Punched by a Patient

A run of complex and challenging incidents creates a tense night shift for Yorkshire’s Ambulance Service. A major road closure outside the city centre means a Category 1 patient is left waiting for help for over an hour. Meanwhile, frontline crew Sarah and Louise have no choice but to call for emergency police back-up as a patient suffering a seizure becomes physically abusive.

In control, the pressure of the night shift is mounting for Abi and her team of 23 call handlers, who are faced with a persistent and abusive 999 caller blocking the lines for those genuinely in need of help.

Hester and Jess have already finished with their first patient and are on their way to their second when they are diverted to a Category 1 call, an elderly patient who is bleeding heavily after falling and impaling herself on her walking frame. Due to the complex nature of the injury, Zach, a specially trained critical care paramedic, is also dispatched to support the crew on scene. The patient is clearly suffering a lot of pain from her large open wound. To help distract her from the severity of her injury, the crew quiz her on her past career as a nurse specialising in neonatal baby care.

After refusing the help of an ambulance dispatched to him, the abusive caller from earlier in the shift continues to dial 999 every minute. With the service already pushed to the limit, Abi has no choice but to escalate matters and reports the caller to the police.

A Category 3 call is received for a 76-year-old female patient who has been suffering with chest pains throughout the day. Crewmates Hester and Jess are available and are dispatched. Fortunately, on arrival, the patient’s symptoms seem to have eased. As the crew carry out the necessary checks, they learn all about how the patient moved from New York to Yorkshire after she fell in love with a 'gorgeous' man from Leeds.

With the abusive caller arrested, team leader Abi is assisting a call handler who is taking a difficult call for a newborn baby who has difficulty breathing. The relief is palpable when the crew finally arrive on scene to help the family and they hear the baby’s cry down the line.

It’s the start of a new night shift, and a busy day has left 197 patients still waiting for an ambulance across Yorkshire and pushed the service to the highest level of alertness, which is called clinical safety plan 4.

Booking on to start their shift ready to help clear the backlog is Wakefield crew Sam and Tom. They are immediately dispatched to a 45-year-old male in Pontefract who has taken an overdose of medication. The crew discover the patient was recently discharged from rehab without an aftercare plan and has struggled to cope ever since. En route to hospital, the patient admits his actions this evening are a cry for help. The story hits home for Sam, who shares her experiences of supporting those close to her who have also suffered addiction issues.

In control, an emergency call is received after two cars have been in a 60mph head-on collision. Operational commander Remi is immediately dispatched. She has special training to manage large-scale incidents and will coordinate all medical resources on scene.

The episode demonstrates a different side to the ambulance service as they deal with a dark and difficult night. Crews on the ground and in control face hostility as they do their best to care for the most vulnerable patients, who have nowhere left to turn in the depths of the night.