24 Hours in A&E

This episode features three young men from different backgrounds who come to St George’s after a variety of incidents. Seventeen year-old Shea has been stabbed in an altercation. 17 year-old Bob has impaled his leg on his school fence whilst trying to take a short cut home, and 33 year-old James is back in hospital after blacking out at home, he’s bleeding from his ear but doesn’t know if it’s a new head injury or one he sustained a month before in a fight.

The RTS award-winning documentary series returns for a twelfth series following patients treated in the same 24 hour period at St George’s in south west London. The hospital has one of the busiest A&E departments in Britain - under more pressure than ever. It’s a place where stories of life, love and loss unfold every day. An 18 year old motorcyclist is rushed to St George’s after colliding with two cars. Initial observations show that he may have suffered life-changing trauma to the right hand side of his body and a CT scan reveals a fracture to his right femur. Doctors need to work quickly to re-align his leg in order to maintain the blood supply to his foot. 27 year old Samuel comes to A&E after collapsing at a friend’s barbecue whilst smoking a Cuban cigar.

This episode explores the value of freedom, and what happens when it’s taken away. 49-year-old Michelle is rushed to St Georges after a collision with a car whilst riding her bike on a dual-carriage way. Emergency Care Nurse Lee tells us of his own passion for motorbikes: ‘I ride a motorbike and every day….it makes me feel alive.’ He explains the risks of riding motorbikes and when he hears they have a patient who has had a motorcycle accident, he wants to be the nurse in charge of their care. Michelle’s friend Ani was expecting her for dinner on the day of the accident, and when Michelle was uncharacteristically late she began to worry. As Michelle is rushed for an urgent CT scan, Ani tells the story of how she met Michelle through their faith. ‘Being a Jehovah’s Witness is based on love. We are a family… so she’s my sister.’ They struck up a friendship whilst on a girls’ weekend away. Ani drove a car down, and Michelle took her bike arriving clad in leathers. As doctors continue to investigate the extent of Michelle’s injuries, we hear about Michelle’s experiences growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid era. As a child, she sensed segregation was ‘very unnatural’, but had grown up with that system being the norm. Michelle’s parents are British and she always had a fascination with the UK. When her marriage fell apart she made a leap of faith and boarded a plane to Britain feeling she ‘wasn’t just giving up marriage [but] giving up her life.’ Gradually she started to find her feet and took up riding a motorbike, ‘the feeling of freedom is absolutely awesome.’ 19-year-old Frankie arrives in resus after being thrown from a horse which then trampled on her. Orthopaedic Registrar Rob knows the risks of falling from a horse, ‘Some [patients] have very simple injuries and I have seen patients that have had complete spinal chord injuries who have never walked again.’ As doctors send Frankie for scans, her mother Sharon tells of the escapism horse-riding gives Frankie: ‘she’ll sometimes come home and be stressed out about something and she’ll get on her horse and gallop over the fields. It’s a nice…she can turn to nature when she’s feeling bothered about things.’ Frankie’s stepfather, Colin rushed to be by Frankie’s side and as doctors study her scans, we learn how Sharon separated from Frankie’s father. Colin and Sharon later met at work, and he describes the moment he met Frankie: ‘I’ve got three children who are older from my first marriage. I’ll never forget the day (she) sat her on my knee. I thought- I don’t know if this is going to work!’ But it did and we hear how their relationship blossomed. When Frankie’s biological father died last year, Colin was able to support her through it: he sees it as his job to ‘help her through life.’ Meanwhile, 11-year-old Merlin comes to St George’s with his mum Leslie after running into a wall at school and hurting his wrist. Leslie tells us of Merlin’s love for sport - he did his first triathlon aged 7. She called him Merlin after her love for medieval literature and tells us he was ‘born in Grasse, the capital of perfume.’ The day Merlin was born he had the umbilical chord wrapped round his neck. Midwives acted quickly to remove the chord and Leslie describes the moment she first held her son as ‘truly magical.’ As doctors treat Merlin’s broken wrist, Leslie reflects on how time flies and how she treasures each day with her son.

This episode explores notions of luck and chance, when a young man is involved in a high-speed car crash and an 18 year old breaks his leg whilst playing football. 29 year old David is airlifted to St George’s following a head-on collision at speed. He is taken immediately to CT as doctors are concerned he has internal injuries to his head, chest and pelvis. “Head-on collisions can be life threatening,” explains consultant Will. “All the energy is transferred between the two vehicles as they hit each other. For patients to walk away from a high speed head on collision is relatively rare.” During the CT scan, David’s girlfriend Emily talks about her mounting anxiety as the hours passed with no news as his phone was ringing unanswered. She then reflects on how they first met at a dinner party. “He had a way about him that made me think I want to sit next to him for dinner. So I did… I just moved.” Waiting for the scan results, David finally gets a phone charger and manages to speak to Emily. “I naively thought that hearing his voice would be the reassurance I was looking for,” she says. “But he just gave me a whole new wave of unanswered questions.” With thoughts of serious internal injuries flashing through her mind, Emily drives two long hours to the hospital and is finally reunited with David. But she is shocked at what she finds… 18 year old Darnell has severely broken his leg playing football. Doctors are concerned such a serious break could have long term implications. “He was hours late to come home,” explains his mum Natalie. “It was unusual that he didn’t stick to a plan that we had made. He is not the type of child to let me down especially at the last minute, and I needed him to look after this brother.“ Whilst Darnell has his lower limbs X-rayed, Natalie talks about how she was only sixteen when she found out she was pregnant but she was over the moon with the news. “There were people who said you shouldn’t have a child, you’re only sixteen,” she confesses, “but they just didn’t know what I could cope with.” She continues to talk about being so proud of Darnell and about him being a big support for her as a single mum. “He is officially a man but he’s always my little boy. Always. I don’t know what I would do without him.” And 94 year old great grandmother Mary has fallen backwards down 14 steps and lost consciousness. Doctors are worried about injuries to her chest neck and spine due to her advanced age. Mary’s daughter Jenny and her husband followed Mary to the hospital and describe the shock of hearing her crash down the stairs. “I thought she was dead.” As Mary awaits the result of her scan, Jenny talks about her mother having strong opinions about life, being fiercely independent and hating the prospect of losing that independence. As Mary herself explains: “Inside me there is this 30, 40 year old. I just don’t want to go into a home. I lived in one for a week, I didn’t like it. Too many old people there!”

The RTS award-winning documentary series returns for a twelfth series following patients treated in the same 24 hour period at St George’s in south west London. The hospital has one of the busiest A&E departments in Britain - under more pressure than ever. It’s a place where stories of life, love and loss unfold every day. This episode explores how loss and grief can test even the strongest marriages and how finding love for a second time can save you. 58 year old Kim has been airlifted to St George’s after being run over by a lorry and suffering severe blood loss at the road side. Her partner Andy was with her at the scene. Whilst doctors assess Kim’s leg – they are concerned that the nerves and tissue may have suffered irreparable damage and she may need an emergency operation – Andy talks about Kim being his second chance at finding happiness. He explains that when he first met Kim he was recently divorced after 18 years of marriage and he didn’t know how to behave. Andy also knew that Kim was keeping something from him. “She had the walls up. She didn’t want to get involved and I kept on thinking, you’re not telling me everything.” As Kim’s leg is being cleaned and dressed in advance of surgery, she talks about the joy she felt at being a mother of two boys but how a few years later, the death of her young son in a road traffic accident, destroyed her first marriage. “I just wanted to suffer and I did for quite a few years until I met Andy,” confesses Kim. “But he’s changed everything.” 65 year old Patrick has fallen from a loft ladder at home whilst trying to retrieve a suitcase. His wife Jude found him sprawled on the landing. “I thought, my goodness, he’s dying in front of me. And we have just retired and come to the part where we have got time together…” During the scan, Jude talks about meeting Patrick and falling in love. “We went to the first Reading pop festival and I fainted. So I went to the doctors and I found out I was pregnant so we quickly got married,” she reminisces. “It was only later that Patrick told me that his dad didn’t want him to marry me.” Whilst doctors await the final scan report – they are concerned that Patrick may have fractured his pelvis and spine - he remembers how his father first came to London from Ireland and was treated as a second-class citizen. He also admits that his father never really accepted Jude as his wife. “He said he didn’t want an English girl or an un-Catholic in the house. I stood up to the guy. I said I’m marrying her and I’m going to live with her for the rest of my life. I don’t think my father ever really accepted Jude but it was my choice.” Whilst Patrick’s minor head wound is being dressed, he talks about how the early days of his marriage were tested by the unexplained death of his sister in a boating accident. And Jude remembers how he would go for days on end without speaking to her. “He had things going on in his head that he had to sort out, and I was prepared to wait,” she continues, “because life would be nothing without him.” And Mario, a mischievous 85 year old, has been brought in with signs of dehydration. His two daughters are by his bedside constantly chastising him for not drinking enough water. Whilst doctors try to give him saline intravenously but can’t find a suitable vein, his daughter Rosanna remembers coming to England from Italy with her parents when she was 4 years old. “My mother didn’t want to come. We were immigrants. There was no pasta. There was no olive oil. There was no Parmesan.” Rosanna then talks about how she taught her parents to speak English but that it’s still hard to understand her father’s accent. “I’m not English and I’m not Italian,” she continues. “I take the best parts of both and I mix them together.”

A group of patients arrive at St George’s for treatment after a sports injury and two traffic collisions. As they are treated, they and their relatives share stories about their lives and the people they love and depend on. 36 year-old Lee has been involved in a road traffic collision in his van, 34 year-old Jeroen has been hit by a car whilst cycling to work and 21 year-old Vlogger, Chris has come to Urgent Care after dislocating his finger during a basketball game.

This episode follows couples who have been together since they were teenagers, weathering ups and downs over the years. 80 year old Joan is rushed to St George’s with severe pain in her chest, arm and jaw. She is followed to hospital by her two daughters, Sarah and Sue who, for the first time, are made aware of their own mother’s mortality: “You realize that she is not this invincible human being that you think she is.” Consultant Sarah, in charge of resus, is concerned that Joan’s heart is struggling and requests an urgent blood test and heart trace. “An elderly patient presenting with chest pain radiating to their jaw,” she explains. “The first thing that goes through your mind is could this be a heart attack?” Whilst they wait for the results of the blood test and the heart trace to determine if Joan is indeed having a heart attack, Sarah and Sue talk about how their parents were only sixteen when they first met at a local dance, how they’ve been together ever since and how they would hold hands in bed every single night. “They were other halves of each other. They were just in love.” Joan’s daughters then talk about how their mother lost her husband - and they lost their father - only six months earlier. “60 years of always being together, never apart,” explains Sue. “That must have pulled at her heart something terrible.” 54 year old roofer Mark has fallen ten feet off a ladder at work onto a wooden deck. Doctors are concerned that the impact may have broken bones in his pelvis and spine. During his scan, his wife Sarah talks about the 11 year age gap in their relationship and how they met on a blind date. “He was confident and drove a nice car which helped. He was a charmer,” remembers Sarah. “We’d only been together for about a week and he bought me red roses and a bottle of perfume.” But in the end it was Sarah who proposed to Mark and they were engaged on her 18th birthday. As a boy, Mark started roofing with his day at weekends and during the summer holidays. “That’s all he’s ever done,” says Sarah. “All he’s ever known.” Whilst they wait for the scan results, Mark talks about working as a roofer with his dad as a young boy at weekends and during the summer holidays. As his wife Sarah explains, “That’s all he’s ever done. All he’s ever known.” Mark then talks about how his dad died when he was just a young man and how the loss hit him hard and he started drinking heavily. “Sarah saved me,” admits Mark. “She’s my savior, she’s my rock.“ Meanwhile, 26 year old Josie has fallen and hit her head whilst performing a Dirty Dancing routine at a hen-do in Ibiza. She has been having headaches, dizziness and vomiting and doctors are worried she may have damaged her head. Whilst waiting for her CT scan results, Josie recalls the attempted dance move and how the maid of honour - who was actually lifting Josie - broke her ankle in three places. Josie also admits that she has never seen ‘Dirty Dancing’ and that they were perhaps being a bit over ambitious: “Maybe we should have tried it in the pool first but you don’t want to get your hair wet...”

The Emergency team at St George’s rush to the help of 47 year-old Emma after she collided with a bus on her Bicycle. Emma has lacerations to her face but equally concerning is the fact that she cannot remember anything about the accident and doctors are fearful that she may have a head injury. 87 year-old Pamela is a patient in Urgent Care, worried about a potential blood clot and full of stories about her life in London during the Blitz and after the War. 33 year-old Josh has come to St Georges with extreme back pain, he is comforted while he’s being treated, by his partner Isaac.

79 year old Mike is rushed to A&E after collapsing in the street whilst out walking his dog. His daughter was driving along the same road and recognized the dog first. As he arrives in St George’s the medical staff are concerned he has a very high heart rate and conduct tests to find out what has caused him to collapse. 53 year old Chartered Surveyor Andrew comes to resus with a suspected dislocated shoulder after tripping on a paving slab on his way to work and 9 year old Callum is brought to St George’s after pushing a piece of plastic toy down his ear.

This episode focuses on the support offered by friends and family at the most vulnerable times of people’s lives. 64 year old John is brought to St George’s in an induced coma, having been thrown from his bicycle at high speed. John is taken straight for an emergency CT scan as doctors suspect he has major internal injuries. Nurse Emily explains “ with a major impact, all of your organs carry on going into your bones… so you can get internal damage and internal bleeding” John’s wife Pauline recounts how normal the day had seemed when John went out for a bike ride. As doctors continue to scan John, Pauline explains how she has always been an anxious person and was medically retired. Pauline talks of the invaluable support John offered her in dealing with her anxieties “It’s a very lonely place when you don’t have somebody that you can really share with …you don’t have to have loads of friends you just need someone that understands you.” Initial scans reveal John has severely fractured ribs and a potential bleed on the brain. Doctors insert emergency chest drains and then wait to establish the extent of his brain injuries when they attempt to wake him. Pauline recounts their plans for a shared retirement whilst they were fit and able. 21 year old drama student Florian has come to A&E with fellow drama student Jake, having tripped and hurt his foot rushing to class. Jake and Florian rehearse lines in the waiting room. As Florian is seen by Emergency care practitioner Declan, he explains how he and his family fled war in Kosovo when he was a child and the sacrifices made by his father to get his family to safety. Finally, 82 year old Ron is brought into resus with a dangerously low heart rate of below 40 beats per minute. Consultant Sunil is concerned by Ron’s low heart rate and refers him to the specialist cardiology team to investigate. Ron’s wife Dawn explains her fears of losing him “we are two halves, what happens if you lose half of your self?” Nurse Emily talks about the importance of family for the patients in A&E, “working in A&E makes you appreciate your loved ones more; relatives act in all different ways some are very calm and strong for the patient and some take on the emotional side for the patient and break down but most of the time they stick together and stand by them”

In this episode we meet 40 year old Stuart who has been involved in a cycling accident. Things take a turn for the worse when Doctors discover an internal kidney bleed. 83 year old Elicia Jean is rushed to St Georges having collapsed at home, she is accompanied by her Son Stephen and his Wife Cilla, and Rita comes to A&E in need of having her abscess treated.

This episode follows three middle age women who are stabbed in broad daylight in a supermarket car park in Surrey. The women were all previously unknown to each other and rushed to St George’s in the aftermath of the random attack. This episode follows the impact of the trauma on both the victims as well as the emergency department and the staff who work there. As the staff at St George’s prepare for the arrival of the stabbing victims, Registrar JD talks about the dangers of knife wounds and the unexpected nature of this type of attack “if a knife has hit a vital organ or blood vessel then you can be in a lot of trouble, very quickly….stabbings can be quite common, you certainly expect them on a Saturday night but you don’t expect it from three middle aged ladies in the Sainsbury’s car park.” The first victim rushed to hospital is 67 year old Jean, she has been stabbed once in the back whilst carrying her shopping back to her car. As she travels to St George’s, her daughter Clair explains that she had only gone to Sainsbury’s that day to pick up a particular type of Macaroni cheese for her grandson. Doctors are worried that the stab wound may have hit a vital organ or a major vessel and she is sent for a CT scan. Whilst Jean is having her CT scan, Clair recalls growing up in a pub in Fulham where her mum was the Landlady “I remember a couple of guys came in with machetes yelling and shouting and she gave them a jolly good talking to… she’s always been feisty… she can throw someone on the floor if she needs to”. Jean’s CT scan reveals an arterial bleed around Jean’s chest and doctors need to monitor her for any further bleeding to keep her stable. 71 year old Rani is the next victim to arrive at St George’s. She was stabbed twice in the back whilst waiting to catch a bus. Rani’s daughter Soraya was at work when she received a call from a police officer, “I think he pretty much just said your mum has been stabbed, those words hold so much in them, it could be that she’s been stabbed and killed”. CT scans reveal that Rani has a lot of blood around her kidney and she needs to be monitored for further internal bleeding. The final victim to arrive at hospital is 62 year old Janet who was stabbed three times in the same car park. A passer by managed to stem the bleeding until an ambulance was able to get to the scene. Janet’s son Alex heard about the attack through his brother’s girlfriend, she said ‘someone’s gone on a mad rampage with a knife near the house and your mum has been stabbed”. As doctors wait for the results of Janet’s CT scan, Janet’s son and ex-husband Mustafa are making their way to hospital. Mustafa recalls how he first met Janet in 1977 when he collected glasses from her table at a pub he was working in and knew he was going to marry her the minute he laid eyes on her. Janet’s CT scan reveals that the stab wound near her chest has caused a lot of internal bleeding and doctors consult cardiothoracic surgeons. In the course of inserting a chest drain to help her breath again, Janet’s blood pressure drops to a critical level and she is declared ‘Code Red.’