24 Hours in A&E

Episode 7 (1x7)

: 22, 2011

The team face a 12-hour night shift treating young men with stab wounds, as their friends gather in the A&E waiting room and tension mounts. 'For penetrating trauma to the chest, which are your stab wounds, King's is one of the busiest hospitals in Europe. The areas we serve in London are particularly high crime areas,' says Nurse Scott. 'Sometimes you're looking at two or three stabs a day so the numbers have risen; it seems that people's way of fighting has moved on from punching each other to using bats, to using knives, to using guns.' Seventeen-year-old Levi is the first stab victim to arrive after a fight on the street. His injuries aren't life-threatening, but he needs extensive stitching and an overnight stay. His mum is distraught, but Levi doesn't want to speak to the police about the attack. When two young men from different areas with stab wounds from the same fight come in, the staff know trouble is brewing and groups of their friends soon arrive. Other patients in this episode 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. And porters Brian and Kevin, who are responsible for moving patients, collecting bloods and taking specimens to the labs - as well as taking bodies to the mortuary - explain their passion for the job.