16/11/2013 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. Doctors and nurses who deliberately neglect their

patients could face criminal charges and up to five years in prison under

changes proposed by the Government. The new offence of wilful neglect

would apply to heath workers in England. It's among a series of

proposals to make staff more accountable following the scandal at

Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust. Our Health Correspondent Branwen

Jeffreys reports. Hundreds of patients suffered

appalling neglect at Stafford Hospital. Some died needlessly. A

public enquiry called for public -- fundamental change in the NHS. The

Government says that that will now include a criminal offence of wilful

neglect, likely only to be used in the most shocking of cases. We can

be prosecuted for reckless driving or being cruel to an animal, so it

is only right that wilful neglect of some of our most vulnerable

patients should attract a criminal offence. Doctors and nurses can

already face heavy sanctions. They can be sent to prison for criminal

manslaughter by gross negligence, but not for deliberate neglect of

care that might harm patients. Doctors say adding another criminal

offence could lead to a culture of fear. It is worrying to think that

any doctor could go to prison, but there is already legislation in

place which can see doctors removed from their practice if there is any

neglect of patients. What we have to think about is supporting doctors

and nurses to raise concerns where they exist, and that would involve a

culture shift within the organisation. Hospitals are already

under renewed scrutiny. A new chief inspector of hospitals is working on

a system of ratings. But the Government stopped short of some of

public enquiry recommendations. Stafford Hospital is moving on from

its troubled past, but the impact of the failings here are still being

felt across the NHS in England. The public enquiry into patient groups

has called for a change in the culture, much harder to bring about

the closing gap in the law. Seven people have been arrested on

suspicion of murder following the discovery of a body at the bottom of

a well in the garden of a house in Surrey. A police operation is under

way to recover the body. Our reporter Richard Slee is at the

house in Warlingham. Specialist officers from an

underwater and confined space search team have been here all day, and

they are working inside the white tent which is covering the well at

the end of this cul-de-sac. At the moment, the body is still down the

well in the garden of a three-bedroom cottage. It is thought

it has been there for about two weeks. The officer leading the

investigation says that it is proving a difficult task to remove

the body. The body is white. We cannot tell what gender it is at the

moment, but it appears to be an adult. The well is seven feet deep

with about four or five feet of water, so it will take some time to

retrieve the body. Residents say that in recent years, a large number

of men from Eastern Europe who work at a local car wash have been living

inside the cottage. The police say that seven men have been arrested,

and they are currently being questioned at a police station in

south London. Richard, thank you.

An RAF cargo plane carrying heavy duty vehicles and medical supplies

has arrived in the Philippines as part of Britain's emergency response

to Typhoon Haiyan. The C-17 transport plane delivered two

mechanical diggers, two Land Rovers and a forklift truck. Britain has

also pledged an extra ?30 million to help people affected by the storm,

bringing the total to 50 million. Sri Lanka has rejected David

Cameron's calls for an independent investigation into alleged war

crimes or face a UN inquiry. Mr Cameron said the United Nations

should conduct its own enquiry if Sri Lanka refused to do so. The

British Prime Minister was speaking in Colombo, where he's attending the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Here is our political

editor Nick Robinson. No one of on the planet has taken

more wickets than this man, but even Murali doesn't get to bowl every day

for the Prime Minister. The two men met, not because he is a world

famous cricketer Tom but because he is the world's most famous Tamil, a

group who allegedly face human rights abuses. His foundation works

for reconciliation in this country for years after the end of a

terrible Civil War. Yesterday David Cameron heard of the

plight of the so-called disappeared, the thousands are unaccounted for

still. Murali welcomed the Prime Minister's interest, but said he had

been misled about the state of his country. Last night, Mr Cameron had

what he described as a frank and clear meeting with the president of

Sri Lanka. I put it to him that his face suggested that he hadn't been

listened to. Not everything I said was accepted, but I sensed that they

do want to make progress on these issues, and it will help by having

international pressure in order to make sure that that happens. David

Cameron insists that his visit here has been worthwhile, but he has

heard nothing here to suggest that the Sri Lankan president has budged

from his hardline position. If this country does not set up its own

enquiry into war crimes, the Prime Minister now says that he will push

the United Nations to do so at its human rights Council next March.

One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, has left

the pitch for the last time after his 200th Test match. He was given a

huge ovation after being dismissed for 74 as India beat the West Indies

in Mumbai. He made his test debut in 1989, and scored more international

runs than anyone in the history of the game.

The organisers of BBC's Children in Need have praised what they called

the unbelievable generosity of the public after a record amount was

raised for charity. More than ?31 million was raised on the night,

beating last year's figure by five million.

That's all for now. You can see more on all of today's stories on the BBC

News Channel. The