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Episode 3

Episode 3 of 6

The day-to-day realities facing the NHS. After collapsing at work, 48-year-old crane driver Phil is becoming increasingly paralysed with each passing day.

After collapsing at work, 48-year-old crane driver Phil is becoming increasingly paralysed with each passing day. Kevin O'Neill, one of the country's leading brain surgeons, diagnoses him with a fast-growing brain tumour and decides to perform a potentially life-threatening operation to remove it. But as the clock ticks, securing theatre time for Phil is not straightforward in a hospital approaching full capacity.

O'Neill and his colleagues deal with some of the country's most complex and challenging neurological cases. Their work is so in demand, the department has one of the longest waiting lists in the country. But the hospital is determined to clear the backlog of patients - some have been waiting for their operations for over a year. The pressure is on for O'Neill and his team to get through a packed list.

At the same time, the Trust is pioneering a form of non-invasive brain surgery that replaces knives and drills with MRI-focused ultrasound waves. Consultant neurologist Dr Peter Bain says: 'The first time I saw an operation like this was on Star Trek'. One of his first patients is Selwyn, a painter and decorator with an uncontrollable tremor. If successful, Selwyn's operation could pave the way for significant reductions in brain surgery recovery times and potentially reduce patient waiting times for some brain surgeries.

59 minutes

Last on

Thu 9 Aug 2018 23:15

Credits

Role Contributor
Executive Producer Lorraine Charker Phillips
Executive Producer Simon Dickson
Executive Producer Helen Littleboy
Series Producer Tom Currie
Series Producer Gilly Greenslade
Series Editor Graeme McAulay
Production Company Label 1

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