A&E Staff Hold Woman's Hand So She Won't Die Alone

Viewers of Channel 5's Casualty 24/7 were left in tears after a scene showed A&E staff staying with a patient until she died so she wouldn't be alone.

Scenes from Thursday night's episode of the hospital documentary showed doctors being forced to turn off the life support of a 40-year-old patient.

The unnamed patient went into cardiac arrest when A&E staff at Barnsley Hospital, Yorkshire attempted to save her life, but her heart stopped several times, before the team had to make the touch decision to let her go.

Without any family and friends by her side, staff from the ward - lead nurse Hannah Ryan and junior doctor George Kay - decided to stay by the patient's side so she wouldn't die alone.

Nurse Hannah stroked the patients had as she drifted off.

Channel 5

"As a nurse, we're here to give everything we can to these patients. I think that was all that was left for me to give that lady," nurse Hannah said to cameras afterwards.

"I wanted to be there as she passed away, which is why I personally stayed with her.

"I put my uniform on and I'm Hannah the nurse, I'm not mum or wife or daughter, and it's when you take your uniform off again at night, that's when you have to think about what you've gone through that day."

Channel 5

Dr Kay added: "I think working in the Emergency department, it makes you realise that life is potentially more fragile than we think it is.

"You have to separate yourself from the job you're doing and the decisions you're having to make, because otherwise that's all affecting you, you can't do your job properly.

"But I guess it must affect us all in some way."

Channel 5

The sad scene seemed to affect viewers who took to Twitter to talk about the show.

"Thank you Hannah & George for staying with her," said one viewer.

"The lady that died didn't seem to have any family, it was nice the nurse held her hand as they switched off life support!" penned another.

"That's really sad that that lady has died. But how lovely and reassuring to see that a doctor and nurse were there, holding her hand until the end," agreed a third.

So sad.

Topics: Entertainment News, TV and Film, Channel 5

Ciara Sheppard

Ciara is a freelance journalist working for Tyla. After graduating from the University of Sussex, Ciara worked as a writer at GLAMOUR Magazine and later as the Assistant Editor of Yahoo Style UK.

@ciarasheppard