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Series 15: 2. The Spy Who Waited

Along Yorkshire’s east coast, the team in ambulance control work tirelessly to manage rising demand but face fresh challenges when Scarborough Hospital reaches capacity and goes on divert – meaning it can no longer accept new emergencies. With patients redirected miles away to York Hospital, ambulance crews are under greater pressure when delivering critical care to coastal communities. Crewmates Adam and Joe use both humour and charm to distract one elderly patient, who has been left to wait, from the unfolding crisis.\n\nAs the final hour of their shifts approaches, Hull-based crew Gretel and Alisha and Scarborough-based crew Tracey and Lauren are simultaneously dispatched to emergencies. One call takes them to 59-year-old Kerry, left with a limb-threatening injury after a vicious dog attack. The second is for an 80-year-old woman who has collapsed at home.\n\nOn scene with Kerry, Gretel and Alisha discover a severe dog bite and quickly bandage the wound before taking her to hospital. Meanwhile, 40 miles away in Filey, Tracey and Lauren join a specialist paramedic, a community first responder and Yorkshire’s Air Ambulance to treat the 80-year-old patient who has collapsed. On scene, her condition dramatically deteriorates as she suffers a cardiac arrest. The team perform CPR for 14 minutes, successfully restarting her heart before urgently transporting her to Scarborough Hospital for further life-saving care.\n\nAs a new night shift begins, Bridlington crew Joe and Adam, along with Hull-based Katie and Diane, are among 35 ambulances covering 812 square miles of Yorkshire’s east coast. With hospital delays rising, Katie and Diane are dispatched to a city centre bingo hall, where 70-year-old Patrick is reported choking. On arrival, the incident proves less serious than first feared, and the crew are able to share a lighter moment as Patrick recounts his recent escapades in Turkey, where he was celebrating 47 years of marriage to his beloved wife.\n\nDispatcher Katie struggles with a shortage of resources as a quarter of her crews remain stuck at hospital waiting to admit patients, when a new 999 call comes in. Ninety-one-year-old Ray has been found lying in his garden, three hours after falling while bringing in the washing. Thanks to a concerned neighbour, help arrives, and Adam and Joe take him 18 miles to Scarborough to rule out a hip fracture. Unfortunately, Ray is placed eighth in the queue. His worried family members arrive to be by his side, and after three hours waiting in the back of the ambulance, Ray is at last admitted into the care of hospital staff.\n \nIn Hull, Katie and Diane are searching a park after reports of an assault, but with the caller repeatedly hanging up, they are no closer to finding a patient. As they continue to circle the large area, Joe and Adam are dispatched to 85-year-old Maureen, who has been waiting an hour and a half while suffering suspected stroke symptoms. But delays at Scarborough Hospital have trebled, and Maureen faces yet another prolonged wait. Passing the time, Joe and Adam keep her spirits up, quizzing her about her long and, as it turns out, somewhat secret career.\n\nBack in Hull, Katie and Diane learn from police that the suspected assault has been dealt with, and they are diverted instead to Patricia, who is struggling to breathe. Living with chronic lung disease, Patricia shares that she has a four-year terminal prognosis. Supported by her neighbour Pauline, the crew provide oxygen and take her to hospital for further assessment.\n\nWhile city-based Patricia is treated immediately in Hull, Scarborough patient Maureen is still waiting in the back of Adam and Joe’s ambulance as the career banter continues. She is eventually transferred into hospital after four hours, but with A&E at capacity, Joe and Adam are not free to treat others, as they must remain with her in the corridor until nursing staff are able to accept her onto a ward. \n\nIn Hull, paramedic Lucy and ambulance support worker Nicole are dispatched to a 14-year-old boy with a rare chronic condition causing persistent migraines. Suspecting a possible infection, the crew transport him to hospital for further assessment.\n\nAs the night shift draws to a close, a category 1 call comes in from Aeronautical Rescue UK, requesting urgent support with a medical evacuation from a ferry in the North Sea, where a worker has developed appendicitis symptoms. Meeting patient Jovica at the helicopter landing site, the ambulance crew transport him safely to Hull Royal Infirmary.\n\nFinally, six hours after they first arrived at hospital, Joe and Adam are finally able to hand Maureen over to hospital staff. Despite their frustration at the delays, they are relieved to know she will at last receive the care she needs, and they are able to head back out to finish their shift.

Source: BBC 1