Paramedics: Britain's Lifesavers

Documentary following West Midlands Ambulance Service at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in April, from the perspective of the crews, control room staff and managers as they deal with the human cost of the biggest ever challenge to the service. To get more ambulances onto the frontline, managers deploy student paramedics, with 21-year-old Sam and 20-year-old Caitlyn encountering patients with breathing difficulties, in care homes, and with mental health issues that appear isolation-related.

The documentary following West Midlands Ambulance Service at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in April continues. Mental health nurse Jim counsels people who are struggling with self-isolation, while paramedics Karina and James respond to a call from a man who claims to be armed and is threatening suicide. Despite losing his mother to Covid-19, paramedic Richard is working on the frontline while also managing his anxiety about taking the virus home to his wife, whose health issues put her at high risk.

As the UK enters its fourth week of lockdown, West Midlands Ambulance Service comes to the aid of the staff of care homes, who are feeling forgotten as the virus claims the lives of so many residents. It falls on crews like Julie and Adam to provide help and reassurance. Back in the control centre, Irum has had fast-track training and is plunged into the stark realities of her new role, while a national minute's silence for NHS and care workers holds a particular significance for her.