TV review: 24 Hours in A&E

With staff in hospitals across the country facing unimaginable pressures and health chiefs seemingly unable to stem the flow of patients, it's vital to understand the reality behind the stories we're seeing and reading every day.

So 24 Hours in A&E (Channel 4) is, in that respect, educational.

But it's also entertaining, heartwarming television.

It shows the general side of A&E but focuses on the red phone – a big red phone which alerts staff to major incidents.

Anything from heart attacks, to car accidents to a pensioner having a stroke – all of A&E's wide tapestry is on show.

The dark side of A&E, like the scurrilous drunks who blight the lives of nurses with their rowdy behaviour, is generally avoided.

But the programme also focuses on patients who have turned up at A&E with more trivial injuries – such as nosebleeds – and successfully attempts to show the human side behind the pain.

Take last night's episode for example, where we meet 79-year-old Edgar.

The retired architect has suffered an asthma attack and is struggling to breathe.

But delve a little deeper into his back-story and we discover that Edgar's wife of 45 years – a midwife – died recently and he has no one to support him.

His doctor, Des, phones for help, saying Edgar is feeling isolated.

We see Des, and the other doctors at Kings, going far beyond the call of duty for people like Edgar. Not just content with stitching up their patients and seeing them on their way, you come to see that being an A&E doctor goes above and beyond just medicine. Relationships, concern and camaraderie are part of daily life between patients and staff, colleagues and families.

In Edgar's case, last night saw heartbreaking scenes when Lucy, a Red Cross volunteer, comes to talk to him and he breaks down when talking about the loss of his loved one.

It's television to make your heart ache and shows that 24 Hours in A&E isn't just about injuries and medical complaints, problems and emergencies.

Even doctor Des eloquently puts into words his frustrations knowing he cannot fix Edgar's personal heartbreak, which are far beyond his remit of treating an asthma patient.

"There is a phenomenon called broken heart syndrome and I think that once your partner or your anchor is gone – why are we here?" says Des.

"I find it difficult to know that there is an aspect of my patient's care that I can't sort out, because that's why I'm here, to sort out these issues.

"Sure I'd love to wave my magic wand and make everything fantastic, but life's not like that."

Last night we also met Hilton, who has diabetes and is concerned about his legs.

He's aged 85 and also lives on his own and spends his visit putting the world to rights and moaning that he's never had a woman in his life.

And then there's the delightful Irena, from Poland, who suffered a nosebleed at home which stopped when she arrived at A&E.

But she was happy enough chatting away in the waiting room, loving life (despite the loss of her husband) and was embracing her freedom.

24 Hours in A&E is much more than just a hospital documentary, but an insight into the everyday people and the everyday issues they face.

In a time when hospitals are under so much scrutiny – and not often for positive reasons – we the viewer can only feel privileged that King's College, its patients and its staff have allowed us an explicit look into their lives through the camera lens.

By Tim Spiers