Episode 12

Eighty-eight-year-old Omar is brought in after suffering severe stomach pains and a suspected abdominal aortic aneurism, also known as a triple A.

The news that Omar now only has a 50% chance of surviving the operation he urgently needs comes as a huge blow to his son, Talit, who says: 'I thought, I don't think I've ever said to my father I love you.'

These 24 hours take place on a Monday: often the busiest time of the week for the department. The A&E begins to fill up with patients. The resuscitation ('resus') area is busy, ambulances are arriving all the time, and the department is stretched to its limit.

Consultant Jacqui describes the tension in these periods as a 'sense of not even impending doom. It's just doom's here. It's queuing up.'

Thirty-three-year-old Hanny is rushed in after attempting to take his life with a lethal cocktail of drugs. And during the hectic few hours when the A&E is inundated, staff fight to save an 18-year-old who's been stabbed in a street fight and lost a life-threatening amount of blood.

King's A&E has more than 200 employees and around 60 are non-medical staff who work behind the scenes to keep the department functioning 24 hours a day.

This episode also reveals what happens when the open doors of A&E lead to a department flooded with patients, and what working life is like for the porters, receptionists, cleaners and security guards who also experience the traumas and pressure alongside their medical colleagues.

Ward clerk Fintan looks after everything from lost property to trolley maintenance and stationery, but also witnesses the difficult and emotional moments. He says: 'I do see what's going on in resus. I thought I'd be removed from that. But I'm not.'

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S01E13 - Episode 13