Secret Life of the Hospital Bed

In Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, two-year-old Nicholas has been rushed in by ambulance because he is struggling to breathe; Resus bed two is waiting for him and with respiratory problems being the fifth most common cause of death in children, the clock is ticking and the staff must react quickly.

The Royal Victoria Infirmary A&E in Newcastle sees over 2,000 people a week. A&E bed nine has been busy all morning, and is about to meet 79-year-old Maria. She's had a bad fall at home and may have broken her nose.

Queen Elizabeth's hospital in Birmingham is home to over 1,200 hospital beds. Bed 81 in the day surgery unit has been joined by 52-year-old bricklayer Chris, who's come in for an operation to check if his skin cancer has spread.

At Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the day surgery unit sees a high proportion of elderly patients. Bed 23 is ready for retired builder, 73-year-old Peter who is having a biopsy. Over in the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle, nine-year-old Sonny has come in with a suspected broken finger after trying to save a ball at a summer camp football match.

In Birmingham's largest hospital, the Queen Elizabeth, 67-year-old farmer Stephen has arrived with his wife Patricia; bed 32 in day surgery is ready to greet him, so he can have much-needed surgery on his leg.

The day surgery unit at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital treats around 100 patients every day; bed 40 has been allocated to mum of two Lisa, who aged just 44, is having a new battery fitted to her pacemaker to keep her alive; she was born with a heart defect which if undiscovered would have caused a fatal heart attack.