The BEST episodes of 24 Hours in A&E season 2
Every episode of 24 Hours in A&E season 2, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of 24 Hours in A&E season 2!
We're all just one wrong step, one sudden illness or one unlucky break away from A&E. It's a place where dramatic stories of love, life and death unfold every day. With 90 cameras filming round the clock for 7 weeks, this series offers unprecedented access to one of Britain's busiest A&E departments, at St George's Hospital in London. Each programme focuses on patients who were treated within the same 24-hour period. The series captures the joy and heartache faced by patients and their families, as well as the hard work and professionalism of the A&E staff. From life-threatening traumas to embarrassing mishaps, 24 Hours in A&E is an intimate, powerful and sometimes comic insight into life - and death - on the frontline of the NHS.
#1 - Vital Organs
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/13/2012
This episode focuses on young men in their prime. One is a fitness fanatic who arrives seriously injured after a canal barge accident, while another is a pre-operative transsexual with a sore finger following a night's clubbing. Nineteen-year-old Josh is flown to King's College Hospital by air ambulance having been crushed between a barge and a bridge while working on a canal. A&E consultant Firas and his team set to work on the teenager. Once he's out of immediate danger their attention turns to a potentially life-changing injury - and every man's worst nightmare - a possible penile fracture. Despite their own fears, Josh's mum and dad attempt to lighten the atmosphere by cracking jokes, but for nurse Leanne it's no laughing matter: 'In the back of your mind you're thinking: You know, it might not be funny in the long run, because it could be something serious. He's only 19. He's probably going to want a family...' In minors, best friends Liam and Nicola are recovering from a Sunday night out clubbing. But an injured finger isn't Liam's only concern. He's also thinking about his upcoming gender reassignment, which will require hormones and - eventually - surgery. Meanwhile, in resus, 80-year-old Jean has been brought to King's by ambulance after collapsing at home. Jean has terminal cancer; she's exhausted and anaemic. Jean's husband, John, is her greatest support. 'You're everything, aren't you: the nurse, the chef,' says Dr Catherine. Jean and John have been together for over 60 years; it's their tender, supportive relationship that helps them to cope. 'He deserves a medal,' says Jean.
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#2 - Allergic to Pain
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/6/2012
This warm-hearted episode explores the different ways that grown men deal with pain and injury. Fifty-year-old builder Jim arrives in A&E screaming in agony after dislocating his shoulder in such an unusual way that it takes a five-strong team to pull it back into place, while 30-year-old Temi is in minors with a broken toe. But Temi is actually more concerned about whether the crutches he's given will match his sense of style! Meanwhile, a patient who had to have one of his legs amputated in 2009 has just returned from holiday with his remaining leg dangerously swollen, and 83-three-year-old James has a cyst on his knee but is in so much pain that he's refusing treatment. It's senior sister AnnMarie's job to persuade James to stay in overnight...
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#3 - One Moment in Time
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/20/2012
This episode follows the work of King's A&E on the night that Whitney Houston died. As staff and patients come to terms with the singer's untimely death, King's is filling up with young people who were having fun with their friends when disaster struck. Twenty-one-year-old Danielle is on her first trip to London from Northern Ireland, for a girls' weekend with her best friend Leanne. She'd collapsed after an exercise class shortly before leaving, but was determined not to miss the weekend and caught her flight. Now she's hundreds of miles from home and seriously ill. Leanne, a newly qualified nurse, quickly realises the gravity of the situation and Registrar Swetha is concerned that Danielle's kidneys may be failing, and that she may even be at risk of cardiac arrest. As Danielle's health deteriorates, a new patient arrives in resus in a critical condition. He fell 20 feet from a friend's balcony, hitting his head as he landed, and has been rushed to King's by the Helicopter Emergency Medics (HEMS). Consultant Jeff is concerned that, as well as broken bones, he may have suffered brain injury. His mum can do nothing but watch and wait while the team tries to determine how serious his injuries are and if they will be permanent. Meanwhile, in minors, trainee doctor Josh is treating 34-year-old Latoya who was out partying with friends and dancing to Whitney Houston hits when the straps on her platform heels gave way and she fell over. Latoya blames her shoes and the late singer for the deep gash on her forehead and wants Josh to make the stitches as neat and fine as he can if she's going to achieve her dream of being 'the second Whitney'.
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#4 - Mum
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/11/2012
This episode focuses on mothers, daughters and mortality. Seventy-one-year-old Josephine has been brought to King's College Hospital with chronic breathing difficulties by her daughter Jackie. Terminally ill with cancer, which has spread throughout her body, Josephine is nearing the end of her life. Josephine is so ill that decisions need to be made on whether she would choose to be resuscitated should her condition worsen. It's an impossibly difficult decision to make and a painful moment for Jackie, who's not ready to let her mum go. Nurse Abbie is treating Josephine. Before coming to King's, she worked in palliative care: 'It would be my worst nightmare if I had to look after one of my parents if they were passing on, but here's this person that you love so much, who brought you into this world, lying in a bed and their life is slowly coming to an end,' says Abbie. In the waiting room 67-year-old Azize is with her 44-year-old daughter Sara who's been bitten by her cat. It seems like a minor injury, but Sara has recently had radiotherapy for breast cancer and her immune system is very weak. Azize has moved back from Turkey to be with Sara during her treatment. Meanwhile five-year-old Olivia is having stitches on a head wound with her dad; and 12-year-old Mattheus is helping out by translating for his Brazilian grandmother, who has injured her wrist.
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#5 - Snow
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/25/2012
As snow falls and King's prepares for a surge in slips and falls on the ice, five-year-old Daisy is rushed into resus with her dad Damien after her skirt caught alight on their gas fire. She has first and second degree burns over around 13% of her body. Paediatric sister Jen needs to treat Daisy and try to ease her pain and distress. Daisy is losing fluid as a result of her burns so needs to be constantly replenished to keep her stable. Damien, who put the flames out with his bare hands, needs treatment for his injuries too. Dane has brought his 74-year-old dad Maurice to King's after he fell and hurt his hand. Maurice spent his working life as a concierge, dealing with celebrities and dignitaries, but he now has dementia and his short-term memory is failing him. As the snow continues, 61-year-old Ginger is being treated in minors. She was putting a cashmere jumper over her cat Hector to keep him warm when he scratched her and now her hand is infected and swollen. She's surprised to find out she may need to stay overnight at King's for treatment. Meanwhile, young burns victim Daisy needs to be transferred for specialist treatment, including skin grafts, but no one can be sure whether her scars will be permanent.
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#6 - Young Ones
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/23/2012
A quarter of all patients treated in King's A&E are children, and this episode follows some of their stories for the first time, as well as one of A&E's youngest and newest recruits, 27-year-old emergency medicine trainee Matt. Matt's the first member of his family to go to university and pursue a career in medicine. But this shift will prove to be a challenging one for Matt and the team. The first trauma is 16-year-old riding enthusiast Ellie, who's been airlifted to King's from Kent after she was thrown from her horse and crushed against a fence. Ellie arrives with no feeling down her left side and the team's first concern is that she may have serious spinal injuries. Ellie's mum, Kate, can only wait and reflect as scans begin. Dr Matt also meets pregnant Jill who arrives with intense pain after a sudden and severe haemorrhage. She fears that she might be losing her baby, having suffered a number of miscarriages in the past. In paediatric A&E, consultant Jacqui is treating four-year-old Destiny, who has a fishbone stuck in his tonsils from his lunchtime curry. And, after a long and intense shift, the deaths of two older patients make Matt reflect on family, mortality and coping with loss.
#7 - A Good Life
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/27/2012
This episode focuses on some of the elderly patients who are treated at King's College Hospital, including a 93-year-old war veteran who arrives with life-threatening injuries after being knocked over by a hit and run driver just outside the hospital. Ernest was walking to get his pension when he was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. He's rushed straight to resus, conscious but with injuries to his head and pelvis. Consultant Malcolm and his team are determined to do everything they can to keep Ernest alive. But as the team tend to Ernest's injuries, his heart fails and he goes into cardiac arrest. Malcolm needs to keep Ernest's heart going manually before his injuries can be assessed and he can be treated. Ernest's niece, Maureen, arrives to hear the terrible news that her beloved uncle - who raised her and her sisters in the absence of their father - is critically ill. On the same day, 83-year-old William's finger is mangled and bleeding after he's caught it on a machine at his metal working business. He was born in the year of the Wall Street Crash, but still loves working. He's not been to see a doctor in over 40 years and, like many older patients, he's worried that, despite his injuries needing urgent attention, he's a burden to the NHS, and apologises to the team treating him at King's. Another octogenarian who arrives at King's is 80-year-old Joyce. But she's not the patient; it's her son, Kevin, who collapsed at home. Fifty-one-year-old Kevin has learning difficulties and Joyce is fearful about what Kevin's life will be like once she passes away, so strong is their bond.
#8 - Saturday Night
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/4/2012
The series continues with a dramatic episode focusing on a single saturday night at King's. Running resus for this extraordinary shift are two of the most experienced staff members in the A&E department. Both mothers to young children, consultant Emer and senior sister Jen are in the twilight zone together as they deal with drug users and drunks, plus a stabbing victim with the knife still in place and two young people who were injured while out enjoying themselves with friends.
#9 - Rush Hour
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/16/2012
This episode kicks off during the morning rush hour, meeting workers who set off on their daily commute but find themselves fighting for their lives in the skilful hands of the King's College Hospital A&E team. Two cyclists arrive with serious head injuries. IT analyst Christopher hit a log on his way to work, and concerns are raised when scans show a bleed on his brain. Meanwhile, Brighton cyclist Sarah swerved to avoid a pedestrian when riding at 30mph downhill without a helmet. She's airlifted to King's by HEMS, the helicopter emergency service who deal with some of the most serious trauma cases. Also brought in by helicopter is father-of-four Kevin, who fell from scaffolding while repairing a roof. The next few hours are critical for him. And 80-year-old former docker Bill has hurt his knee while drinking at his local working men's club, but he soon perks up in the company of nurse Laura.
#10 - Code Red
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/30/2012
Trauma consultant Simon faces a busy night, with a stream of critically ill and seriously injured patients, plus the fallout from an extraordinary night of violence on London's streets. Forty-nine-year-old Trudy arrives unconscious by HEMS, the helicopter emergency medics, having fallen down some stairs after a night out celebrating her new job with her stepsister Sherry. Simon is concerned that Trudy may have brain damage. Sherry desperately awaits news of Trudy's condition in the relatives' room. After her brother died suddenly and unexpectedly last year, Sherry finds the idea that she might lose Trudy too hard to cope with. Also in resus are married couple Bea and George, who are both in their eighties. They've barely spent a day apart in 65 years, but Bea's cancer - and now a suspected heart attack - force them to face the possibility that they may not have much time left together. Meanwhile, Vincent has been admitted with chest pains and his daughter, Jennifer, finds herself witness to the treatment of the young victims of a series of stabbings. And while Jennifer reveals her fears for her own son's future, consultant Simon reflects on the desire that unites all the patients and relatives that he treats in A&E: 'Time; sometimes that's all the families want and that's just the one thing you can't give.
#11 - We Are Family
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/18/2012
Staff nurse Sophie has moved from the Lancashire coast to work at King's, leaving her family behind for the first time. She's been at King's for just three weeks and it's been an eye-opening experience. Sophie's first patient today is 22-year-old chef James. He's come to King's after a stabbing, but in this case it was self-inflicted: James accidentally stabbed himself in the thigh with a paring knife while chopping tomatoes at work. He's bleeding heavily; he requires deep tissue stitches, and has to make a tricky phone call to his worried mum. As James is transferred to a ward, another patient arrives following a call on the red phone; Sophie must try to keep them alive manually with chest compressions. As night falls, 54-year-old dad-of-two Bernard is brought to resus. He's fallen against a car and hurt his head. He was apparently unconscious for ten minutes and doctors are concerned about damage to his head, neck and spine. As Bernard is joined at the hospital by his daughter Cassie and his ex-wife, it soon becomes clear that his accident is a result of an evening's drinking. Meanwhile, 83-year-old Ruby arrives with severe knee pain, accompanied by her worried daughter Sarah.
#12 - The 'Q' Word
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/1/2012
This week the series focuses on the bond between parents and children and features the youngest patient ever featured on the series and what happens after the roles have to be reversed due to illness. Three-month-old Jaziah has been rushed to resus with breathing difficulties. He's severely underweight and has an enlarged liver. Consultant Jacqui needs to act fast to keep Jaziah alive, while his mum, Kenita, can only watch as the specialist paediatric team is called in to assist. Doctors are concerned that Jaziah's swollen liver signifies that there's a problem with his heart and that he may need immediate surgery to save his life. Meanwhile, in paediatric A&E, 18-month-old Charlie's mum Kerry is waiting for urine test results that could explain why he's been feeling unwell for five days. Ronald, who's 81, has been brought to King's by his daughter Tracey. He's had a suspected stroke, which is affecting his speech. He needs a CT scan to assess how serious it is and what his hopes of rehabilitation are. Registrar N'daba has been working with stroke patients for many years and has seen how quickly the parent/ child relationship is reversed. And as night falls, 19-year-olds Emily and Amber are waiting for news on Charlie, who they brought to the hospital after he hurt his hand. They've never met him before, but didn't want him to have to come to the hospital alone.
#13 - Cause Unknown
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/8/2012
This episode focuses on patients whose illnesses prove tricky to diagnose. Nine-year-old Tino is rushed to resus after slumping over her desk at school. Usually a lively young girl, she can't remember what day it is or her surname. She doesn't even recognise her own mum. Consultant Liz is concerned that Tino is displaying the symptoms of encephalitis, a viral infection that causes swelling of the brain and that can have devastating consequences. In majors, 45-year-old Karen is experiencing numbness down her left side and needs a scan. But it soon becomes clear that Karen's condition is more complicated than it first appears. Karen's been told by various doctors over the years that her issue isn't physical, but psychological, but she won't accept it. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Bailey has been brought to King's after he was run over outside school by a slow moving car. He's broken his leg and has cuts to his face and body and has to endure the excruciating pain of having his broken leg physically re-straightened before it can be pinned.
#14 - Life's Little Hiccups
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/15/2012
The final episode of the series focuses on men with very different problems who are all being treated at the King's Emergency Department on a busy night shift. Stacey, a 37-year-old dad of six, and grandfather, has come to King's with his girlfriend Tara. He's suffering from breathing difficulties. He had a collapsed lung eight years ago and is afraid the symptoms have returned. Stacey demands a bed and a sandwich as well as immediate attention from senior staff nurse Laura, who's in charge of the busy Minors section. But it becomes clear that his attitude masks vulnerability about being in hospital. Twenty-six-year-old Andrew trains at the gym every day with a group of friends who call themselves 'The Spartans', but he arrives at King's with back pain after being knocked off his motorbike by a car. Sam has been rushed to resus after being kicked and punched in the head and body outside one of London's most exclusive nightclubs. The 20-year-old is weak and numb, but has another reason not to want to be at King's: his dad died at the hospital. As well as possible injuries to his neck and spine, Sam also has a broken nose, and he's worried that he may have lost his looks. And Henry has had hiccups for three days. He's got a vital electrician's exam in the morning and registrar Faheem is determined to diagnose his problem and get him well in time.