24 Hours In A&E

Senior consultant Malcolm Tunnicliff and his team face a battle to save a 'Code Red' (a patient with potentially fatal injuries) brought into A&E by helicopter. The same day, 13 other emergency cases were treated in Resus, including 78-year-old Tom Gibbs, who fell head-first off a ladder while painting his daughter's landing and a confused cyclist with a severe head injury.

The 'red phone' from the ambulance service rings, signalling the imminent arrival of a seriously-ill patient. 31-year-old Brendan has had a head-on collision between his motorbike and a car, 'bulls-eyeing' the windscreen. Meanwhile, as the Resus team struggle to revive two patients in their eighties, they discuss what they would want to be done in the same situation.

Kofi is rushed into Resus, critically injured after being hit by a van. His father, Wayne, sits by Kofi's bedside praying for his recovery. Meanwhile, senior consultant Chris Lacy is tested to the limit when three trauma patients arrive in quick succession: one has been shot in the face, another has been stabbed in the chest, and a third has been knifed in the head.

The Emergency Department is besieged with Saturday night drunks. 39-year-old Sean has had one too many, tripped over a clothes horse, fallen and broken his neck. Andrew, 26, has been arrested after a day of heavy drinking. The police have brought him to King's because he's put his hand through a window and cut it.

King's is a specialist Stroke Centre, treating on average three cases a day. Today in A&E is 89-year-old Peggy Pierce. Her husband Derek woke to find her slumped semi-conscious over the bed and she's been rushed into King's with a suspected stroke. Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Sally is comforted by ex-boyfriend Ben while she awaits treatment for a cut finger.

During the night shift, Colin Richards is rushed in by ambulance with knife injuries to his lung, arm and liver. He's accompanied by his girlfriend, Esther, who was lying in bed next to him when they were awoken at gunpoint. And in Minors, former international lawyer Robert Knutson is patched up after collapsing on the street, drunk.

Levi is the first stab victim to arrive after a fight on the street. Then, two young men from different areas with stab wounds from the same fight come in, and the staff know trouble is brewing. Other patients this week include a young woman who's been punched in the face and knocked to the ground and a man who has had too much to drink at the House of Commons.

Former motorbike racer John has been sent to A&E with wife Brenda after a routine health screening revealed a potentially-deadly problem that makes him a "walking timebomb." Meanwhile, 92-year-old widow Eileen has been brought into the hospital after falling and spending the night on the floor. Consultant Liz is worried Eileen may have broken her hip.

Every year 750,000 people are treated at A&E for injuries suffered during recreational activities, mostly at weekends. This particular evening takes a dramatic turn when a father and son, Morris and Jamie, are rushed into A&E badly injured after being attacked by gate crashers, one armed with a Samurai sword, at a family birthday party.

Construction worker William has been trapped under a cherry picker, breaking his leg in three places and crushing his chest. Nick has fallen from a 10-metre ladder onto concrete, landing on his head. Darren has fallen through a window while trying to clean it, cutting his arm badly. Meanwhile, Wilfred, who lives alone after his wife died, has had a nasty accident while cutting vegetables.

Retired dock worker, Reginald, has woken up with severe stomach pain. He suffers from diabetes and cares for his wife and the medical team are very concerned that his condition could be life-threatening. Meanwhile, other patients include Richard, who has twisted his knee moonwalking in a club and a young cyclist brought in unconscious after coming off his bike.

88-year-old Omar is brought in after suffering severe stomach pains. Meanwhile, 33-year-old Hanny is rushed in after attempting to take his life with a lethal cocktail of drugs. Staff fight to save an 18-year-old who's been stabbed in a street fight.

Ted and his wife Irene are on their tenth visit to A&E this year. Ted has already been diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer, but his problems have got worse and after getting blood test results he's been urgently sent to King's. Another patient has fallen out of a tree drunk. And a 40-year-old-man who has been kicked in the face during a football match needs stitches.

Alongside all the usual broken bones and dodgy tickers, King's on average sees 300 emergency patients a month suffering from neurological and psychological problems. A schizophrenic is admitted after failing to take his diabetes medicine. Meanwhile, a young girl seeks refuge with the mental health team. She's in crisis and struggling to cope with life.