Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts returns for a new series tonight featuring an overflowing Barnsley A&E department.
It’s on Channel 5 at 9pm and Nurse Jane has started her shift to find that every single area of the department is full to capacity with 90 patients in need of help from the casualty team.
In the first episode of the new series, Sister Jane can be seen desperately trying to get people seen, explaining: “I have literally no beds, I’ve got 90 patients in the department, there’s about 12 waiting for AMU (Acute Medical Unit). There are no beds. There’s no movement.”
With more than 12 hours of her shift to go she grows more exacerbated with the situation. Jane continues: “Look at the waiting room, it’s just ridiculous. I’ve got to make sure that they’ve all had their treatment, that they’ve had their X-rays. That the doctors have seen them, that the doctor knows what he’s doing with them. That any transport that needs booking that that’s been done. Making sure that the nurses with the poorliest of patients in resus are all okay and sorted and they don’t need anything else”.
In an attempt to rectify the situation Jane contacts other departments in the hospital to see if they are able to help: “It’s only Jane down in A&E again, have you got any more beds coming up?”
Out of luck, Sister Jane shares how she feels about the relentless task: “It is a bit like, you know your mind is just going on and on and on”.
Casualty 24/7: Ever Second Counts is produced by Crackit Productions.
