A huge influx of patients into the emergency department at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, results in dozens of people lying on trollies waiting to be admitted. With A&E departments across the country bursting at the seams, NHS bosses make an unprecedented move - they advise every hospital in England to cancel all operations that are not clinically urgent or for cancer. The hope is that this will release beds for the patients queuing to get into A&E.

The advice from the NHS to cancel all non-urgent surgery is taking a heavy toll at Nottingham University Hospitals. Cameras follow Val, a 55-year-old mouth cancer patient, and Dilip Srinivasan, the surgeon fighting to see her operation goes ahead despite the new NHS ruling. Also featured is orthopaedic consultant surgeon Tony Westbrook, who has had most of his routine surgical list cancelled.