5 Star’s gripping documentary series A+E After Dark returns for its seventh series at a time when new figures reveal a stark and troubling reality for frontline NHS workers and security guards
Filmed inside the A+E departments of Newham Hospital in East London, along with Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and and Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, the series offers unprecedented access to the night shifts where staff pressure, violent attacks and life-or-death decisions collide
Returning on 5 Star at 9pm on Thursday 2 April, the first episode shows shocking racist abuse towards an A+E nurse in Newham.
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.”
Almost 1 in 7 NHS workers (14.47%) were physically attacked by patients or the public last year, with a record number of staff subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour, rising sharply to nearly 1 in 3 ambulance workers (31%), while 9% reported experiencing discrimination – the highest level ever recorded, according to new data from NHS England.
Against this backdrop, A+E After Dark captures the relentless reality of night-time emergency care. Across the UK, Emergency Departments are under immense strain, treating critically ill patients while staff face increasing aggression, particularly from intoxicated and volatile individuals. Attacks on A+E staff have nearly doubled in five years, with a nurse now physically assaulted every hour, and the danger is at its peak after dark.
This series follows the dedicated teams in Belfast, Newham and Norwich as they battle exhaustion, overcrowding and escalating violence to save lives. From major trauma and cardiac arrests to confrontations in waiting rooms, every shift reveals the extraordinary resilience of NHS staff working under unprecedented pressure.
A+E After Dark airs on 5 Star at 9pm on Thursday 2 April and is available to stream on My5.
