ANDY GIBSON: JOURNALIST - BBC AMBULANCE ON BBC ONE

Ambulance: S04E03

25/10/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

A Dragonfly Film and Television production for BBC One

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

DIRECTOR
Nick Mattingly

SERIES PRODUCER
Harjeet Chhokar/ Peter Wallis-Tayler

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Pamela Gordon / Zoe Callan / Simon Ford

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

This third episode joins the team as they are being kept busy dealing with with a repeat caller who moves around Manchester's canals on his barge.

Scott and Ana are the first to track him down, and they remain patient in the face of his frustrating behavior, taking time with him in a bid to find out what lies behind his frequent calls. They are then plunged sent to deal with a woman who has found an unusual bite mark on her ankle after returning from a holiday in Thailand.

When a member of the public phones in to report that a man is threatening suicide, ambulance crew Pragna and Amy are dispatched and arrive to find Scott and Ana's patient from earlier in the day.

In south east Manchester, paramedics Sarah and Alan are called to a deal with a baby who has pulled a cup of hot tea off the kitchen surface. They need to get him to hospital urgently to help prevent the burns which will leave permanent scars.

The normal routine of the night shift is suddenly disrupted when multiple 999 calls come in reporting a serious incident near the Trafford Centre. Thoughts quickly turn to the Manchester Arena attacks and the constant fear of a repeat terror incident. However, as more information is relayed from the scene, it becomes clear that it is no terrorism but an extremely serious road traffic incident. Twelve vehicles are dispatched to the incident which has direct repercussions on how quickly other calls that flow in through the night can be dealt with.

Paramedics Amy and Pragna are sent to a man who has been lying immobilised in his garden with a seized back for three hours - and have to apologise for the delays getting a crew out to him. On their final job of the night, they deal with a 68-year-old woman who they fear may have suffered a stroke.

Ambulance: S04E02

19/10/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

A Dragonfly Film and Television production for BBC One

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

DIRECTOR
Nick Mattingly

SERIES PRODUCER
Harjeet Chhokar/ Peter Wallis-Tayler

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford / Pamela Gordon / Zoe Callan

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

This second episode of the fourth series joins the team at the start of a 12-hour night shift, just as a mother in distress is calling for help to her 19-year-old daughter who is self-harming. Paramedics April and Clare are one of 96 crews on duty across Greater Manchester for the night, and they are immediately dispatched. As they approach they are relieved to see the police are in attendance in front of them. When they arrive to treat the patient they immediately set out to reassure and calm her and work out the most suitable place for her to go, hoping to avoid heading to Accident & Emergency.

While April and Clare try to find the young woman a better place for the night, the calls continue to pour in. Advanced paramedic Luke is dispatched to a nine-year-old boy who is feared to be in the process of suffering a cardiac arrest. Luke has specialist training for the most serious cases - he arrives to find a family in distress and a child moving in and out of consciousness. With his patient stabilised, Luke is quickly dispatched to his next job - a five-year-old hit by a car.

Meanwhile crewmates Gina and Jimmy are treating a 12-year-old who has had an accident at judo. Jimmy soon puts his patient at ease with tales from his own family life. In Control the flow of calls is relentless, and we find Elly taking a call for a lady who believes she has swallowed some bleach.

Back on the scene with April and Clare and their self-harming patient, The Sanctuary - the one resource that might provide an alternative to to Accident & Emergency - returns their call only to reveal that they are unable to help out tonight. This leaves the crew with no choice but to take their patient to Accident & Emergency.

In control, call handler Debbie is on the line to family of a patient in labour - paramedic crew Chris and Chris are the closest crew to the patient, and there is race on between whether the baby or the crew arrive first.

The jobs waiting are stacking up. Call assessor Elly is on the line to a relative who has already been waiting for an ambulance for over an hour. With no ambulances available Elly must stay on the telephone line to try to calm and reassure them - a task that takes a toll on her own emotions. After waiting nearly two hours an ambulance is found, but her relief is temporary as the very next call is less than friendly.

It's on to the next patient for Gina and Jimmy, who are dispatched to a patient who has been waiting for approximately three hours for an ambulance. The patient is suffering with back pain, but after some pain relief he is pleased to make the trip to hospital.

April and Clare continue their night when a call comes into the control room from Accident & Emergency to report that a patient has absconded. It turns out to be their self-harming patient from earlier that night, and they are dispatched to help her. Once again they persuade her to go to Accident & Emergency despite it being potentially unsuitable for her needs - this encourages Clare to reveal her own personal struggles with anxiety caused by a previous relationship.

As dawn breaks the jobs begin to wind down for some crews, but the calls keep on coming for advanced paramedic Luke. He is dispatched to 19-year-old in labour. Just as Luke arrives to the property the baby is born, leaving Luke to arrive to help cut the cord and place the baby in her mum's arms for the first time.

Ambulance: S04E01

14/10/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for BBC One

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

DIRECTOR
Mark Price

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney / Harjeet Chhokar / Mark Price / Peter Wallis-Tayler

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford / Pamela Gordon

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

The BAFTA-winning series returns with a focus on the work of the North West England Ambulance Service, joining the staff and crews as they deal with 11,000 calls over a busy weekend when 80,000 festival-goers descend on Manchester for the annual Parklife festival.

The gates to the Parklife festival - the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan festival - have opened and the North West England Ambulance service are prepared for the influx of calls that will inevitably follow. While the call handlers try to prioritise the calls, paramedics Andrea and Glynn are diverted to a road traffic accident on a dual carriageway. With six separate callers all phoning in to report the incident, advanced paramedic Gari and the air ambulance are also immediately dispatched. At the scene, the victim of the crash has to be painstakingly cut from his vehicle and the emergency crews need to decide whether his injuries demand that he be sent to a hospital with specialist facilities, even if it is much further away

Debbie and Shaun are dispatched to a man who is unconscious on the street. They arrive to discover that their patient is homeless and appears to have been given a suspect substance. However, he refuses to go to hospital, even though Debbie and Shaun struggle to convince him to go.

Andrea and Glynn are called to their final job of the day, a 78-year-old woman who may be suffering from sepsis. The patient has only just come out of hospital, but her temperature is spiking. However, she refuses to return to hospital, despite Andrea's insistence that she needs to go.

Gari is sent to an 85-year-old man who has suffered a cardiac arrest. Despite the best efforts by all the crew at the scene, they are unable to save the man's life, and Gari has to break the news to the deceased's wife.

Ambulance: S03E06

31/5/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 31 MAY 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

SERIES EDITOR
Jo Hughes

DIRECTOR
Chris McLaughlin

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford

Documentary series.

It's the last Saturday night before Christmas and it was always going to be a busy night for the service, with Sui having to prioritise stabbing victims.

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.

Six hours into their shift and the Control Room has already received over 1,000 calls. Ambulance crew Tash and Marek are about to take their meal break when a general broadcast comes over the radio requesting multiple crews. There are reports of a major traffic accident in central Birmingham, and the pair are among the first to reach the scene. Over the course of 90 minutes, a 16-strong ambulance team and specialist trauma crews work alongside police and the fire service to treat the victims of the worst crash, in Birmingham, they have seen in over 20 years. At 21, Tash is the youngest paramedic on scene.

Running the operation on the ground is incident commander James. He has 16 years of experience and it's his job to coordinate the work of a total of 114 emergency service personnel and urgent transfers to hospitals.

With so many resources tied up at the crash, calls continue to stack up in the control room. Across Birmingham there are 37 patients waiting for an ambulance. Betty has had a fall and her daughter has called several times for help. By the time an ambulance finally gets to Betty, she's had to wait over six hours.

After leaving the scene of the crash, an exhausted Tash is in need of support and makes an emotional phone call to her mum in the middle of the night.

Just as James and senior staff hold a debrief to check on the welfare of all crews who attended the crash, a call comes in for a shooting. Specialist trauma team Kerry and Paul leave the briefing to head back out on the road to treat the victim.

Tash and Marek end their nightshift helping 88-year-old Eileen, who has fallen at home and shattered her hip.

Ambulance: S03E05

24/5/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 24 MAY 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

SERIES EDITOR
Jo Hughes

DIRECTOR
Chris McLaughlin

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford

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.

Ambulance: S03E04

17/5/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 17 MAY 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

SERIES EDITOR
Jo Hughes

DIRECTOR
Chris McLaughlin

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford

Documentary series.

A day shift with paramedic crews from West Midlands Ambulance Service brings a spike in mental health cases.

West Midlands Ambulance Service has seen a 30 percent rise in calls relating to mental health in the past three years. Paramedics have limited training in mental health, and there are no simple fixes. This episode sees some of the problems and frustrations they experience when trying to help a growing number of their patients who experience the trauma of mental health crises.

The shift starts with a series of category one emergency calls. Nina and Lauren respond to a caller whose mother has stopped breathing and is in cardiac arrest. The call handler in the control centre gives CPR advice over the phone while paramedics travel on blue lights to the scene. The target response time is seven minutes - if they arrive within five minutes, the patient's chance of survival increases by 20 percent. After delivering the patient to hospital, Nina calls to check in on her own mother, who is recovering from heart surgery.

Nina and Lauren are dispatched when a wife reports that her husband is choking on his food. The choking has stopped by the time the crew arrive, but they learn there is a more serious illness behind the difficulty in eating - the patient, a retired teacher, has only recently been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and his health is declining fast.

The day takes a surprising turn when a call comes in from a member of the public who has spotted a suicidal message broadcast on Twitter. Holly and the team in Control must play detective to find an address for the Twitter account to make sure the patient gets the care she desperately needs. Paramedic crew Justin and Helen join police in searching the area to find the patient before her threats to harm herself becomes a reality.

At the same time, Dave and Lauren are called to an alcoholic patient who has overdosed. The patient has previously had markers that say he has weapons at his address, but with no police available to assist the crew must decide whether to risk entering without back-up. They find a man who is desperate about the destruction his addiction has caused. Dave draws upon his own difficult past to reach out and connect with his patient.

Ambulance: S03E03

10/5/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 10 MAY 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

SERIES EDITOR
Jo Hughes

DIRECTOR
Chris McLaughlin

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford

Documentary series.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service specialist trauma team are called to a brutal stabbing.

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. Unfortunately when the patient comes round he is angry that Christine has cut open his tee shirt in order to treat him.

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's 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, join the queue and delay the time before they're available to take the next case.

Christine is well aware of the waiting times at hospitals when she and Chris are dispatched to Theresa, a terminally ill patient with suspected neutropenic sepsis caused by her cancer treatment. Christine promises Theresa and her husband Michael that she won't allow Theresa to queue in a corridor and face the risk of infection, which she is particularly susceptible to during chemotherapy. Christine cares for Theresa in the ambulance while parked outside A&E for an hour and a half, until finally she is found a room where her she can safely wait alone.

Crewmates Mark and Nieaal drive 20 minutes on blue lights to Ledbury in the dead of night to treat 96-year-old Jim. He fell off his mobility scooter earlier in the week, and his wound to the elbow won't stop bleeding.

Ambulance: S03E02

3/5/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 3 MAY 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

SERIES EDITOR
Jo Hughes

DIRECTOR
Chris McLaughlin

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford

Ambulance: S03E01

26/4/2018

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 26 APRIL 2018

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

SERIES EDITOR
Jo Hughes

DIRECTOR
Chris McLaughlin

SERIES PRODUCER
Ben Rumney

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford / Danny Horan

A day shift takes an unexpected turn for West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedics when a 999 call about an unconscious patient suddenly becomes very personal.

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 over, she 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.

Among the 242 crews on duty across the West Midlands are Nat & Nat. It's a special day for Nat Greaves as it's her daughter Jessica's 16th birthday. Jessica's birth was traumatic for mother and baby, and this is a birthday her family never believed she'd be here to celebrate.

Dispatched to an elderly fallen patient, Shirley, the crew find her face down on the landing with a broken ankle. What they also discover is a tale of human strength and a message to live each day. It leads Nat Greaves to reflect on her decision to become a paramedic aged 34 after being inspired by the help she received in her times of need.

The service receives a call from a community centre with concerns for the safety of a man showing signs of agitation. Fearing the patient could harm himself, a specialised mental health team is sent to the scene. The team is a collaboration between three emergency services - police, mental health and ambulance - and aims to make sure patients in psychological distress get the care they need and aren't held unnecessarily held at police stations or A&E. Daniel reveals he hasn't taken his medication for three weeks, and mental health nurse Harriet takes the time to listen to what Daniel is experiencing. She worries symptoms of his schizophrenia have returned and encourages him to return to hospital. Daniel agrees, but the problem is they need to find a suitable bed. While they wait, Harriet learns Daniel has a talent for writing music, and finds he calms down when showing examples on his phone.

In the meantime, an emergency call comes into control with reports that a 16-year-old girl has been taken ill at school and is unconscious. It turns out to be Nat's daughter, Jessica. Her mother rushes to hospital to intercept the ambulance that is carrying her daughter. Jessica regains consciousness and Nat spends the night by her bedside. With her daughter safely back at home with Dad, Nat insists on returning for her next scheduled shift the following evening.

Nat and Nat are dispatched on a call where reports are that a patient is believed to be deceased. They arrive to find a suicide by hanging, and this is the first time Nat has attended to a patient who has taken their own life.

Ambulance: S02E08

12/10/2017

TX DATE:
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017

TX TIME:
21:00

NETWORK:
BBC One

CREDITS
A Dragonfly Film and Television production for The BBC

NARRATOR
Christopher Eccleston

EDITOR
Jules Cornell / Dan Goldthorp / Sam Billinge

DIRECTOR
Nick Leader / Bruce Fletcher

SERIES PRODUCER
Jo Hughes / Jemma Chisnall / Liz Hazell

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kirsty Cunningham / Simon Ford

Documentary series.

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

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

In the control room they are fielding a third more calls than normal, caused by a surge in wind-related injuries.

The reasons for these calls range from a fallen tree that has trapped three people in a car, to a 94-year-old who has been blown over feeding the birds.

With wind speeds reaching over 60 miles per hour, the air ambulance has been grounded, and they face an agonisingly long journey by road to reach those affected.

Last in series.