeding at all, is he?
Blucher 330, thank you. I don't think if you can see this update.
Male, unconscious, noisy breathing, bringing up blood.
HEMS have listened in,
and they're happy to lift should you require them.
Yeah, no worries. We'll give you an update if we need them.
Just keep talking to him.
Potentially, Hayley, if this is as poorly as it sounds,
cos HEMS have listened, and they're saying they're willing to lift.
Yeah. That's what concerns me. It may just be a scoop-and-run case.
Be two seconds, guys, all right? Is he still unconscious?
I'll leave you with the crew, OK?
They'll just get the equipment, and then they'll come in.
Just keep him on his side, all right, until they come in.
LABOURED CRYING
All right, buddy.
All right, he's fitting, isn't he?
Hayley, let's just go.
Can I get spec? Is it Perry Red?
Yeah, of course. It'll be the BX car, mate.
Spec on a Perry...
Cheers, mate. I might leave in the meantime.
I'll keep you updated. No problem at all.
We're going to get them straight away.
A "spec" is a specialist skilled resource.
Paramedic Steven and Dr Michael have the necessary skills
to treat on the roadside.
BX02.
BX02, we're going to pop a job through to you.
Crew have arrived on scene, requesting yourself.
They did say they might scoop and run towards the RVI,
and then they would RVP with you en route.
All received and understood. Over.
Joe and Hayley will have to decide whether to stop for assistance
from Steve and Michael, who are four minutes away,
or to continue the nine-minute journey
directly to the Royal Victoria Infirmary,
where a team of paediatric specialists are waiting.
JOE:And you just found him like this?
OK.
330.
Blucher 330. Go ahead, Joe.
Really sorry, mate. Really quick pre-alert for you, if you're ready?
Yeah, of course. Ready for details.
Currently in status.
GCS of three, and still actively fitting despite diazepam.
Joe, just so you know, Steve is parked on the Fossway.
He's going to get out the car and jump straight on. Over.
I appreciate that, mate. I think the best thing to do
is just travel with him... Just get there.
They're not... They don't want to stop. He's just waiting outside...
They don't want to stop. Right, that's fair enough.
No, that's absolutely fair enough, mate. Just keep going.
We'll pass the update to the crew.
They have pre-alerted that they're not going to stop. Over.
No, I think if that's the case,
we'll just stand down, let the crew continue with it.
No problem, then. Thank you very much. I'll take you off it.
Obviously, if anything changes, we'll give you a shout. Over.
Yeah, no problem. That's understood. Thanks.
Yeah, we'll not slow them down. We'll let them just get on with it.
All I'm doing now, petal, is just to check that I'm giving him
the right medication, OK? Just to get him fixed, all right?
Sorry, Joe. Big bump. You're all right, Hayley. Just get me there.
It'll be all right, sweetie. We'll look after him, OK?
All right, buddy. Wait here, wait here.
We're going to make a lot of fuss about you.
Get your mask.
Resus.
On arrival, the baby is immediately given the care it needs
from paediatric specialists.
You all right? Yeah, yeah.
Lou, you all right? Yeah, they're there now.
Blucher 330. Thank you, Joe. I've got you clear at the RVI.
I just want to check yourself and Hayley are all right. Over.
Er, yes and no, mate.
Um, it's been a tricky one.
Apologies for the chaotic scene and the quick pre-alert, mate.
You know I'm not normally that quick, so I do apologise.
Just given the type of job it was,
we just needed to get the little lad straight to hospital
sooner rather than later, didn't we? Over.
Yeah. And I think I think that was a tricky decision to make
on-scene for both me and Hayley.
But patient's in the right place of care, that's the main thing.
Yeah, of course, that is the main thing.
In the meantime, do you want to get yourself back for some break? Over.
Will do, mate. Appreciate that. Thank you.
Thank you. Red Base out.
What a horrible day they have had.
What'd he say?
I asked, "Are you OK?" He went, "Yes and no."
On a serious note, though, are you OK?
I don't know.
I feel too overwhelmed to process anything, anyway.
Just a bit numb, really.
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service. Is the patient breathing?
It's been prioritised, it's the highest priority
of everybody in the area.
I'm absolutely going out my way to do the best for your mam.
Yes, the ambulance is coming.
We're not delaying, but we need to focus on her breathing.
So just say "now" every time she takes a breath.
In the last hour, Control have received 180 new calls...
Ambulance Service. Is the patient breathing?
..including four Category 1 emergencies.
Can you get any response at all?
Ask to see if he can squeeze your hand.
So he did squeeze your hand a little bit?
Right, OK.
So an emergency ambulance has been arranged, OK?
They're categorised on the highest response.
Oh, nah... 330's been given a Cat 1.
I'll speak to them first.
Aye, see, I can get another crew there.
You are joking me. No, I can't...
COMMS BEEPS 330.
Blucher 330. Thank you.
We have given you a C1 that auto-allocated there.
I appreciate that you need to restock,
so we'll stand you down. Over.
HAYLEY SNIFFLES Yeah, received, mate.
I don't think we're in any state to do another job.
I do apologise.
No. Honestly, don't worry about it. It's absolutely fine.
I appreciate the type of day you've had.
We need to support you guys.
Cheers, mate.
Thank you very much.
Red Base out.
HAYLEY SOBS
Hayley...
HAYLEY EXHALES
So sorry about that.
I don't know...
Jump out a minute.
Being daft, man. You're thinking too much about things.
Thinking way too much.
We're going to lose that Blucher crew. I thought so.
Yeah. So they're going to go home, which is totally understandable.
Think they've had a bit of a shit day, like.
I think it's difficult to find a crewmate
that you feel 100% comfortable with,
and it's a special thing when you find it.
I was on shift in Newcastle with Joe and heard the call for a Category 1.
As soon as he knew that it was my grandad,
he was like, "We're going."
And Joe did absolutely everything he could for my grandad that night.
He'd put a lot of things in place that meant my grandad
could stay at home, where he wanted to be.
His support just meant the world to us,
because it allowed us to focus on my grandad
and spend his last days and hours with him.
There's been days where I probably wouldn't have come into work
after a certain situation, but because I know Joe is there...
..that's kept me coming in.
LINE BEEPS
330.
Blucher 330. Go ahead. Over.
Yeah, thanks, Jordan. It's just to sign off for today.
Thank you very much for all your help, it's really appreciated.
It's been a tricky day, mate,
and I really appreciate your support to both of us today.
It has been a tricky day and I'm proud of the pair of you.
So thank you very much, and get yourselves away home.
Thank you, once again, to yourself... Thank you!
..and all the dispatch team. You've really looked after us today.
We appreciate that, mate, and goodnight to yourself.
No problem. Goodnight. Take care.
Red Base out.
Oh, bless their little cotton socks.
Hello, mate, morning. You all right? Yeah. You?
What a lovely sunrise.
That is absolutely tremendous, that.
I would be out with the dogs right now. What time is it?
I'd be down the coast. Coast? On your bike, would you? Aye.
Do you not get a sore bum riding a bike?
I've tried loads, me.
I tried with the, you know, like the padded bum cheeks?
Aye. Nah.
Back on duty for the next 12 hours is BL-328,
Shamel and Perry.
Are you knackered?
Yeah, proper. I feel the same, like.
The littl'un came flying into the room, crashing through the door!
Dead proud that I'm a paramedic. Yeah.
"Daddy, Daddy, paramedic, paramedic."
Poppa-medic. Poppa-medic, aye!
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service, is the patient breathing? Mm...
Are you the patient? Mm-hm.
What's going on at the moment?
What's happening with your heart?
Have you got any pain? Is it going fast? Slow?
What's your name?
That's what I'm arranging for you.
I'm going to arrange one of our clinicians to call you back
to discuss it further there, OK?
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service, is the patient breathing?
I'm sorry, I'm just asking if the patient's breathing,
you don't need to speak to me like that.
Patient - regular caller, multiple calls this morning.
A patient getting aggressive, refusing Ambulance Service.
So we went out to this lady maybe four or five times the other night.
Kept constantly refusing to travel when we got there,
then calling back again.
She's rang one, two, three... five times today.
Yesterday, eight times.
Right, well, we'll see what we can do with her today.
I've kept it in place. Right. I'll try and give her another call back,
but I think she's just going to do the same.
Yeah, probably.
There's definitely a pattern occurring. Yeah.
The nearest available crew is BL-332,
Rachael and Annika.
LINE BEEPS
332, go ahead.
332, thank you, we've got a job for you.
You're going to a 42-year-old female called Helen.
She's got some chest pain.
Query - heart attack.
There is a flag there -
she can be threatening at times.
If you've got body-worn cameras on today,
please do use them at this detail.
But if you do require any further assistance, just let us know. Over.
Yeah, will do. Thank you very much for this update.
Thank you. Red Base out.
There potentially might be something medically wrong,
but I think it's more something socially wrong there
why it feels that you have to call so much.
It's a social issue if she's ringing that often.
The crew said yesterday we can refer it to all the services,
but she's only going to be able to start getting help
if she's willing to engage. If she's willing to accept the help.
Yeah, and she's not doing that at the moment.
If that frequent caller is the person that I think of... Yeah.
..she's also had like a seizure due to, obviously, alcohol dependency.
Oh, right. So she does actually have seizures?
So she also might have a seizure, but it's a chest pain.
Usually, she's calling for a chest pain
because she knows what to say... Right.
..to get dispatched an ambulance. Yeah.
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service, is the patient breathing?
And what's your emergency?
You don't have an emergency?
And to confirm, you don't need an ambulance?
And what's your name?
LINE BEEPS Oh.
332, go ahead.
Yeah, 332, you can stand down. Stand down from this one.
Not required. Over.
That's all received, thank you very much.
You're welcome. Red Base out.
Right, OK.
Do you know if she's been injured at all?
Can I take this lady's name?
12 hours later, Joe and Hayley are back for another 12-hour shift.
They are immediately dispatched to the 100-year-old patient.
LINE BEEPS
Blucher 330. Blucher 330, thank you, Hayley.
You are going to Heaton for 100-year-old Doris.
100?! Doris had a fall against the door in the bedroom
and the carers aren't able to get in.
It's just yourselves travelling at the moment,
but please hurry up and go and get Doris. Over.
Lovely, thank you.
100 years old.
She's in her own home as well.
I wonder if she's been on the floor all night.
Hiya. Are you Doris' relative?
Tell me the story.
Yeah.
Very smiley for this time of morning, aren't you?
THEY LAUGH Yeah.
Doris, we'll give you a check over.
Check you've not hurt anything, and we'll get you up and warm.
Do you know how long she's been here for?
She doesn't know? Doris? Yes?
Do you have any pain anywhere?
No? None back here?
Nothing at all.No.
In fact, I feel healthier than I've ever felt.
I'll just put this on her. Can I have your finger, sweetie?
Yeah, it's fine. She is a bit cold. Put your finger on there, Granny.
Bit of a bruise there.
Yeah. There's no pain in her spine or her hips when I'm feeling.
Shall we get you up off this floor, then?
Are you ready?
Are you going to do the count? Wahey!
Look at that!
I'll give you a cuddle - are you ready? I've got you.
And then we'll just do a spin.
Have you got her? Yeah.
I've got you.
We'll help you move her and everything.
That's handy, having one of them, isn't it?
DORIS LAUGHS
Oh, hey!
Ooh! Oh! Have you got your...?
What's it like, being 100?
She just feels like 21, don't you, Doris? Do you?
THEY LAUGH
She still has a little tipple - don't you, Doris?
What's that?You still have your little tipple - your wine.
Oh, aye.
Oh, yes.
Is that the secret, is it?
Yes.
How are you feeling? You're OK?
Yes.
Just me legs are a bit shaky.
Yeah. You're just cold. We need to warm you up.
Do you want a cuppa? Warm you up a bit?
Love a cuppa, eh? A cup of tea, Doris, eh? Are you sure?
Have you had your breakfast this morning? Not yet.
Look at that - snug as a bug, eh?
She gets the works an' all.
Do you? VIP-style now you're 100, eh?
She's kept like the Queen.
THEY LAUGH
And your grandson's got your cuppa. There you are.
Be hot. Just made it.
I've never seen one of these before. Have you not?No.
Aye, it's nice.
We just need to discuss what we're going to do from here, really. Yeah.
From a family perspective, what is your wishes, in terms of hospital?
Yeah. Well, if she becomes really unwell,
then hospital, I would say.
But at present, I would say stay home.
Yeah.
I'm on one knee - I'm proposing.
I've just had a chat with your grandson.
I think I'm going to try giving your doctor a ring,
and then I'll see if the doctor will come out and organise somebody
to do some bloods for you, so you can stay at home.
Oh, yes.Is that OK?
I was born in the RVI.
You were born in the RVI? Aye. 100 years ago.
Ward 11.Were you? Uh-huh.
Ah, hey. Did you work?
Ooh, aye, I worked till I was 74.
Worked till you were 74? Aye.
Really? Oh, wow.
What did you do?
I was a good dancer.
LAUGHTER
I seen when I stood you up before -
you were trying to do a bit of the salsa.
Eh? JOE LAUGHS
I'm going to go and have a chat with your doctor, all right?
You enjoy your toast in the meantime.
Righto.All right, sweetie.
Thank you very much.Not a bother.
Thank you for coming.
Blucher 330, I've got you clear.
What was the outcome of her?
So we've just had a lovely hour and a half
with Doris and her grandson.
She hasn't injured herself, and we managed to get her back up.
The doctor's going to come and do a home visit.
But we just had a really lovely time with her.
But we were working the entire time, I promise.
JOE LAUGHS
You know, because Doris is 100, she can get away with murder.
But, no, now yous are all sorted,
I will send you through a further other.
That's received, thank you.
Thank you. Red Base out.
And what was it she said - a glass of wine a night? Yeah.
I'm going to go onto the bottles now, if I can get to 100.
It's not Echo Falls, though, is it?
It's not a Geordie wine, no.
Bless her.
Seven hours into shift
and Control have received a total of 1,046 calls,
including six Category 1 emergencies in the last hour alone.
Don't panic, OK? We've got help arranged for him.
We're going to get the ambulance there as quick as we can.
Keeping your arm straight, push down hard and fast.
Don't be afraid to push too hard.
That's it, lovely.
Keep doing that until they come in.
KNOCKING ON PHONE
CRIES OUT ON LINE
Just keep pushing.
Well done.
Baby's crying? Yep.
That's really, really good.
Yous have done so well.
She's got loads of hair. She's got loads of hair?
They're here now. Thank you.
All right, I'm going to leave you with...
Well done. Well done. Thank you. Bye. Bye.
I knew that that baby was coming out.
I was like, "I'm not getting off this phone."
There you go - one pink badge. Thank you.
I've got one of each now.
LINE BEEPS
Ambulance Service.
Right.
We sent a crew and we took her to hospital.
Looks like she's been aggressive because she's then been barred
from the hospital and ringing the GP all afternoon.
Now, the GP's arranged for her to go back into the same hospital? Yeah.
But she's complaining of hypothermia and a recent seizure.
So, the GP's got to act on that, really.
You can only go with what the patient says.
Seven and a half hours since they were first dispatched,
Rachel and Annika have finally arrived on scene
to treat patient Helen.
What's been happening?
I'm-I'm not a drug addict or anything.
I'm just alcohol-dependent
because of my health issues. Mm-hm.
So what help would you like to have from us?
I just want to stop being sick.
You have anti-sickness prescribed for it, isn't it? Yes. Where is it?
Where you normally keep them. Is it in a separate box?
Um, I'm not sure. I'm freezing cold.
There was a medipack on the bottom of the stairs.
I'll go and get that and have a look and see. One second.
So I don't know if that's what it is,
or whether it was a used one, empty one, if that makes sense.
Right, my love.
HELEN GASPS That's what I'm waiting for!
There you go.
Thank you so much. You're welcome. Thank you.
Have you not been able to keep any food down?
Mm. You haven't?
When did you last have something to eat?
It's over there - the tin of soup.
You were just trying it cold?
Yeah. Well, I would throw that up!
You need to heat it up.
Can I have a look and see if there's something I could sort out for you?
Is your kitchen in here?
All right. Let's have a look.
Can I heat some chicken soup up for you?
October 2023.
See if I can work your microwave first, though.
MICROWAVE WHIRS
So how it went in hospital? Did they give you any assessment?
Right.
So the bowl's really hot. Just watch because I don't want it burning
your fingers, sweetheart. Because it is red-hot, all right?
Red hot. Don't burn your mouth. Blow on it.
You've got nothing to apologise for.
Your behaviour's not awful.
Well, you're being lovely with us.
What are we going to do? Are we going to the hospital?
You don't want to go to hospital?
Why?
I know, but, in the end of the day, you need help.
And you shouldn't care about other people.
You should prioritise yourself.
And what if you're going to end up with calling for another ambulance?
So you don't want to go for a blood sample at the hospital
and just see what is the result and then come back here?
No? Is that your final decision?
You know what risk you're taking by staying at home?
In the end of the day, it's your decision.
You sure?
OK.
All right? You're more than welcome.
OK?
All right. You're OK. Right.
A frequent caller is categorised as
an adult who calls the Ambulance Service
12 times or more over a three-month period.
Currently, North East Ambulance Service
have 159 patients recognised as frequent callers.
She wanted help, but then she's not engaging
and she's pulled back. She don't want to receive it.
I think she just needs that reassurance from somebody
quite regularly, that contact.
She's very isolated. Yeah.
So she doesn't have any friends or family
that she really associates with.
This is where I think the system sort of lets people down.
You know, somebody needs to sit down and really look at this and think,
"Right, how can we help these people?"
Because she's not the only one. Oh, no.
There's so many people out there like her. Yeah.
And there is a gap in the service, I think,
where mental health support's concerned.
Aye.
SMOOTH R'N'B ON RADIO
Oh, I'm going to start two-stepping all over the shop here.
HE LAUGHS
# Guess I didn't try, try, try... #
Seven miles away, Shamel and Perry have cleared
from their previous patient.
HE HUMS ALONG
What about that one?
HE LAUGHS Saucy, that!
THEY LAUGH
LINE BEEPS
How far pregnant is she?
Blucher 328, I've got a further job for you
if you're ready for the details. Over. Yes, yes. Go ahead, thanks.
This one looks quite a sad one, actually.
It's a 27-year-old female.
She is pregnant with twins.
However, one of them sadly died at six weeks.
And is experiencing abdo pain. Over.
This isn't going to be a very nice one at all,
but we'll head down. We'll have a trip into hospital. Over.
If you do need any further resources on scene, just give us a shout.
Yeah, that's appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks. Red Base out.
SIRENS WAIL
Sounds like she's had a bit of a tough time with...
..her pregnancy.
You'd be all over the place, wouldn't you? An absolute wreck.
Aye.
Hello. Is it Kim?
What time did you get pain in your tummy?
It was a few hours ago.
OK. And whereabouts is the pain?
SHE GROANS Ohhh... Bottom of my stomach.
Does it go into your side or your back or anything like that? No.
Sharp stabbing pain.
Sharp stabbing pain. OK.
And I understand that you've had some problems with your pregnancy?
Well, it was due twins, but I lost one.
An early start. And obviously my waters had broke at 18 weeks,
and I've just ended up in this situation.
So are they really monitoring you? Do you go quite regularly?
Yeah, I've been going weekly. Weekly.
And is that the RVI, or...? Yeah. RVI. RVI.
And have you felt baby move?
No, not today. When was the last time you felt baby move?
Yesterday.
Been in quite a bit of pain. Yeah.
She woke me up, so she must be in some sort of pain.
I'm just going to do your blood pressure.
Perry? Do you want to get the Entonox?
KIM GROANS Right.
RADIO BLEEPS
SHE GROANS
Get some of that in you, Kim, you'll be all right.
Keep that in your mouth.
WOMAN:Keep it in your mouth, between your teeth, and you'll do...
You just breathe, yeah.
Thing is, you need to suck it in.
That's the one. OK. Well done.
You a friend or relative, or...?
All right. His sis...?
Ahhh!
Keep on using that, free of charge.
I'm going to give the RVI a call. All right? So I...
Well, they must know you pretty well if you're there every week. Yeah.
They said if I get any pain, that I've got to go straight away. Yeah.
The midwife says, like, she can't guarantee it, which is fair enough.
You know what I mean? She's just got to let them know the...
..the cans and can'ts.Mm-hm.
But she was... The midwife was happy, like,
for her to give it a go.Uh-huh.
It's not very nice at all.
This is it. Just cross your fingers.
Are you better standing and walking or are you better off in a chair?
I feel I might go for a chair.
Chair. Nae bother, right.
Two seconds...
AUNTY:Oh, the baby's coming! Oh!
KIM GROANS I think the baby's coming.
Have you got any urge to push, anything like that?
You just did then?
Oh, sorry.
Kim, do you understand what's happened?
Perry's got kids, I've got kids.
He's been through a miscarriage, I've been through one. Yeah.
You know? It's awful.
But, you know, we can empathise with what you're going through.
It is a horrible time. I get that.
Yeah. But let's look after you. Yeah. All right?
We'll get you into hospital, OK?
But we'll deal with it one step at a time.
Right, OK. All right?
Shall we walk to the door? I think so.
We'll just come back for the stuff.
We'll stick these on the back of the trolly.
Do you know what the baby was?
A boy or a girl?
A baby girl. Baby girl.
You gave her the best chance you could, didn't you?
You gave her that opportunity. Mm.
She'll always be with you.
She'll always be in your heart. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know? You'll never forget her. Yeah.
This side here, mate.
You all right, pet? Yeah, yeah.
Just... It's sort of, like, hit me, reality, and...
It'll take some time, you know?
And I think any bereavement takes time.
Yeah. That's what you need to do.
Yeah. You do need to take time before you do anything.
You need to fully process anything... Yeah.
..before you make any more plans. Yeah, let everything sink in.
I won't be trying again for a while yet, though. No.
It is estimated that one in five pregnancies in the UK
end in miscarriage.
That's the worst job I've ever done.
It's going to be rough for them for a while.
She seemed to be taking it in a bit, but he...
..as if he wasn't aware what was going on.
He's just in shock.
He's just... Aye. He just wasn't processing it.
Nah.
Hit him like a ton of bricks very soon. Yep.
VOICEOVER:There's always jobs that will stick with you.
That you'll play over in your mind.
Caring for people is at the centre of me.
It's ingrained in who I am.
You can't fix everything,
but you are helping that person and that family
to cope and deal with that trauma.
YAWNING LOUDLY:Oh, I'm so tired!
We'll have a nice cup of tea when we get in.
MUSIC: The Dying Light by Sam Fender
# This town is a world of waifs and strays... #
VOICEOVER:People are suffering.
I see it daily at work.
# Comedy giants, penniless heroes... #
And it's all ages.
Everyone in different ways.
# Dead men at the bar
# I've drunk with them all
# Through misadventure... #
One thing that helped me is remembering
why I got into the Ambulance Service
and also all the people that we help.
# But I'm alone here... #
So you coming round to mine on Sunday?
Coming round, I am. Champion.
What time, do you think?
Pop over for two, and then we'll eat a little bit later.
I'll get some spinach.
THEY LAUGH
Despite all the stresses and strains,
I think you need to stay focused on what's important.
# Maybe I could use a hand... #
It's the patients, the people, it's your community that's important.
We all need a bit of help sometimes.
That's what we're here for.
That's why I got into the job, to help people.
# The night is so impossible
# It haunts the few who dare to look
# Its marks are so hereditary
# I'm terrified of having kids
# But I'm damned if I give up tonight
# I must repel the dying light
# For Mum and Dad and all my pals
# For all the ones who didn't make
# The night
# Oh... #