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Episode 7

Episode 7 of 8

Series providing a revealing insight into West Midlands Ambulance Service. In the rural areas of the West Midlands, distances and wait times at A&E cause problems in control.

As well as covering the big cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Stoke, the service covers the rural areas of Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. 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.

Fortunately, crewmates Sham and Nina are close by when a call from a couple in their nineties comes in. The husband has fallen over and the wife is unable to help him up. She can't reach the bolts to unlock the front door, forcing the crew to find a more creative way to get in. For Nina, it's a far cry from her days in the office as an events organiser.

The new shift starts with a call to a train spotter who has tripped and hurt his head at Bewdley Valley Steam Railway, right next to the elephants of the neighbouring safari park. The same crew are then called by police to help with a young man they have sectioned after threatening to kill himself. The crew are on their way to a specialist mental-health unit when the young man reveals he has taken an overdose of his medication. They divert to A&E at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and find themselves stuck in a queue waiting to hand their patient over.

Meanwhile, in Telford, Nina and Sham are called to an address they immediately recognise. Daniel, an alcoholic, is threatening to take his own life. His brother Simon arrives, and what unfolds is a story of love between two brothers both battling their own demons that have their roots in their childhood.

Available now

58 minutes

Last on

Wed 11 Oct 2017 23:15

Clip

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:34

    Rakaa

    Observatory (feat. Mad Lion)

  • 00:55

    Nick Drake

    Time Has Told Me

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Christopher Eccleston
Producer Darren Lovell
Director Darren Lovell
Editor Dan Goldthorp
Editor Jules Cornell
Executive Producer Kirsty Cunningham
Executive Producer Simon Ford
Series Producer Jo Hughes
Director Bruce Fletcher
Producer Jemma Chisnall
Production Manager Amy Mellows
Production Manager Yvonne Bainton
Production Coordinator Soraya Ahmed
Production Company Dragonfly Film and Television

Broadcasts