Secret Life of the Hospital Bed

Two-year-old Nicholas has been rushed in by ambulance because he is struggling to breathe; Eddy has come into day surgery for his hernia operation, Sandra is in A&E after a suspected stroke, and Mehvish is preparing to give birth to her second child.

A&E bed nine has been busy all morning, and is about to meet 79-year-old Maria.

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.

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 mom of two Lisa, aged 44, is having a new battery fitted to her pacemaker to keep her alive.