Breathtaking (2024) s01e02 Episode Script
Delay
BORIS JOHNSON: 'First of
all, let's be in no doubt,
'this has been a sad, sad day.
563 more cases, a record.'
REPORTER: 'Doctors and
healthcare staff are saying that
'a shortage of kit and a lack of
clarity over what should be worn,
'when and where,
'could potentially
cost them their lives.
REPORTER: 'One trust said to
me today that they've only got
'three swabs per
day to test staff.'
'There are stories from
the frontline of doctors
'living in mobile
homes at the moment.
'They don't want to
infect their families.'
REPORTER: 'You've got deaths
rising in a straight line.
'We've had a big leap in cases.'
BORIS JOHNSON: Our thoughts go out
to the families of the victims,
but let's be in no doubt that
if we can follow the programme
that we're currently set upon,
then I've absolutely no doubt
that we will begin to start to
push those numbers down,
and we'll turn the tide
of the coronavirus.
ABBEY: OK, bank staff, agencies?
No-one at all?
ON SPEAKER-PHONE: 'I've tried
them all, and they're all full.
What about DJC locums?
REPORTER: 'The issue of
staff absence is huge.
'You know, staff themselves really
want to get back to the frontline.'
ABBEY: No. God, no, it's
fine. You just take it easy.
That sounds really
ON SPEAKER-PHONE: 'Look,
I'm really sorry, Abbey.
'I still can't even
get a test.' Yeah.
REPORTER: 'Lots of hospitals
are reporting unease
'that they may run out of
oxygen, sedatives, anaesthetic.
'What system do
you have in place?'
ABBEY: Yeah, but can Anj
swing over to cover for me?
ON SPEAKER-PHONE: 'Anj is down
too. I only just heard myself.'
Oh, shit.
So we can't cover
the ward SHO bleep.
Firm A is down.
Half of Firm B is urology F1s.
And Firm C is basically
just Sunil and Grace, so
Hi, it's Abbey. Yeah, so basically
just totally failed on that one.
All the staffing
banks are empty.
Hi. Morning.
Hey. Hiya.
Thank God, you're
back. Are you OK?
No, I'm shattered. I
mean, it's not nothing.
No.
Staffing told me about
the current shit-show.
I know. Half of the hospital
is off sick or isolating.
You'll be lucky if you get
an orthopod as an SHO today.
Save us.
Hi, Emma. Hiya.
Ant, how are you feeling?
Yeah, not bad, thanks.
So
we had three deaths overnight,
bed four's in their last hours
and ITU are on their
way to review 12 and 16,
but the pit's rammed, so
Right. Yeah.
How's Divina?
Not great.
Emma, look, I
I don't know if anyone is
thanking you for volunteering,
but it really is wonderful.
Everyone in my
year has. BLEEPING
I need some help in here,
she's unresponsive. Coming.
Cardiac arrest, call, please. Emma,
could you get the PPE trolley?
Get the defib, please.
Danielle Evans, 43, COVID
day ten, Type 2 Diabetes.
She was stable on six litres,
but in the past half an hour
she's needed more and
now she's just crashed.
She's arresting.
Compressions, please.
No, no, no, we need Level 3 PPE.
Why is there no supply by the
beds? We don't have enough kit.
Where's that PPE,
Emma? PPE's here.
Does this patient
have an active DNAR?
No, she's for resus.
I've just had it. I could
get on with compressions.
No, that's not allowed.
They're aerosol-generating.
Get the pads on. Thank you.
We're running out of time.
I'll help you with that. Yep.
MACHINE: Connecting electrodes.
Ready? Yep.
Non-shockable rhythm.
We need to start CPR.
We're wasting time here.
Ant, stop it!
Emma, curtain, please.
Nearly there, Ant?
Yeah, seconds away.
No, Emma, outside. Droplets.
Get the EMI bag,
please. Yep. Get ready.
OK, start compressions.
We've wasted too much time.
MACHINE BLEEPING
Are you OK?
Yeah.
Right, are you OK to
call the next of kin.
Just let me know if there's any
problems or if you need anything.
Thanks, Maddie.
Right Shall we go round?
Yeah.
I think we should
start with Mr Williams.
He had a bit of a rough night.
He's on the high flow now,
but sats are still low.
Thank you.
Hello, Mr Williams.
LABOURED BREATHING
Emma's just going to
quickly present your story.
She's keeping us
all up to speed.
OK, this is Mr Williams, 81.
WHEEZING
I met Mr Archie in
the cupboard in EAU.
That bloody cupboard.
He had flash pulmonary
oedema, went to resus,
and since then has been
doing amazingly well, really.
But then seven days ago,
tested positive for COVID,
and has sadly
deteriorated since then.
He's got his wife
Florence at home.
She's not allowed
here, obviously.
Thanks, Emma.
She did well, didn't she?
Archie,
I think we need to talk about doing
a bit more for your breathing.
I'm afraid catching COVID's
really knocked you for six.
Your lungs are struggling a
bit and you're getting tired,
so I want to give you a form of
breathing support called CPAP.
What we do is we put a mask on your
face that's strapped quite tightly.
Then the CPAP machine pushes
air into your lungs for you.
Will it hurt?
I'm afraid it can
feel quite aggressive,
quite claustrophobic, yes.
BREATHLESSLY: And if I don't?
Archie, I want to be
completely honest with you.
Without CPAP
I'm not sure you
can survive this.
COUGHING IN BACKGROUND
I love my life
but not at all costs.
Emma, can you get my photos?
OK. Of course. The code is
It's 4th of April.
Wedding day.
I've had a blessed life
with Florence.
We met
in an orchestra.
I was a second violin.
BREATHLESSLY: She was
a cell cellist.
Archie?
Shall we try this?
And if it's too much, then we'll
talk about what we're going to do.
Yeah?
LABOURED BREATHING
Emma, how do you feel about
phoning Mr Williams' wife?
You know him.
You could talk her
through what's going on.
Er yeah. Sure.
OK?
OK.
Good.
Moisturise you hand.
There we go.
All right, my darling.
Shall we get your cross out?
Is that any better,
Divina, my love?
Hello, Mr Williams.
How are you doing?
WHEEZING
I've got something for you.
We sent one of these
to Florence too.
You have a matching one.
You're all right.
Hey, Mr Williams.
I've got the mask here that
we spoke about earlier.
I'm just gonna change
that round for you now.
There we go. Take
this one off for you.
Well done. There
you go. Straight on.
You let me know if
that's too tight, OK?
There we are. How
does that feel?
You're doing great, Mr Williams.
You OK?
Just hold your heart
and think of Florence.
So, this might feel a
bit of a powerful blast,
but it will stabilise, OK?
You'll get used to it.
A bit like having your head out
of a car window on the motorway.
LABOURED BREATHING
You're doing really
well. How does that feel?
Good?
Hi, Sally. Did you
want to have a chat?
Is that gonna happen to me?
No. No.
You're doing well.
Yes, you have COVID.
But your sats are holding.
Is that good?
I'm confident.
Well, I'm glad someone is.
I thought it would be breast
cancer that killed me,
not coming into hospital.
You got in before we knew.
I'm so sorry you
caught it in here.
But no-one is giving up
on you, Sally, I promise.
Look, I know you've had
your restaging scan done,
so I'll speak to
the radiologists,
see if they can hurry the
report along while you're in,
and I'll come straight up to see
you as soon as it's on the system.
Yeah?
OK. Great.
Hi, there. Hey.
Just checking in.
Yep, what's your name?
Dr Abbey Henderson.
Yeah, got you right here.
Staying with us for nine days.
ON VIDEO CALL: 'Mummy!
Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!
Hi.
'Hey. Divina?'
'Mummy, Mummy, Mummy.
'Mummy, Daddy wouldn't let me
watch any screens after dinner
'and he shouted at
me for no reason.
'You said I was allowed
cartoons when you were at work,
'so I basically hate Daddy now.'
'Can't win.
'Tom, say hello to your mum.'
Tom? Are you gonna say
hello from under there?
Hey, love.
I miss you.
Are you OK?
'Tom, come on.'
What is it?
Please tell me.
'You shouldn't be there.
You should be here.
'You've just left us to look
after all the patients at work,
'everyone else's family.
'So, what do you
want me to say?'
Look, I'm not gonna lie to you,
Tommy. I know this is really hard,
but 'If you catch
it, you'll die.
'So that basically means you
don't even care about us.'
Oh, my God, Tom, I am so
careful. I promise you.
'You can't promise
us you won't die.'
Sweetheart
'I'm sorry, love. I told
him you're fit and well,
'it would be like the flu.
'He's obviously scared,
you know?' Have they eaten?
'Yeah. Yeah.'
I should eat, so
'We'll try again in
the morning, OK?'
MACHINE BLEEPING
Sats 60. Still falling.
58. Oxygen?
100%.
Let's prone her.
Emergency prone, please,
in here. Quickly.
PPE on everybody.
Straighter, please.
All right, Divina, we're
gonna pop you on your front.
This should help with
your breathing, OK?
Quick as you can
everyone, please.
She's a Ward ACA from
Level 6, thank you.
Take that. Thank you.
That's it. One
more. OK, secured.
On my pull we're gonna slide her
in this direction, all right?
Happy everyone? Yeah.
Ready. Ready, steady, slide.
We're gonna put her
on her side. Go.
Right, nearly
there. Change over.
Nearly there, Divina,
nearly there, OK?
You'll feel better
on your front.
Everyone happy? Yeah.
Gently now. Go.
All right. Still ventilating.
Back on, please. Hold,
please, everyone.
Probe back on.
45. Come on, Divina.
We tried to get her
on the haemofilter
but her BP's too unstable.
Come on.
43, come on, Divina.
Her sats aren't
improving at all.
It's not working.
Hey.
Hi, Enrico, it's Metin
Ozkul here again.
ON VIDEO CALL: 'Yeah, hi.'
So, we hoped the proning might help
with Divina's breathing, but
I'm afraid it stopped
working for her.
The CT scan we did of her lungs
shows they really are
very badly damaged.
We tried to put her on a
machine a bit like dialysis,
but she was too
unstable for that, so
I'm really very
sorry, Enrico, but
we've explored all the
treatments we have.
Enrico,
I think it's time we consider
stopping active treatments,
and move towards
palliative care.
'What do you mean?
What does this mean?'
Hi. Hi. Hello, Enrico.
'Hi, yeah.' It's
Abbey Henderson.
What Doctor Ozkul is saying is
that we've reached a point now
where we need to focus on
Divina's end-of-life care.
'Mm-hmm.'
She's receiving a lot of
invasive treatments at the moment
that aren't helping her
and we can remove a lot of that
which would make her
much more comfortable.
SOBBING 'Yeah.'
Enrico, I'm so sorry to say you
can't come and visit Divina.
The rules prevent
any visits to ITU.
'She didn't have the right PPE
but she wanted to keep going.
'She was so brave.' She was.
She was.
'We'll be praying
for her.' Yeah.
'She will be so alone.'
Hi, Enrico.
Hi, I'm Jules. 'Hi. Yeah.'
I'm the nurse looking
after Divina here in ITU.
We're gonna take such
good care of her, Enrico,
that's my promise.
I promise you that.
I promise you she
will not be alone.
'I know. Thanks. I know.'
I'm so sorry, my love.
'I need to go now. I need
to go.' I'm so sorry.
CALL END TONE
a 250ml bolus
Yeah. and monitor his BP.
We've been told medically fit
patients with a care home bed
have to be discharged
straight away, no delays.
Is he unwell?
Well, no, but he hasn't been
tested for COVID, though.
They said it doesn't matter, we're
not allowed to wait for tests.
But we've had two confirmed
cases in here today.
Yeah, well, just keep
a close eye on him
Don't you think we should
be just a little bit more
It's taking five days to
get test results back.
He can't sit here until then.
We need to be sure
that he's not positive.
If he takes COVID
back to the care home,
the other residents
are sitting ducks.
If he sits here for five days
he's probably going to get COVID,
isn't he? Can I help at all?
Thanks, Abbey.
Emma and I were just discussing
discharges to care homes.
All the discharge planners have been
told not to wait for negative tests.
There's ambulances
queuing to the roundabout.
Which patient is this?
OK, no COVID symptoms
on admission.
UTI, treated with antibiotics,
medically fit for discharge.
Is there a new
suspicion of COVID?
No, it's just that we've had
others confirmed in here today.
OK. The national guidances don't
wait for negative COVID tests.
Yes, the patient's going home.
His care home is his home.
He doesn't have COVID, so
Well, to be fair to Emma, we
don't know that without testing.
So, what shall we do?
SIGHS
I don't think we
have a choice, do we?
There's no tests.
He's going to have to go
back to his care home.
BORIS JOHNSON: And we're also
massively increasing testing
and I want to say a
special word about testing
because it is so important,
and as I've said for weeks and
weeks, this is the way through.
This is how we will unlock
the coronavirus puzzle.
This is how we will
defeat it in the end.
And what we need to do is
Sally?
Sorry to wake you.
Oh, hi, Doctor.
Oh, God, what's going on?
Your scan is clear.
What? Really?
The scan report just
came on the system.
There's no sign of cancer.
I think we can hope
for the best now.
Oh, my God.
I'll go through it all
with you in the morning.
I just wanted you to know.
And we'll get you away
as soon as we can.
Oh, God, thank you, Doctor.
It's a team effort.
Thank you, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Could you pass me my phone?
Are you heading
home, then? No.
God, when do you all sleep?
We don't, really.
Hi. Hi.
Yeah, no, I'm fine.
Oh, my God, love. I'm clear.
Side room seven.
Thank you. No problem.
What's your name, Doctor?
Abbey. Abbey.
E-Y.
You're all done.
Thank you.
Let's talk later.
OK, Divina, we're gonna turn
off some of these machines now.
MACHINE BLEEPS
BLEEPING STOPS OK.
There we go, Divina.
That's it.
You can rest now, my love.
No more pain.
"Divina, every day
I came to work,
"your smile told me
how to do my job.
"I'll miss you. We'll
look after your family.
"Love you, Alison."
"I will love you forever, my
darling, my beloved, Divina."
It's from Enrico.
Beautiful, wasn't it?
Now some from us too.
Everyone's written to you.
This is from Lauren.
HUSHED SOBBING
"Dear Divina, I was still
a student when we met.
"Your smile lit up the ward.
"I will always remember
your love and kindness."
INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY
This one's from Vicky.
She's just had her
baby, by the way.
"I can't believe you're gone.
We're gonna miss you so much."
HUSHED SOBBING
INTERVIEWER: 'Thank you, Mr
Hancock. Could I firstly ask,
'how many frontline NHS workers
have died from COVID-19?
'And secondly, could I ask when a
healthcare worker does pass away,
'has there been some form of
investigatory process put in place?'
Yes, I think this is a
question for you, Ruth.
OK, thank you very much.
We know that any death, if it were
due to coronavirus, is a tragic one.
'We do have numbers of
people that have died,
'whether they're nurses, midwives,
healthcare assistants, doctors.'
It would be inappropriate
for me right now
to go into listing them
and numbering them.
I'm so sorry to have to share
this news with you all
but I'm afraid Divina
passed away overnight.
Enrico and the kids
send their thanks.
HUSHED SOBBING
There's some counselling
being arranged.
I'll put the details
on the board.
Please use it.
The trust is going to provide
some extra ward cover,
so if anyone feels unable to
work you absolutely must go home.
PAGER BLEEPING
Oh, sorry, everyone.
Abbey, can I just say something?
Please.
Look, I don't want
to speak for anyone.
I don't know about you
guys, but I know that
I know what Divina would
have been doing today.
She would have carried on
caring for her patients.
So I think I'm just gonna
do that, if that's OK.
Thanks, Tracey.
We've seen, very sadly,
four doctors die so
far and some nurses.
They've not even counted the
nurses, Matt. I've got to have a
conversation with you.
OK, we'll talk about that.
Sorry, Doreen, just
say that again?
We haven't even
counted the nurses yet
cos I keep asking for the stats
on nurses that are ill and
I didn't know that, we will
sort that out. The But
You've killed him.
This place has killed him.
You've murdered my dad.
Please keep the volume down.
There are other patients here.
Hello, I'm Doctor Henderson,
I'm the consultant on the ward.
My dad had COVID because
of you. You've killed him.
OK, I just need to come up
to speed. So you tell me
You sent someone back to
his care home with COVID,
now they've all got it.
This lady's father was admitted
last night from Pennyfield.
OK. Dad, it's OK.
We recently discharged a patient
from the cold zone back there.
She doesn't have a fucking
clue what's going on.
OK, I'd really appreciate it if
Pennyfield House. ..you didn't use
language like that
Dad's the 11th resident
and threaten staff. to
get it, did you know that?
I didn't know that, madam,
no. Seven people are dead
because you didn't test them
before you sent them back there.
And now you've got your
beds for the younger ones.
Murderers!
She's right.
We're killing people
with these discharges.
OK, I hear you No,
Abbey, they're dying.
but can we not do this
in the middle of the ward.
And it's literally us sending COVID
in to kill people. She's right.
Ant, you need to calm down, now.
I'm going to talk to
the CEO about this, OK?
What, like you
did about the PPE?
We'll both go. Right now.
Abbey? Good to see
you. Come on in.
Thanks.
So I'm just gonna jump
straight in, if that's OK.
Suits me.
We need to delay these
discharges to care homes
until we can ensure that patients
have a negative COVID test.
Without symptoms?
Yes. They incubate the
virus asymptomatically
and return to the nursing homes,
and we're seeing admissions from
those same nursing
homes down the line.
Is that causal? Sorry?
Have you demonstrated
a causal link?
Yeah. The index cases are the
patients coming in and out of here.
Are you serious?
I can't shut down hospital
discharges on that scale.
You just need to
authorise testing.
It would be risking skyrocketing
hospital-acquired COVID infection
because of anecdotal
community transmission.
It's not anecdotal.
This comes from the
Department of Health.
Every single trust has
the same set of orders.
Orders? Yes, get 15,000 people
out of hospital beds right now.
Clear them out. No need
for negative tests.
Even if there were enough tests
for clinically well people
They have coronavirus. ..it takes
five days to get results back.
We can't wait that long.
Then you need to come down
and write that in the notes.
SCOFFS I'm sorry?
That you're taking over
the care of these patients
from the clinical teams.
Abbey, these are not my rules.
This comes straight
from the top.
Look, residents can be isolated once
they're back in their care homes.
How about patients
with dementia?
You're welcome onto the wards
to show us how that might work.
Discharge them home
or to isolatable beds,
but not to care homes or they're
gonna die in their hundreds.
This isn't your decision.
Please just do your job.
Doing your job down there is
a potential death sentence.
Members of our team, the most
exposed members of staff,
are wearing aprons and bin bags
and going home wondering if
they're gonna die in the night.
I truly am sorry
about your colleagues.
As a hospital trust
Oh, it's just HCAs and staff
grades to you, isn't it,
in the firing line? Do you
know who's dying down there?
Certainly not the
white people up here.
Sorry. I was out
of line earlier.
No, no, it's
Dad's got COVID.
He got admitted last week.
Oh, God.
I'm so sorry.
Yeah.
There's no plan, is there?
No.
They're just making this
up as they go along.
Those live, those don't.
They're just numbers.
Have you made a will?
MACHINE AIR WHOOSHES
LABOURED BREATHING
GASPING
WHEEZING
Hey.
ON VIDEO CALL:
'Hi, love, you OK?
'Oh, is it three
already?' Er, yeah.
'Yeah, we're just'
She's gonna break
her neck doing that.
'Robby, Robby, do a
cartwheel for Mummy.
'She's really good.
'She's almost got it.'
You're a nightmare.
'Talk to your mum.'
Hi, darling. 'Hi.'
KNOCK AT DOOR Abbey?
We're heading up now. OK.
VOICE ON TV: 'We are gathered
here today to remember Divina,
'a loving wife and
mother to her family.
'And I would now
like to ask Enrico
'to come forward to
say a few words.'
ENRICO: 'She died
doing what she loved.
'Even in the last few weeks
when she came home so tired,
'she would say to me
'.."This is my work."
'Me and the kids
are so proud of her.
'I don't know what happens now.
'It was Divina who knew
how to take us through
'any dark times that
came to us as a family.
'But I feel, I know'
PAGER BLEEPS
'that we will find
our way somehow.
'That with the help of God
'and our friends, we will
continue in this world.
'But I also know that
'..I will always be alone
without you, my darling.'
BANGING, COMMOTION
CLAPPING, CHEERING
WHISTLING
BANGING CONTINUES
Oh, that looks so good
on you. Thank you.
If in doubt, go
all out. I know.
There.
How's that? There you
go, you look gorgeous.
And here she comes!
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Thank you all so much!
I don't ever wanna see
any of you lot ever again!
Florence.
Archie's finding CPAP too hard.
He's decided to stop.
And I'm afraid without it,
his lungs can't keep going.
But even with it, we don't
LINE BREAKING UP
ON VIDEO CALL: '..what to do.'
We just want to offer you the chance
to come in and visit the ward.
You're allowed in now
now that it's an
end-of-life situation.
'I want to.
'But my arthritis, my
rheumatoid arthritis'
Right. 'I'm on
immunosuppression.'
That's a really tricky
situation, Florence.
You need to be careful.
'OK.
'I don't want him to be alone.'
COUGHING IN BACKGROUND
Hi, Mr Williams. I hope you're
feeling a bit more comfortable now.
WHEEZING
LABOURED BREATHING
STRIKES NOTE
All right. All I'll
say, Mr Williams, is
keep your expectations low.
WHEEZING
PLAYS SHAKILY
Hope that wasn't too painful.
PAGER BLEEPING
All right then, Mr Williams.
Hey. Hey.
Heading in? Yeah.
I'll see you in
there a bit later.
I'm just popping back
for a quick shower.
Are you on again? Oh, yeah.
SIGHS
You're doing really well.
Doesn't feel like it.
No.
Don't suppose it ever
does, but you are.
You were right
about that patient.
The one we had to discharge
back to the care home.
We shouldn't have sent him back.
Just because it's harm we can't see,
doesn't mean we're not doing it.
Yeah.
And we're meant to do no harm.
All right. See you in a bit.
See you in a bit.
SHALLOW BREATHING
RASPY BREATHING
CALL DIALLING OUT TONE
I wake up and sometimes, honestly,
it's like I've wet the bed.
Soaked.
How does that feel?
CALL DIALLING OUT TONE
VOICEMAIL: 'Hi, this
is Nick Henderson.
'Please leave a message
and I'll get back to you.'
JULES: 'Can't breathe.'
Sometimes screaming.
I wake the kids, actually.
COUNSELLOR: 'Can you say more
about the feeling of drowning?'
SHALLOW BREATHING
JULES: 'There are
bodies everywhere.
'They've all got masks on.
'Their eyes are really wide.'
'I'm scrabbling in the water
to reach the surface'
'..and I'm pushing away the
bodies that are blocking my way.'
I promise you, I've never had
a thought like that in my life.
Just terrified.
What are you terrified of?
Sleep.
accessibility@itv.com
all, let's be in no doubt,
'this has been a sad, sad day.
563 more cases, a record.'
REPORTER: 'Doctors and
healthcare staff are saying that
'a shortage of kit and a lack of
clarity over what should be worn,
'when and where,
'could potentially
cost them their lives.
REPORTER: 'One trust said to
me today that they've only got
'three swabs per
day to test staff.'
'There are stories from
the frontline of doctors
'living in mobile
homes at the moment.
'They don't want to
infect their families.'
REPORTER: 'You've got deaths
rising in a straight line.
'We've had a big leap in cases.'
BORIS JOHNSON: Our thoughts go out
to the families of the victims,
but let's be in no doubt that
if we can follow the programme
that we're currently set upon,
then I've absolutely no doubt
that we will begin to start to
push those numbers down,
and we'll turn the tide
of the coronavirus.
ABBEY: OK, bank staff, agencies?
No-one at all?
ON SPEAKER-PHONE: 'I've tried
them all, and they're all full.
What about DJC locums?
REPORTER: 'The issue of
staff absence is huge.
'You know, staff themselves really
want to get back to the frontline.'
ABBEY: No. God, no, it's
fine. You just take it easy.
That sounds really
ON SPEAKER-PHONE: 'Look,
I'm really sorry, Abbey.
'I still can't even
get a test.' Yeah.
REPORTER: 'Lots of hospitals
are reporting unease
'that they may run out of
oxygen, sedatives, anaesthetic.
'What system do
you have in place?'
ABBEY: Yeah, but can Anj
swing over to cover for me?
ON SPEAKER-PHONE: 'Anj is down
too. I only just heard myself.'
Oh, shit.
So we can't cover
the ward SHO bleep.
Firm A is down.
Half of Firm B is urology F1s.
And Firm C is basically
just Sunil and Grace, so
Hi, it's Abbey. Yeah, so basically
just totally failed on that one.
All the staffing
banks are empty.
Hi. Morning.
Hey. Hiya.
Thank God, you're
back. Are you OK?
No, I'm shattered. I
mean, it's not nothing.
No.
Staffing told me about
the current shit-show.
I know. Half of the hospital
is off sick or isolating.
You'll be lucky if you get
an orthopod as an SHO today.
Save us.
Hi, Emma. Hiya.
Ant, how are you feeling?
Yeah, not bad, thanks.
So
we had three deaths overnight,
bed four's in their last hours
and ITU are on their
way to review 12 and 16,
but the pit's rammed, so
Right. Yeah.
How's Divina?
Not great.
Emma, look, I
I don't know if anyone is
thanking you for volunteering,
but it really is wonderful.
Everyone in my
year has. BLEEPING
I need some help in here,
she's unresponsive. Coming.
Cardiac arrest, call, please. Emma,
could you get the PPE trolley?
Get the defib, please.
Danielle Evans, 43, COVID
day ten, Type 2 Diabetes.
She was stable on six litres,
but in the past half an hour
she's needed more and
now she's just crashed.
She's arresting.
Compressions, please.
No, no, no, we need Level 3 PPE.
Why is there no supply by the
beds? We don't have enough kit.
Where's that PPE,
Emma? PPE's here.
Does this patient
have an active DNAR?
No, she's for resus.
I've just had it. I could
get on with compressions.
No, that's not allowed.
They're aerosol-generating.
Get the pads on. Thank you.
We're running out of time.
I'll help you with that. Yep.
MACHINE: Connecting electrodes.
Ready? Yep.
Non-shockable rhythm.
We need to start CPR.
We're wasting time here.
Ant, stop it!
Emma, curtain, please.
Nearly there, Ant?
Yeah, seconds away.
No, Emma, outside. Droplets.
Get the EMI bag,
please. Yep. Get ready.
OK, start compressions.
We've wasted too much time.
MACHINE BLEEPING
Are you OK?
Yeah.
Right, are you OK to
call the next of kin.
Just let me know if there's any
problems or if you need anything.
Thanks, Maddie.
Right Shall we go round?
Yeah.
I think we should
start with Mr Williams.
He had a bit of a rough night.
He's on the high flow now,
but sats are still low.
Thank you.
Hello, Mr Williams.
LABOURED BREATHING
Emma's just going to
quickly present your story.
She's keeping us
all up to speed.
OK, this is Mr Williams, 81.
WHEEZING
I met Mr Archie in
the cupboard in EAU.
That bloody cupboard.
He had flash pulmonary
oedema, went to resus,
and since then has been
doing amazingly well, really.
But then seven days ago,
tested positive for COVID,
and has sadly
deteriorated since then.
He's got his wife
Florence at home.
She's not allowed
here, obviously.
Thanks, Emma.
She did well, didn't she?
Archie,
I think we need to talk about doing
a bit more for your breathing.
I'm afraid catching COVID's
really knocked you for six.
Your lungs are struggling a
bit and you're getting tired,
so I want to give you a form of
breathing support called CPAP.
What we do is we put a mask on your
face that's strapped quite tightly.
Then the CPAP machine pushes
air into your lungs for you.
Will it hurt?
I'm afraid it can
feel quite aggressive,
quite claustrophobic, yes.
BREATHLESSLY: And if I don't?
Archie, I want to be
completely honest with you.
Without CPAP
I'm not sure you
can survive this.
COUGHING IN BACKGROUND
I love my life
but not at all costs.
Emma, can you get my photos?
OK. Of course. The code is
It's 4th of April.
Wedding day.
I've had a blessed life
with Florence.
We met
in an orchestra.
I was a second violin.
BREATHLESSLY: She was
a cell cellist.
Archie?
Shall we try this?
And if it's too much, then we'll
talk about what we're going to do.
Yeah?
LABOURED BREATHING
Emma, how do you feel about
phoning Mr Williams' wife?
You know him.
You could talk her
through what's going on.
Er yeah. Sure.
OK?
OK.
Good.
Moisturise you hand.
There we go.
All right, my darling.
Shall we get your cross out?
Is that any better,
Divina, my love?
Hello, Mr Williams.
How are you doing?
WHEEZING
I've got something for you.
We sent one of these
to Florence too.
You have a matching one.
You're all right.
Hey, Mr Williams.
I've got the mask here that
we spoke about earlier.
I'm just gonna change
that round for you now.
There we go. Take
this one off for you.
Well done. There
you go. Straight on.
You let me know if
that's too tight, OK?
There we are. How
does that feel?
You're doing great, Mr Williams.
You OK?
Just hold your heart
and think of Florence.
So, this might feel a
bit of a powerful blast,
but it will stabilise, OK?
You'll get used to it.
A bit like having your head out
of a car window on the motorway.
LABOURED BREATHING
You're doing really
well. How does that feel?
Good?
Hi, Sally. Did you
want to have a chat?
Is that gonna happen to me?
No. No.
You're doing well.
Yes, you have COVID.
But your sats are holding.
Is that good?
I'm confident.
Well, I'm glad someone is.
I thought it would be breast
cancer that killed me,
not coming into hospital.
You got in before we knew.
I'm so sorry you
caught it in here.
But no-one is giving up
on you, Sally, I promise.
Look, I know you've had
your restaging scan done,
so I'll speak to
the radiologists,
see if they can hurry the
report along while you're in,
and I'll come straight up to see
you as soon as it's on the system.
Yeah?
OK. Great.
Hi, there. Hey.
Just checking in.
Yep, what's your name?
Dr Abbey Henderson.
Yeah, got you right here.
Staying with us for nine days.
ON VIDEO CALL: 'Mummy!
Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!
Hi.
'Hey. Divina?'
'Mummy, Mummy, Mummy.
'Mummy, Daddy wouldn't let me
watch any screens after dinner
'and he shouted at
me for no reason.
'You said I was allowed
cartoons when you were at work,
'so I basically hate Daddy now.'
'Can't win.
'Tom, say hello to your mum.'
Tom? Are you gonna say
hello from under there?
Hey, love.
I miss you.
Are you OK?
'Tom, come on.'
What is it?
Please tell me.
'You shouldn't be there.
You should be here.
'You've just left us to look
after all the patients at work,
'everyone else's family.
'So, what do you
want me to say?'
Look, I'm not gonna lie to you,
Tommy. I know this is really hard,
but 'If you catch
it, you'll die.
'So that basically means you
don't even care about us.'
Oh, my God, Tom, I am so
careful. I promise you.
'You can't promise
us you won't die.'
Sweetheart
'I'm sorry, love. I told
him you're fit and well,
'it would be like the flu.
'He's obviously scared,
you know?' Have they eaten?
'Yeah. Yeah.'
I should eat, so
'We'll try again in
the morning, OK?'
MACHINE BLEEPING
Sats 60. Still falling.
58. Oxygen?
100%.
Let's prone her.
Emergency prone, please,
in here. Quickly.
PPE on everybody.
Straighter, please.
All right, Divina, we're
gonna pop you on your front.
This should help with
your breathing, OK?
Quick as you can
everyone, please.
She's a Ward ACA from
Level 6, thank you.
Take that. Thank you.
That's it. One
more. OK, secured.
On my pull we're gonna slide her
in this direction, all right?
Happy everyone? Yeah.
Ready. Ready, steady, slide.
We're gonna put her
on her side. Go.
Right, nearly
there. Change over.
Nearly there, Divina,
nearly there, OK?
You'll feel better
on your front.
Everyone happy? Yeah.
Gently now. Go.
All right. Still ventilating.
Back on, please. Hold,
please, everyone.
Probe back on.
45. Come on, Divina.
We tried to get her
on the haemofilter
but her BP's too unstable.
Come on.
43, come on, Divina.
Her sats aren't
improving at all.
It's not working.
Hey.
Hi, Enrico, it's Metin
Ozkul here again.
ON VIDEO CALL: 'Yeah, hi.'
So, we hoped the proning might help
with Divina's breathing, but
I'm afraid it stopped
working for her.
The CT scan we did of her lungs
shows they really are
very badly damaged.
We tried to put her on a
machine a bit like dialysis,
but she was too
unstable for that, so
I'm really very
sorry, Enrico, but
we've explored all the
treatments we have.
Enrico,
I think it's time we consider
stopping active treatments,
and move towards
palliative care.
'What do you mean?
What does this mean?'
Hi. Hi. Hello, Enrico.
'Hi, yeah.' It's
Abbey Henderson.
What Doctor Ozkul is saying is
that we've reached a point now
where we need to focus on
Divina's end-of-life care.
'Mm-hmm.'
She's receiving a lot of
invasive treatments at the moment
that aren't helping her
and we can remove a lot of that
which would make her
much more comfortable.
SOBBING 'Yeah.'
Enrico, I'm so sorry to say you
can't come and visit Divina.
The rules prevent
any visits to ITU.
'She didn't have the right PPE
but she wanted to keep going.
'She was so brave.' She was.
She was.
'We'll be praying
for her.' Yeah.
'She will be so alone.'
Hi, Enrico.
Hi, I'm Jules. 'Hi. Yeah.'
I'm the nurse looking
after Divina here in ITU.
We're gonna take such
good care of her, Enrico,
that's my promise.
I promise you that.
I promise you she
will not be alone.
'I know. Thanks. I know.'
I'm so sorry, my love.
'I need to go now. I need
to go.' I'm so sorry.
CALL END TONE
a 250ml bolus
Yeah. and monitor his BP.
We've been told medically fit
patients with a care home bed
have to be discharged
straight away, no delays.
Is he unwell?
Well, no, but he hasn't been
tested for COVID, though.
They said it doesn't matter, we're
not allowed to wait for tests.
But we've had two confirmed
cases in here today.
Yeah, well, just keep
a close eye on him
Don't you think we should
be just a little bit more
It's taking five days to
get test results back.
He can't sit here until then.
We need to be sure
that he's not positive.
If he takes COVID
back to the care home,
the other residents
are sitting ducks.
If he sits here for five days
he's probably going to get COVID,
isn't he? Can I help at all?
Thanks, Abbey.
Emma and I were just discussing
discharges to care homes.
All the discharge planners have been
told not to wait for negative tests.
There's ambulances
queuing to the roundabout.
Which patient is this?
OK, no COVID symptoms
on admission.
UTI, treated with antibiotics,
medically fit for discharge.
Is there a new
suspicion of COVID?
No, it's just that we've had
others confirmed in here today.
OK. The national guidances don't
wait for negative COVID tests.
Yes, the patient's going home.
His care home is his home.
He doesn't have COVID, so
Well, to be fair to Emma, we
don't know that without testing.
So, what shall we do?
SIGHS
I don't think we
have a choice, do we?
There's no tests.
He's going to have to go
back to his care home.
BORIS JOHNSON: And we're also
massively increasing testing
and I want to say a
special word about testing
because it is so important,
and as I've said for weeks and
weeks, this is the way through.
This is how we will unlock
the coronavirus puzzle.
This is how we will
defeat it in the end.
And what we need to do is
Sally?
Sorry to wake you.
Oh, hi, Doctor.
Oh, God, what's going on?
Your scan is clear.
What? Really?
The scan report just
came on the system.
There's no sign of cancer.
I think we can hope
for the best now.
Oh, my God.
I'll go through it all
with you in the morning.
I just wanted you to know.
And we'll get you away
as soon as we can.
Oh, God, thank you, Doctor.
It's a team effort.
Thank you, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Could you pass me my phone?
Are you heading
home, then? No.
God, when do you all sleep?
We don't, really.
Hi. Hi.
Yeah, no, I'm fine.
Oh, my God, love. I'm clear.
Side room seven.
Thank you. No problem.
What's your name, Doctor?
Abbey. Abbey.
E-Y.
You're all done.
Thank you.
Let's talk later.
OK, Divina, we're gonna turn
off some of these machines now.
MACHINE BLEEPS
BLEEPING STOPS OK.
There we go, Divina.
That's it.
You can rest now, my love.
No more pain.
"Divina, every day
I came to work,
"your smile told me
how to do my job.
"I'll miss you. We'll
look after your family.
"Love you, Alison."
"I will love you forever, my
darling, my beloved, Divina."
It's from Enrico.
Beautiful, wasn't it?
Now some from us too.
Everyone's written to you.
This is from Lauren.
HUSHED SOBBING
"Dear Divina, I was still
a student when we met.
"Your smile lit up the ward.
"I will always remember
your love and kindness."
INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY
This one's from Vicky.
She's just had her
baby, by the way.
"I can't believe you're gone.
We're gonna miss you so much."
HUSHED SOBBING
INTERVIEWER: 'Thank you, Mr
Hancock. Could I firstly ask,
'how many frontline NHS workers
have died from COVID-19?
'And secondly, could I ask when a
healthcare worker does pass away,
'has there been some form of
investigatory process put in place?'
Yes, I think this is a
question for you, Ruth.
OK, thank you very much.
We know that any death, if it were
due to coronavirus, is a tragic one.
'We do have numbers of
people that have died,
'whether they're nurses, midwives,
healthcare assistants, doctors.'
It would be inappropriate
for me right now
to go into listing them
and numbering them.
I'm so sorry to have to share
this news with you all
but I'm afraid Divina
passed away overnight.
Enrico and the kids
send their thanks.
HUSHED SOBBING
There's some counselling
being arranged.
I'll put the details
on the board.
Please use it.
The trust is going to provide
some extra ward cover,
so if anyone feels unable to
work you absolutely must go home.
PAGER BLEEPING
Oh, sorry, everyone.
Abbey, can I just say something?
Please.
Look, I don't want
to speak for anyone.
I don't know about you
guys, but I know that
I know what Divina would
have been doing today.
She would have carried on
caring for her patients.
So I think I'm just gonna
do that, if that's OK.
Thanks, Tracey.
We've seen, very sadly,
four doctors die so
far and some nurses.
They've not even counted the
nurses, Matt. I've got to have a
conversation with you.
OK, we'll talk about that.
Sorry, Doreen, just
say that again?
We haven't even
counted the nurses yet
cos I keep asking for the stats
on nurses that are ill and
I didn't know that, we will
sort that out. The But
You've killed him.
This place has killed him.
You've murdered my dad.
Please keep the volume down.
There are other patients here.
Hello, I'm Doctor Henderson,
I'm the consultant on the ward.
My dad had COVID because
of you. You've killed him.
OK, I just need to come up
to speed. So you tell me
You sent someone back to
his care home with COVID,
now they've all got it.
This lady's father was admitted
last night from Pennyfield.
OK. Dad, it's OK.
We recently discharged a patient
from the cold zone back there.
She doesn't have a fucking
clue what's going on.
OK, I'd really appreciate it if
Pennyfield House. ..you didn't use
language like that
Dad's the 11th resident
and threaten staff. to
get it, did you know that?
I didn't know that, madam,
no. Seven people are dead
because you didn't test them
before you sent them back there.
And now you've got your
beds for the younger ones.
Murderers!
She's right.
We're killing people
with these discharges.
OK, I hear you No,
Abbey, they're dying.
but can we not do this
in the middle of the ward.
And it's literally us sending COVID
in to kill people. She's right.
Ant, you need to calm down, now.
I'm going to talk to
the CEO about this, OK?
What, like you
did about the PPE?
We'll both go. Right now.
Abbey? Good to see
you. Come on in.
Thanks.
So I'm just gonna jump
straight in, if that's OK.
Suits me.
We need to delay these
discharges to care homes
until we can ensure that patients
have a negative COVID test.
Without symptoms?
Yes. They incubate the
virus asymptomatically
and return to the nursing homes,
and we're seeing admissions from
those same nursing
homes down the line.
Is that causal? Sorry?
Have you demonstrated
a causal link?
Yeah. The index cases are the
patients coming in and out of here.
Are you serious?
I can't shut down hospital
discharges on that scale.
You just need to
authorise testing.
It would be risking skyrocketing
hospital-acquired COVID infection
because of anecdotal
community transmission.
It's not anecdotal.
This comes from the
Department of Health.
Every single trust has
the same set of orders.
Orders? Yes, get 15,000 people
out of hospital beds right now.
Clear them out. No need
for negative tests.
Even if there were enough tests
for clinically well people
They have coronavirus. ..it takes
five days to get results back.
We can't wait that long.
Then you need to come down
and write that in the notes.
SCOFFS I'm sorry?
That you're taking over
the care of these patients
from the clinical teams.
Abbey, these are not my rules.
This comes straight
from the top.
Look, residents can be isolated once
they're back in their care homes.
How about patients
with dementia?
You're welcome onto the wards
to show us how that might work.
Discharge them home
or to isolatable beds,
but not to care homes or they're
gonna die in their hundreds.
This isn't your decision.
Please just do your job.
Doing your job down there is
a potential death sentence.
Members of our team, the most
exposed members of staff,
are wearing aprons and bin bags
and going home wondering if
they're gonna die in the night.
I truly am sorry
about your colleagues.
As a hospital trust
Oh, it's just HCAs and staff
grades to you, isn't it,
in the firing line? Do you
know who's dying down there?
Certainly not the
white people up here.
Sorry. I was out
of line earlier.
No, no, it's
Dad's got COVID.
He got admitted last week.
Oh, God.
I'm so sorry.
Yeah.
There's no plan, is there?
No.
They're just making this
up as they go along.
Those live, those don't.
They're just numbers.
Have you made a will?
MACHINE AIR WHOOSHES
LABOURED BREATHING
GASPING
WHEEZING
Hey.
ON VIDEO CALL:
'Hi, love, you OK?
'Oh, is it three
already?' Er, yeah.
'Yeah, we're just'
She's gonna break
her neck doing that.
'Robby, Robby, do a
cartwheel for Mummy.
'She's really good.
'She's almost got it.'
You're a nightmare.
'Talk to your mum.'
Hi, darling. 'Hi.'
KNOCK AT DOOR Abbey?
We're heading up now. OK.
VOICE ON TV: 'We are gathered
here today to remember Divina,
'a loving wife and
mother to her family.
'And I would now
like to ask Enrico
'to come forward to
say a few words.'
ENRICO: 'She died
doing what she loved.
'Even in the last few weeks
when she came home so tired,
'she would say to me
'.."This is my work."
'Me and the kids
are so proud of her.
'I don't know what happens now.
'It was Divina who knew
how to take us through
'any dark times that
came to us as a family.
'But I feel, I know'
PAGER BLEEPS
'that we will find
our way somehow.
'That with the help of God
'and our friends, we will
continue in this world.
'But I also know that
'..I will always be alone
without you, my darling.'
BANGING, COMMOTION
CLAPPING, CHEERING
WHISTLING
BANGING CONTINUES
Oh, that looks so good
on you. Thank you.
If in doubt, go
all out. I know.
There.
How's that? There you
go, you look gorgeous.
And here she comes!
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Thank you all so much!
I don't ever wanna see
any of you lot ever again!
Florence.
Archie's finding CPAP too hard.
He's decided to stop.
And I'm afraid without it,
his lungs can't keep going.
But even with it, we don't
LINE BREAKING UP
ON VIDEO CALL: '..what to do.'
We just want to offer you the chance
to come in and visit the ward.
You're allowed in now
now that it's an
end-of-life situation.
'I want to.
'But my arthritis, my
rheumatoid arthritis'
Right. 'I'm on
immunosuppression.'
That's a really tricky
situation, Florence.
You need to be careful.
'OK.
'I don't want him to be alone.'
COUGHING IN BACKGROUND
Hi, Mr Williams. I hope you're
feeling a bit more comfortable now.
WHEEZING
LABOURED BREATHING
STRIKES NOTE
All right. All I'll
say, Mr Williams, is
keep your expectations low.
WHEEZING
PLAYS SHAKILY
Hope that wasn't too painful.
PAGER BLEEPING
All right then, Mr Williams.
Hey. Hey.
Heading in? Yeah.
I'll see you in
there a bit later.
I'm just popping back
for a quick shower.
Are you on again? Oh, yeah.
SIGHS
You're doing really well.
Doesn't feel like it.
No.
Don't suppose it ever
does, but you are.
You were right
about that patient.
The one we had to discharge
back to the care home.
We shouldn't have sent him back.
Just because it's harm we can't see,
doesn't mean we're not doing it.
Yeah.
And we're meant to do no harm.
All right. See you in a bit.
See you in a bit.
SHALLOW BREATHING
RASPY BREATHING
CALL DIALLING OUT TONE
I wake up and sometimes, honestly,
it's like I've wet the bed.
Soaked.
How does that feel?
CALL DIALLING OUT TONE
VOICEMAIL: 'Hi, this
is Nick Henderson.
'Please leave a message
and I'll get back to you.'
JULES: 'Can't breathe.'
Sometimes screaming.
I wake the kids, actually.
COUNSELLOR: 'Can you say more
about the feeling of drowning?'
SHALLOW BREATHING
JULES: 'There are
bodies everywhere.
'They've all got masks on.
'Their eyes are really wide.'
'I'm scrabbling in the water
to reach the surface'
'..and I'm pushing away the
bodies that are blocking my way.'
I promise you, I've never had
a thought like that in my life.
Just terrified.
What are you terrified of?
Sleep.
accessibility@itv.com