Catch up TV

Series 7: Episode 1

The North West Ambulance Service serves 1.4 million people across Merseyside. Cameras follow their crews while the whole of the country is in lockdown, and in addition to the pressure on the service as the coronavirus epidemic peaks, plans are underway to tackle the immediate threat to life posed by Storm Christoph.\n\nAs the storm intensifies, river levels throughout the north west of England are rising, and the service is at risk of becoming overwhelmed. Crewmates Jo and Emily are dispatched, along with paramedic Chris, to the scene of a road traffic collision caused by the storm. The news that there have been 1,820 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours also sends shockwaves through the ambulance team.\n\nDuring a single shift, the team treat over 290 suspected Covid-positive patients. Emily and Jo’s fifth call-out of the day is to a Covid-positive patient, and they learn that Covid has rippled through the patient's family and is continuing its spread to them all.\n\nAs the floods continue to worsen, roads are forced to close, causing further delays in response times. Sarah and Mark are dispatched to a category one call for a patient in cardiac arrest but are forced to make a number of diversions along the way. Across town, Emily and Jo are also in a race against time to get to another patient in cardiac arrest. Despite their best efforts to save the patient, they aren’t able to save their life. It is another stark reminder for Emily and Jo of the fragility of life, and once again it throws all their work during the coronavirus pandemic into sharp focus.

Source: BBC 1