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At the heart of the NHS are the nursing staff, who care for one million patients every 24 hours across Great Britain. These unsung heroes are at the frontline of the health service, facing the ever-stretched reality of an unprecedented staffing crisis and patients with more complex needs than ever before.

This series follows one hospital in Derby which is trialling an innovative social experiment based on a scheme in Germany. Their aim is to find out whether young volunteers can help relieve the pressures of staff on the wards and make a positive difference to patient care.

It is the second week on the wards for the young volunteers at The Royal Derby Hospital and while some are thriving, others are struggling with the emotional aspect of caring. Michael and Piotr are in their second week of volunteering in the hospital鈥檚 emergency department when an elderly patient is brought in who has fallen in her back garden and been outside overnight. Her body temperature is dangerously low and she is at risk of cardiac arrest. Michael and Piotr must work as part of the emergency team to keep her calm and take her observations while the hospital staff treat her.

Recent psychology graduate Alishba is in her second week volunteering on Puffin, the hospital鈥檚 children鈥檚 ward. One of the children she is caring for has had a brain tumour, while another has been brought in for MRI tests because his mother is worried he is always thirsty. Alishba spent some time in hospital receiving tests and treatment when she was a teenager, so she empathises with the mother鈥檚 concern and the child鈥檚 fears. Sister Fiona stresses the importance of looking after the parents.

Last week Will thought the job on the cancer ward was easy, but this week sees him struggle as he forms bonds with patients receiving palliative care. Will didn鈥檛 expect that the emotions of the job would affect him but as he looks after pancreatic cancer patient Stuart, he realises that working in a caring role demands his whole heart.

Sister Crystal is reaching her limit with volunteer Erik, who shows up four hours late for his shift. Is he helping the NHS or is his unreliability causing more disruption to the ward than it is worth? As ever, senior nurse Karen is on hand to mentor the volunteers and the nursing staff through this experiment, but what will she report back to the chief nurse Cathy about the volunteers this week? And are the volunteers resilient enough to handle the emotion of some of the hospital鈥檚 toughest wards when patients have complex needs or are approaching the end of their lives?