Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Matter of life or death
AMBULANCE BBC1, 9pm
THERE are some distressing fragments of 999 calls as this new series begins.
“He’s been crushed”, “I seriously think she’s dying”, “Has the baby fully come out yet?” and “Mum’s being really sick”.
The people on the phone are obviously panicking and upset, while the medic on the other end does their best to calm and reassure, often talking them through CPR at the same time.
You’ll have your heart in your mouth from the outset. Every year in Britain, 12 million people dial 999 for an ambulance, and there are more than 3,000 calls a day to the West Midlands Ambulance Service alone.
This is the story behind the sirens, as cameras follow the West Mids crews, both in the control room and in the ambulances. And the urgency is palpable as with every minute that ticks by, the chances of survival decrease.
Joan has been doing CPR on her husband Terry for eight-and-a-half minutes before paramedics Katie and Sarah arrive. One minute he was sitting on the sofa watching TV, and the next he had a cardiac arrest. They can’t find a pulse and, rather absurdly, Casualty is on in the background as they fight to save his life.
Elsewhere, paramedics Natalie and Nat face the agonising decision of whether to move a woman in advanced labour, or face the risky prospect of delivering the baby at home, knowing she’s already had a stillbirth in the past.
But aside from lives hanging in the balance, there are heartwarming scenes showing the human side of our emergency services.
“Sometimes between life and death stands a paramedic,” says Nat, and that is clear for us all to see.