Ambulance Catch up, Series 3: Episode 4 on BBC 1

Ambulance

Series 3: Episode 4

West Midlands Ambulance Service has seen a 30 per cent rise in calls relating to mental health in the past three years. Paramedics have limited training in mental health, and there are no simple fixes. This episode sees some of the problems and frustrations they experience when trying to help a growing number of their patients who experience the trauma of mental health crises.\n\nThe shift starts with a series of category one emergency calls. Nina and Lauren respond to a caller whose mother has stopped breathing and is in cardiac arrest. The call handler in the control centre gives CPR advice over the phone while paramedics travel on blue lights to the scene. The target response time is seven minutes - if they arrive within five minutes, the patient's chance of survival increases by 20 per cent. After delivering the patient to hospital, Nina calls to check in on her own mother, who is recovering from heart surgery.\n\nNina and Lauren are dispatched when a wife reports that her husband is choking on his food. The choking has stopped by the time the crew arrive, but they learn there is a more serious illness behind the difficulty in eating - the patient, a retired teacher, has only recently been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and his health is declining fast.\n\nThe day takes a surprising turn when a call comes in from a member of the public who has spotted a suicidal message broadcast on Twitter. Holly and the team in Control must play detective to find an address for the Twitter account to make sure the patient gets the care she needs. Paramedic crew Justin and Helen join police in searching the area to find the patient before her threats to harm herself becomes a reality.\n\nAt the same time, Dave and Lauren are called to an alcoholic patient who has overdosed. The patient has previously had markers that say he has weapons at his address, but with no police available to assist the crew must decide whether to risk entering without back-up. They find a man who is desperate about the destruction his addiction has caused. Dave draws upon his own difficult past to reach out and connect with his patient.

Source: BBC 1

Most recent episodes of Ambulance

Ambulance

Series 16: 1. 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 p ...

11-03-2026

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 15: 6. Don't Let Go

With Yorkshire’s Air Ambulance en route to deliver hospital-level care at the roadside, critical care paramedic Zach prioritises 11-year-old Keean, who has sustained a tra ...

25-11-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 15: 5. Broken Heart

Specialist paramedics are dispatched to a 78-year-old man in cardiac arrest who was found collapsed at home. As the team fight to give Ken the best chance of survival, Nick lead ...

18-11-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 15: 4. Stranger In The Dales

Set in the city of Bradford and the picturesque Yorkshire Dales during Easter Bank Holiday weekend, this episode reflects the powerful sense of community that runs through rural ...

11-11-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 15: 3. School Run Collision

As the day shift begins, Yorkshire’s roads are at their busiest, with rush hour incidents generating almost a quarter of the ambulance service’s workload. In control ...

04-11-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

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 an ...

28-10-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 15: 1. Bradford Nights

In Bradford, two of the 13 ambulance crews on duty this weekend are Phoebe and Bailey, and Rebecca and Sufyan. With the city’s large Muslim community preparing to celebrat ...

21-10-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 13: 6. No Room At A&e

Rising pressure on the NHS impacts local A&Es, with Croydon and St George's hospitals reaching capacity. As a result, control room dispatchers Ed and Webster have fewer resource ...

28-07-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 13: 5. What Are You Scared Of?

The shift begins with Homerton-based crew Niamh and Isobel and clinical team manager Gary being dispatched to a 25-year-old patient who has fallen from height whilst scaling the ...

23-07-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Ambulance

Series 13: 4. Shooting On The High Street

This episode centres on the London Ambulance Service's tactical operations centre, a team working around the clock to accelerate response times to the largest and most complex i ...

21-07-2025

BBC 1

All episodes