The RTS award-winning documentary series continues. It follows patients treated in the same 24-hour period at St George’s Hospital in south west London, which has one of the most advanced and busiest A&E departments in the world; a place where stories of life, love and loss unfold every day.

19-year-old motorcyclist Sam is airlifted to St George’s after crashing into a bus and being thrown under a car, leaving him bent double. Sam arrives in resus with multiple injuries, he’s in an induced coma and classified ‘code red’. “Code Red is basically somebody critically injured,” says consultant Will. “The assumption we make is that person is bleeding to death. Time is absolutely vital.”

Sam’s step dad Carl first heard about the accident on local radio. “My first reactions were ‘I hope that the traffic hasn’t tailed back’ because I was heading that way,” he says. “All of a sudden my wife came on the phone saying ‘You’ve got to come home, Sam’s been in an accident’. And then the penny dropped.”

CT scans reveal Sam has bruising to his lungs, a ruptured kidney, a broken thigh bone and a fractured spine. The priority is to stop his internal bleeding.

Sam’s parents are rushed to the hospital by police. “One of the police officers confirmed over the radio that they had the next of kin on board and that he was switching off his radio,” says Tracey. “What don’t they want us to hear? I was thinking ‘Don’t you die before I get there’. I didn’t want him to die alone.”

When they arrive at St George’s, consultant Will updates them on Sam’s condition. “It’s a natural, human need to want to offer hope,” says Will. “But I don’t think you should ever try and hide anything to soften the blow, I don’t think that’s fair.”

Meanwhile 7-year-old Raheem arrives in A&E with his dad Dennis after cutting his wrist while playing at home. Raheem is scared he might need stitches and when doctors examine the cut his fears are confirmed. “As a parent you’ve got to be a good salesman,” says Dennis as he prepares Raheem for the worst. While Raheem has his stiches, Dennis talks about how his own father suffered terrible injuries in a horrific assault that left their roles reversed.

And 59-year-old Therese arrives in A&E with a painful lump on her finger. She suspects it might be stitches left over from a previous operation to remove a cyst. Therese is no stranger to hospitals, having suffered a range of ailments, but the lump on her finger is proving to be a mystery.

Tune in on Tuesdays at 9pm on Channel 4.


Senior Producer/Director: Lucie Duxbury

Series Producer/Directors: Alex Sunderland, Bruce Fletcher and Jackie Waldock

Executive Producers: Spencer Kelly

Production Company: The Garden Productions