ORDER amidst the chaos. That is the oil that keeps the John Radcliffe emergency department machine running.

In the Oxford Mail’s week-long series, the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes at one of our busiest hospital departments will shed a light on just what staff there deal with day-in day-out.

It should provide the people of Oxfordshire with a glimpse behind the statistics, the targets and reports to show the human side of the county’s accident and emergency department.

We’re incredibly lucky to have health care that is free at the point of delivery. That no person will be denied medical treatment, regardless of financial means.

But that does not mean that this care is free. The budget constraints, the targets, the unmeasurable toll the work takes on NHS staff – and yet every day, without fail, they are there for us in our hour of need.

Faced with huge obstacles, our hospital workers provide us with care and compassion while working in an unpredictable and stressful environment.

Looking in more depth at the work they do should hopefully strengthen our understanding – and our gratitude – for everything they do for us.