Cameras capture the reality of violence facing staff at Newham Hospital
Newham Hospital’s emergency department will be at the centre of a new series of Channel 5’s A&E After Dark, offering a powerful and unfiltered look at the realities faced by NHS staff working on the frontline.
Now in its seventh series, A&E After Dark provides exclusive access to Newham Hospital, making it the only London-based hospital featured in this season. Filmed over six weeks last year, the series captures the dedication, resilience and professionalism of emergency department teams, alongside security and radiology staff, as they care for patients during some of the most demanding hours of the day.
The series comes as Barts Health works to strengthen its campaign to prevent violence and abuse in its hospitals. Recent data highlights both progress and the scale of the challenge. Across the Trust, staff experienced over 100 incidents of violence and abuse in a single month, including 49 physical assaults and 62 cases of verbal abuse. Our emergency departments see the most incidents.
Thanks to the introduction of body worn cameras, we are starting to see a reduction but the figures still indicate the ongoing pressures face by frontline teams.
Róisín O'Doherty, Emergency Department matron at Newham Hospital, said:
"It has been a pleasure to be part of this series and to highlight the challenges of running one of London’s busiest emergency departments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our staff work relentlessly to care for patients with compassion, often whilst managing disruptive and abusive behaviour, and this show really captures the realities of our work.”
Haseeb Ramzan, security team leader at Newham Hospital said:
"I don't believe there's been a single night shift where there hasn't been an incident of violence and aggression toward our staff.
Our teams come to work to care for people at their most vulnerable, and they deserve to feel safe while doing so. That's why we take immediate action to better protect our staff and ensure a respectful environment for everyone."
Across 12 episodes, viewers will see real-life cases that reflect both the complexity of emergency medicine and the human challenges behind it.
The first six episodes of A&E After Dark will air from 2 April, with new episodes released weekly every Thursday at 9pm on Channel 5 (5STAR). All episodes will also be available to watch on demand.