The Siege

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service have already answered 300 calls for help when a new emergency comes in from police. They have received reports of a man in Harehills, Leeds, threatening to harm himself and the police officers attending. Due to the potential level of threat, multiple resources are dispatched, including the hazardous area response team. Meanwhile, Nagina and Mo must be ready to enter the building to treat any potential casualties.

After clearing from their second job of the shift, married crewmates Jen and Elliott are dispatched to Paul, a 61-year-old male patient in Yeadon, who is having difficulty speaking. After carrying out tests, the crew are concerned that Paul's symptoms may be indicative of a stroke and decide they must take him to hospital for specialist tests.

Seven hours into the shift, and call volumes have more than doubled. With no crews available, dispatcher Joyce is struggling to allocate resources to the 25 patients waiting for an ambulance. After nearly two hours on scene in Harehills, the police prepare to force entry to the property, with Nagina and Mo following behind to treat anyone who might be injured. The police successfully de-escalate the incident. Relieved there are no casualties, Nagina and Mo are finally released from the scene, which means they are available to respond to an ongoing call for a 72-year-old male patient who has fallen down the stairs. On arrival, the patient’s worried wife watches on as the crew carry out their checks. They are concerned the patient may be suffering from a serious infection.

In Leeds, Jen and Elliott are five minutes away from a Category 1 patient suffering a seizure at the train station. On arrival, the crew discover the patient is Polish, and the language barrier means they must use their detective skills to determine the cause of the seizure. Eventually, they learn that the patient and her mother have recently been made homeless and have no idea where to turn for help. For Elliott, the job sparks memories of when he first began his journey to becoming a paramedic, when he found himself homeless and living in a tent.

It's the start of a new 12-hour shift for Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Crewmates Nagina and Mo are back on duty, working across Leeds. They are immediately dispatched to a 94-year-old female patient, Audrey, who has been found on the floor by her carer, where she has been stuck since 5am.

After ruling out serious injury, Nagina and Mo help Audrey to her feet and strongly suggest a trip to hospital to ensure she has not suffered further damage from her long time on the floor. But Audrey is stoic and decides a cup of tea will be enough to bring her back to full health. Whilst she sips her tea, Nagina checks in with the local home nursing team. They agree to visit Audrey and carry out some blood tests, which is enough to reassure Nagina a trip to hospital won’t be necessary.

Critical care paramedic John is dispatched to a Category 1 call for a patient who has collapsed and is not breathing. The service receives a further nine calls for patients in cardiac arrest across the following hour, exposing the limited specialist resources available to help support ambulance crews.

After over half an hour performing CPR, John and the team make the difficult decision to stop treatment and sadly break the news to the patient’s wife that he has died, despite their best efforts.

Crewmates Jen and Elliott are available to travel to a male patient found not breathing. As they are only seven minutes away, they will be first on scene to lead treatment before any specialist resources become available. Jen and Elliott manage to obtain an ROSC – a return of spontaneous circulation – for their patient and work quickly to transport him to hospital for further life-saving treatment.