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At the heart of the NHS are the nursing staff, who care for one million patients every 24 hours across Great Britain. These unsung heroes are at the frontline of the health service, facing the ever-stretched reality of an unprecedented staffing crisis and patients with more complex needs than ever before. This series follows one hospital in Derby which is trialling an innovative social experiment based on a scheme in Germany. Their aim is to find out whether young volunteers can help relieve the pressures of staff on the wards and make a positive difference to patient care.

It is the final week for the volunteers, who have worked across the hospital from the maternity to elderly care wards. They have been challenged throughout the experience as they faced the smells and sights of a working word and overcame their fears of starting conversations and providing care for patients.

On the elderly care ward, Fin is flourishing, but Michael is struggling to perform personal care and sister Sophie is upset to find out he has turned up late to avoid the morning washes. Michael bonds with a patient on the ward called Eric. Will he be able to put aside his own concerns and take care of Eric’s personal care needs?

The volunteers’ personal prejudices are challenged when a homeless patient who is suffering from alcoholism is brought into the hospital. Volunteer Beth is tasked with helping the staff in resus with looking after Mark. The two bond quickly, with Mark singing to Beth and Beth visiting him throughout the week when he is admitted to the high dependency unit on the renal ward, where Charlotte is volunteering.

Chief nurse Cathy must present the findings of the volunteer experiment to a hospital board to discuss whether this is a viable long-term solution for the staffing crisis across the NHS. Will the hospital staff think that the scheme should be rolled out on a permanent basis? And will any of the volunteers decide to continue with a career in the caring profession?