Ambulance - Episode Guide

An ordinary day for the London Ambulance Service means dozens of car crashes, overdoses, suicide attempts and - statistically - 28 cardiac arrests, where every second can make the difference between life and death.

By 11am, seven cardiac arrests have come in, and now there are two more people fighting for their lives. As one crew battles through London traffic, knowing seconds and minutes can affect the outcome of a dad of two's heart attack, across the city another crew face a difficult decision - whether to stop resuscitation of their patient knowing full-well the impact it will have on the family.

The brain of the ambulance service is the control room, and when a number of stabbings, suicide attempts and a double shooting flood the 999 phone lines simultaneously, they threaten to overwhelm the service. A highly-skilled Advanced Paramedic has barely finished with a double shooting before he's called to a man who has fallen from a sky scraper. In the control room they're running short of ambulances and they know the next call could be a major incident needing dozens of crews.

When there's an unexpected spike in 999 calls far outstripping the number of ambulances available, drastic action has to be taken, and some emergency callers have to be told the ambulance can't come to them while the service prioritise reaching those in most urgent need who maybe fighting for their lives. Multiple calls about an explosion in a flat come in, heralding their worst fear, and the whole of the London Ambulance Service now has to step up.

The second episode joins staff in the nerve centre of the operation during the night shift. Among the thousands of desperate calls for help they receive, they also have to contend with hoaxers, frequent callers and run-away patients.

It's a busy shift with, at one point, 125 patients waiting for assistance, meaning that the ambulance allocators have to prioritise the sickest patients first, even if that means bumping others down the queue.

One of those waiting is an elderly 'faller' who's been on the floor for three hours. An ambulance crew are on their way to him when, at the last moment, they are diverted to what seems to be a more pressing emergency. A woman says she is having a miscarriage and so he's left to wait even longer. But when they reach her, they discover all is not as first seemed. When she calls again for the same emergency a short while later, they're torn between frustration and compassion for someone who's clearly troubled.

Meanwhile, another crew assist a 94 year-old who has fallen, and who entertains them with surprisingly candid talk of her love life. Her condition deteriorates as they treat her and the decision is made to take her into hospital. The crew are all too aware that this may be the last time she leaves home.

Across the city, a call handler spends an hour and a half on the phone to a suicidal patient who is running away from those trying to come to his aid, in one of the most logistically challenging cities in the world. But whilst one patient is resistant to help, another is all too desperate for an ambulance. A dementia-sufferer has called more than 15 times wanting an ambulance, and even after visits by paramedics and a district nurse who agreed she didn't need their medical assistance, she continues to call. If they keep sending ambulances to her, there'll be fewer for other patients in the area, so the service faces a difficult decision to say no to her pleas for help.

Tonight the London Ambulance Service braces itself for a demanding weekend shift. As Londoners head out to play, the Ambulance Service often has to pick up the pieces and prepare for a torrent of cases, all with their own unique challenges.

In Brixton, Advanced Paramedic Rich helps a man who's out of control and lashing out in a nightclub after taking a drugs overdose. The control centre is under pressure as five babies are being delivered by the call handlers over the phone tonight.

By Saturday night the streets of London are a huge challenge for the service: as the pubs begin to close, the violence escalates. The ambulance dispatchers are forced to make tough calls about who gets an ambulance quickest and who will have to endure a long wait - when a call about a stabbing comes in they have make the difficult decision to divert a crew from a six year-old who has fallen from a bunk bed. A couple of hours later, the same crew attend their second stabbing of the evening; it's the seventh across London that night.

Stabbings fuelled by drugs or alcohol are becoming an increasing feature for the weekend shift, but sometimes the most urgent calls are more straightforward than the social care ones; a man who has left hospital without being discharged needs returning to have his cannula removed. Homeless and wanting a sandwich, the crew debate whether it's their job to offer him the support he wants. They know there are always other pressing emergencies they could be attending.

Later the control centre has the tough job of telling a frequent caller who desperately wants to go to hospital that they won't be taking him as he's not sick enough to get emergency care, even though he does need support. As many care services in the capital aren't available all hours, the ambulance service end up being asked to pick up the pieces.

When at the end of the weekend a call about a miscarriage comes in, it's the type of emergency that the ambulance staff are trained for, but all the preparation in the world can't always shield them from the emotional toll sharing a personal tragedy can have.

8.31pm on Saturday night, and West Midland Ambulance Service takes a call from a distraught woman whose husband has collapsed on their lounge floor. The call hander must stay cool-headed and coach the woman and her daughter over the phone in how to do CPR while ambulance crew Katie and Sarah race to help.

By midnight, the impact of Saturday night drinking is beginning to show, as calls pour in to the control-room reporting numerous fights and violent attacks. Controller Glennis has to juggle her time between trying to help a crew who've been searching for an elderly man, who's fallen in an alleyway, and a high-priority call for a street brawl.

In an episode which begins with the life of a man in jeopardy, paramedics Natalie and Nat face an agonising decision of whether to move a woman in advanced labour, or face the risky prospect of delivering the baby at home, knowing she's already had a stillbirth. In just two shifts, the staff of the West Midlands Service have faced life, death, and resurrection.

One hour into the night shift with West Midlands Ambulance Service and the control centre is already on its third cardiac arrest.

The highly-skilled MERIT team is administering care to a patient who has been stabbed and is bleeding heavily, the fourth stabbing victim the service has dealt with so far that night. But it's not these high-priority calls that take up the most time.

Just four miles away, another crew must stay with an elderly man long after they have treated him as they've spotted he's run out of vital medication and no one else is available at this time of night to organise a refill.

In this edition, Mick and his crewmate Dave are dispatched to help a woman who has called because of pain in her tummy, but she is actually having a massive heart attack and urgently needs the expertise of the specialist Cardiac Unit at Royal Stoke Hospital. Matt and Ryan's shift sees them dispatched to help Les, who has fallen in the shed. Despite having broken his hip, Les seems unperturbed and continues to crack jokes. Meanwhile in the control room, call supervisor Steph receives a dramatic call - a woman has gone into labour on her way back from a training course with a colleague and is in a car on the side of the road. As the crews settle in for the night shift, paramedics Conor and Sam must manage a drunken 17 year old who has been fighting for breath at a lively teenage party.

In this programme, the Merit team - a specialist resource reserved for the most serious cases and with a doctor and specialist paramedic on board - is dispatched to the scene of an accident in Warwickshire, where the young driver requires a lifesaving procedure. In the busy control room, call assessors Rowena and Sally deal with suicidal patients on the phone, while crewmates Jo and Suki suddenly find themselves with several more patients when a car crashes in front of them as they are en route to hospital. And as the weekend shift draws to a close, the crew find themselves most concerned about an elderly woman living alone.

The fifth episode sees the air ambulance dispatched to a woman who has fallen downstairs and is struggling to breathe.

On the trauma desk, Critical Care Paramedic Fay receives a call from a crew requesting the Air Ambulance attend a road accident, but with the only available helicopter on their way to the first patient, Fay faces a tough decision.

In episode six, crewmates Justin and Dawn's first job of the day starts with a call to a woman whose waters have broken.

In this episode it's not the huge distances of the rural parts of the patch that are the problem - it's that several ambulances are stuck at Worcestershire Royal Hospital waiting to hand over their patients and are not available to treat new patients.

The final episode tells the story of how paramedics dealt with the fatal consequences of Storm Doris, which killed four people across the UK.

This first episode opens with West Midlands Ambulance Service call assessor Shanie as she deals with the cries of a woman in labour. Shanie has just graduated from training, but with a supervisor watching overshe calmly guides the caller through delivering the baby. When she hears the paramedics arrive, she can safely leave the caller and the newborn in safe hands, and is thrilled to have successfully helped deliver the baby over the phone.

West Midlands Ambulance Service sees a spike in trauma cases and must manage problems of the winter NHS crisis that has left patients lying in the corridors of Royal Stoke Hospital.

In an average week, crews across the West Midlands respond to 30 stabbings. Pete and Matt, a specialist trauma team, are called to treat the victim of a brutal knife attack. They carry out urgent medical intervention at the scene in a bid to save the man's life. Paramedics Christine and Chris start their day shift with a man who has collapsed in Worcester town centre after a suspected drug overdose. They give him an opiate antidote to stop him slipping into a coma, but the effect is only temporary. With A&E departments across the region busy, ambulance crews face waiting times of up to two hours before they can hand over their patients. When Jo and Tracey are called to 90-year-old Dennis, who has been vomiting, they want to save him from the inevitable delay at hospital. But GP surgeries are under pressure too. and they can't get through to his doctor. They have no option but to take Dennis to hospital and join the queue.

A day shift with paramedic crews from West Midlands Ambulance Service brings a spike in mental-health cases. Justin and Dawn attend an emergency call-out that comes from a tweet.

A specialist paramedic crew is sent to a shooting and a machete attack, but on this shift apparently lower priority jobs prove just as troubling and more time consuming.

It's the last Saturday night before Christmas and it was always going to be a busy night for the service, with controller Sui having to prioritise stabbing victims and reports of drowning over patients like Betty, whose daughter says she's fine but needs help getting her up having fallen to the floor.

This episode covers two shifts with paramedics of West Midlands Ambulance Service, as Royal Stoke Hospital struggles to cope with the volume of patients being brought in.

This episode follows West Midlands Ambulance Service over three shifts in Staffordshire, where crews are dealing with an increasing number of social issues, drug and alcohol misuse, and mental health patients.

Over a busy weekend in Manchester, paramedics Andrea and Glynn attend an RTC, while Debbie and Shaun try to persuade a homeless man to go to hospital.

During a 12-hour night shift with North West Ambulance Service, call handler Elly tackles an increasing volume of calls, and there are surprises for paramedics April and Clare.

A suspected terror incident requires a large-scale response and brings back memories of the Manchester Arena attack for the paramedics.

Call handler Joe faces his first unsupervised shift answering 999 calls on a busy night for the North West Ambulance Service.

A Friday night shift takes an unexpected turn for paramedic Jon. A panicked caller needs help for a friend who has given birth in a hotel room despite not knowing she was pregnant.

Joining North West Ambulance Service for a twelve-hour night shift. Call handler Elly tackles an increasing volume of calls, and there are surprises for paramedics April and Clare.

The BAFTA-winning series follows ambulance crews in the wake of England's defeat at the 2018 World Cup.

While most enjoy a hot May bank holiday weekend in Manchester, North West Ambulance Service paramedics Gary and Claire need face matters of life and death.

Call handler Laura offers life saving advice to a panicked 999 caller, the call makes such a deep impact that she decides on the spot to change the direction of her life.

Paramedics Alice and Lauren of the North West Ambulance Service respond to an emergency call for a baby not breathing.

Doctor Ian and paramedic Nikki see the human consequences of youth violence when they attend a 13-year-old who has been stabbed and two young men who've been shot.

North West Ambulance Service faces the pressure of the busiest day of the winter so far with an overwhelming volume of calls and severe delays handing over patients in hospital.

Advanced paramedic Luke puts his specialist training to use when he is dispatched to a life-threatening motorcycle accident.

Joining ambulance crews in Greater Manchester as they tackle the freezing winter conditions. Advanced paramedic Jon treats a homeless man who has spent the night in a van.

Award-winning documentary series following the work of the ambulance service. The teams attend to the 1.4 million people of Merseyside on St Patrick's Day weekend.

An urgent call is made by a man whose wife is in cardiac arrest, with a doctor and paramedic team from North West Air Ambulance immediately dispatched to assist on the job. Back in control, a call is in progress for a patient suffering chest pains as a result of cocaine binge. Meanwhile out on the road, crewmates Chris and V are dispatched to a category-three call for a patient who's fallen. However, once the patient is safely treated the couple's dogs become the focus of the paramedics' attention.

It's a busy weekend for the medics as thousands of visitors flood into the city for the Grand National weekend - and first up is a visitor falling down some steps at the train station. Mo and Tony are called to a baby that has fallen from its pram, and soon realise the mother is under the influence of alcohol, while Anthony and Mandy are dispatched to a nursing home where a patient is confused state fainting. Paramedics and sisters Danielle and Stacey treat the first casualty at the racecourse - a jockey who has broken his ankle falling from his horse, meaning he will have to miss the big race the following day.

Advanced paramedic Kirsten is faced with an unusual job. A call has come in from police about a burglar who has injured himself trying to escape from the house he was looting. As she arrives, she finds him in agony with a nasty open fracture on his leg. Later, Kelsey and Dave are called to a pregnant woman in a lot of pain who worries she may be in early labour, and Gareth and Gabby treat a woman who is struggling with her breathing. But then two high-priority calls come in - both of which involve children.

A busy night shift begins with Chelsey and Dave providing back-up for advanced paramedic Rob at a road traffic accident, where a driver has overturned his car at a roundabout. It is clear he has been drinking, meaning once they have assessed him, he will be answering questions from the police. Eric and Emily are dispatched to an 83-year-old who is in a lot of pain from her back, after which they answer a call from the police to a suspected assault on a 12-year-old, while senor paramedic Tony is called out to a man found slumped in his car in the city centre.

Award-winning documentary following the North West Ambulance Service as they care for the people of Liverpool and all across Merseyside. The control room experiences a spike in calls for patients with breathing difficulties, and when Sherilee talks to a daughter calls whose mother has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it proves tough for the call handler as her own mum had the same illness. Meanwhile, call handler Brogan has to guide a caller through lifesaving CPR while they wait for an ambulance, and there's a full emergency at John Lennon Airport when a plane loses contact with air traffic control.

This episode highlights the work of London Ambulance Service as they tackle the rising epidemic of knife crime in the capital and explores the devastating personal impact on those affected by the needless loss of young lives. These are the real human stories behind the sirens.

Joining ambulance staff caring for nine million people on a day of political protests in the capital.

Trainee 999 call handler Mackenzie is put to the test when she takes a call from a patient in labour with twins.

It's payday weekend in London, and ambulance crews race to the scene of a double shooting, a stabbing, a brawl and a grandmother in need of CPR.

A call comes in from London Fire Brigade requesting assistance at a fire in a block of flats which immediately puts the team under pressure. Meanwhile, mother and daughter team Nicola and Maisie have just finished with their first patient of the night but are immediately dispatched to a 12-year-old boy who has had an unfortunate accident.

A 999 call concerning a patient seen walking into the Thames takes priority. Although pulled from the water, the crew fear that the patient is at risk of secondary drowning.

A 999 call for a patient who has been found hanging takes priority on the night shift.

The Friday night shift takes its toll on crews in the capital as they deal with reports of an armed male and two stabbings.

Cameras follow crews from the North West Ambulance Service as they respond to the impacts of the Covid-19 epidemic and Storm Christoph.

As the second wave of Covid-19 grips the country, the pressure mounts on the NHS in Merseyside. With hospitals almost full, ambulance crews know they must try to keep most of their patients at home.

A crew attend to a woman who has contracted Covid-19 while 20 weeks pregnant. But they must join a queue of 56 ambulances waiting to transfer patients into the local hospital.

Linda and Emma respond to patients in mental health crisis across Liverpool, while an asylum seeker struggling with isolation is a cause of concern for the whole service.

North West Ambulance Service calls up military personnel to help them care for the public effectively as the Covid-19 pandemic takes its toll.

A quiet start to the night shift is broken by a 999 call on behalf of a 13-year-old patient who is stuck on a bus having dislocated her knee.

A call to help a patient threatening to jump off a bridge requires an urgent response during a busy day shift for the staff of North West Ambulance Service.

Crewmates Dec and Nicole are urgently dispatched to a baby who has stopped breathing, and they also attend to a 12-year-old patient with a history of being bullied.

A 999 call for a patient who has fallen from a horse in a remote area takes priority for crewmates Chris and Lee on a very busy day shift in Lancashire.

One year on from the beginning of national lockdown, Lancashire ambulance crews attend to patients whose health problems have been bought on or exacerbated by isolation caused by the lockdown.

On a busy night shift in Lancashire, a call for a patient threatening to take his life by walking into the sea in Blackpool takes priority for the North West Ambulance Service.

As society opens up, the Easter bank holiday has consequences for North West Ambulance Service. A call for a patient stuck in a forest in Cumbria takes priority.

A crew from the North East Ambulance Service attends to a family who arrived in the UK just 17 days earlier as refugees from Iraq.

A high number of Category 1 emergency calls puts the North East Ambulance Service and the hospitals in the region under relentless pressure.

A 999 call for a patient driving the wrong way up a slip road kicks off another busy shift for the team covering the 2,300 square miles of Teesside.

Crewmates Joe and Hayley attend a number of emergencies, including a baby who is not responding, a centenarian who has had a fall, and a man who has jumped off a bridge.

The North East Ambulance Service and Great North Air Ambulance Service work as a team after multiple urgent 999 calls alert them to a collision on the motorway.

Crewmates Paula and Phil attend a patient who is feeling suicidal, and the call-out takes a worrying turn when the patient begins hallucinating in the back of the ambulance.

A night shift takes a turn for the worse as multiple Darlington crews respond to a category-1 call for a patient in cardiac arrest.

The North East Ambulance Service is struggling to deal with an unprecedented volume of calls. The NHS faces chronic stresses and strains as frontline staff battle an increase in mental health problems, stretched public services and deepening poverty in the north east region.

Staff shortages and a rise in 999 calls stretch the North East Ambulance Service to its limits, meaning only the most critical patients will get an ambulance.

A busy night shift for the North East Ambulance Service begins with an emergency call for a woman in labour. In Stockton, crewmates Hannah and Becky attend a 78-year-old female patient who has fallen down the stairs and suffered a seizure. In control, an urgent call is received for a 12-year-old female patient who has taken an overdose. The patient admits she has been struggling at school, which is having an impact on her mental health.

The service begins to feel the pressure of a busy night shift, with 45 calls waiting to be answered. Kristian and Francis are dispatched to an intoxicated male patient who put his head through a hotel window following an argument. Ollie and James have just cleared from their third job of the night when they're dispatched to an 89-year-old male vomiting and experiencing weakness.

This episode highlights the rising demand for mental health care across the north east, as ambulance crews respond to multiple emergency calls for patients battling with their mental health while attempting to navigate over-stretched services and feeling they have nowhere left to turn for help.

It's the beginning of the night, and the team in control have inherited the consequences of a busy day shift. Ambulance crews are already starting to queue at hospital as they wait to hand over their patients.

Crewmates Alan and Ellen are dispatched to a local Italian restaurant to treat an 83-year-old patient who has collapsed while out to dinner with his family. As they travel to hospital, the patient tears up as he speaks of his wife, who has Alzheimer's and was put into a care home during lockdown.

Due to high levels of demand, crewmates Chris and Becca are dispatched out of their usual area to a 64-year-old female patient with nausea and back pain. The patient is at first reluctant to visit hospital, but Chris turns on the charm and helps to put her at ease.

In control, a call is received from a patient making bomb threats. He is suicidal and making repeated threats to kill. Every second counts as multiple crews, including police and fire, are dispatched to the scene.

Vanessa and Caylie's next shift is on St Patrick's Day, and they are immediately given the news that a patient they helped just the day before has been rushed to hospital following a cardiac arrest at home. Crewmates Viki and Paige are dispatched to a category-one call for an 19-year-old patient who is having fits and needs immediate help, while Alan and Ellen respond to a call regarding a 21-year-old male in Jesmond, who is vomiting blood while on a night out with friends.

Chris and Becca must attend to a 14-year-old girl who is struggling with her mental health and has attempted to hang herself. The patient is reluctant to go to hospital, so the crew arrange an assessment with the mental health crisis team.

As crews begin to book on for the start of the day shift, an emergency call is received for a patient who has made an attempt to end their life. Crewmates Emily and Gayle are immediately dispatched to assist another crew. As they make the ten-minute journey to provide back-up, the patient is confirmed dead, but Emily and Gayle decide to remain at the scene and help provide some much-needed support to the grieving family.

In Pallion, crewmates James and Jamie are dispatched to a 71-year-old female with upper back pain. The crew are in awe of the patient as they learn how she has dedicated her life to caring for others and volunteering for charity.

Nearly two hours into the shift, control are answering a new call every 42 seconds. Emily and Gayle are sent to treat a 99-year-old female who is struggling with low oxygen levels. Soon to celebrate her 100th birthday, the patient has a wealth of stories to share from her glittering past, including working for 20th Century Fox and being called up to work for the forces during the Second World War.

In control, an emergency call is received for a patient who is not breathing. Things take a turn for the worst when crews arrive to find there is a second patient, a child, also in cardiac arrest and in need of urgent help.

On the afternoon shift, category one calls come flooding in, with over 50 patients waiting for an ambulance across the region. James and Jamie respond to an emergency call for a 75-year-old female who is believed to be having a stroke. At the scene, the patient's husband explains that having tried multiple non-emergency pathways to try to get help, they were left with no choice but to call 999.

Emily and Gayle are sent to help an 81-year-old diabetic patient who has fallen off his mobility scooter. There is cause for concern after the crew take a look in the patient's fridge and find an abundance of sugary drinks. Emily puts all jokes to one side as she speaks frankly to the patient about the impact his lifestyle could have on his long-term health.

Filmed during a historical period of uncertainty for our NHS, this episode introduces the staff of North West Ambulance Service across Lancashire, from the picket line to the front line.

A busy night shift for the ambulance service as they are alerted to an infectious disease outbreak at Fairfield General Hospital.

A busy weekend night shift across Lancashire sees advanced paramedic Shaun dispatched to a baby born in the passenger seat of a car.

Crewmates Mandy and Lauren help an elderly patient at the local boatyard, who has been on the floor for two days, before being discovered by his neighbour.

An urgent call from someone threatening to use a nerve agent against the emergency services leads to a major incident standby being declared.

Ambulance crews respond to a road traffic accident where a man who has severely injured himself requires advanced pain relief.

Multiple emergency services respond to two separate reports of unexploded bombs in Greater Manchester, one with a primary school and nursery nearby.

Multiple resources are dispatched to a patient who has fallen 20 feet from a tree and requires urgent treatment for a suspected broken back and open wrist fracture.

The ambulance service responds to two separate calls for patients with severe burns, both in need of urgent treatment at the region's only specialist burns unit.

Ambulance crews struggle to deal with life threatening emergencies while also being the last resort for those who have no one else to turn to.

It's Easter bank holiday weekend, and the ambulance service receive a spike in the number of mental health-related calls.

While ambulances queue outside hospital with their patients, care is delayed for others ringing 999.