Series 6

The UK lockdown is over, but London’s Royal Free Hospital is counting the cost of having to prioritise Covid-19 above almost everything else as they battle to treat the patients left behind.

This episode follows the Royal Free London NHS Hospital Foundation Trust as it faces the long-lasting effects of Covid on both patients and their services, amidst the looming threat of a second wave.

A look at the impact of Covid-19 on the Royal Free Hospital's transplant services, which treat some of the hospital's most vulnerable patients. It normally performs around 140 transplants a year in each discipline.

A bed shortage in Barnet hospital highlights the perpetual challenge of trying to discharge older patients, alongside the added complexities of Covid-19 infection risks.

While Covid patients are again being transferred to intensive care, the clinicians now have a wider array of treatments used to fight the virus, including experimental drugs and convalescent plasma.

As Covid-19 levels rise again, the Royal Free London prepares to roll out a mass vaccination programme, but it faces a staffing crisis that in turn threatens vital cancer operations.