19/11/2013 Midlands Today

transformation of the NHS in England. That

Today welcome to Midlands today. The headlines...

They did not die in thing, the words of the Health Secretary on those who

lost their lives at Mid Staffs hospital. The terrible tragedy has

led to the most fundamental changes in NHS culture in 65 years.

Jeremy Hunt also said the NHS had listened and learned after the

scandal at Stafford. Also tonight, a further ?20 million

worth of savings to make by Stoke city council, but where will they

make the cuts? It is a bit cold, but when you are

enjoying yourself you seem to forget about it and have a great time.

How 100`year`old documents about life on the home front in the First

World War are being brought to life by modern technology.

And if you think it's cold now, wait until tonight when temperatures

reach new depths. But to find out what that will mean

both for tonight and tomorrow, keep watching.

Good evening. The Health Secretary admitted today that "cruelty had

become the norm" in the NHS at the time of the Stafford Hospital

scandal. It is six years since Julie Bailey started the Cure the NHS

campaign following the death of her mother in the town's hospital. In

March 2009, the health care Commission found that at least 400

more patients died between 2005 and 2008 than would normally have been

expected. In February, the Francis report made 290 recommendations to

change the culture within the NHS. Today, the government has introduced

a series of measures which, it says, should prevent another Stafford from

ever happening again. Joanne Writtle reports.

Today, staff at the hospital that micro`Stafford Hospital is looking

forward. But the spotlight on it's past won't fade. Staff shortages

still forcing the closure of accident and emergency at night.

People marched to save a and e and other services like maternity. But

firm decisions over their future aren't expected until early next

year. One of the most chilling accounts in

the Francis Report came from Mid Staffs employees who considered the

care they saw to be normal. Cruelty became normal in our NHS, and no one

noticed. A raft of recommendations including

staff being encouraged to report problems, though with no legal

obligation to do so. Watching the Health Secretary react to the report

which came out of the Stafford Hospital scandal, Julie Bailey,

founder of Cure the NHS, and her supporters.

We have to rely on the culture changing within the NHS to ensure

that these recommendations are successful. Without that

legislation, we have to really keep our fingers crossed that we are not

here in a few years asking for another public inquiry for some of

the loved ones that have suffered. Elsewhere, founding members of

Support Stafford Hospital fighting for the hospital's future were also

watching. Let us hope the finances are there

to back this all up. Nurses come at a cost, but yes, I think it is very

encouraging. We have to see this report in more detail, this is just

the start. In Stafford, everyone has a view on

the town's hospital and the future of its acute services.

I have got no complaints about it, because of my family, they were

being treated wonderfully. Everyone has an opinion, they need to many

mistakes in my eyes. I cannot understand the thinking

behind taking something away that is so vital to a county town.

No one from Stafford Hospital would appear on Canberra, but the trust

was Michael Chief Executive issued a statement saying we know there is

always room for improvement but we are determined to remain focused on

providing compassionate at and safe care.

Behind closed doors, hospital business was going on as usual, as

politicians focused on the future of hospital care nationwide all because

of what happened here. A short time ago I spoke to the

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and asked him how could he guarantee

that another Stafford Hospital scandal wouldn't happen again.

Well, the best way to make sure that never happens again is to make sure

there is so much transparency that when a problem like this starts it

gets identified really quickly. We had a very tough year in the NHS,

but actually I think we can turn this into something positive,

because the changes I have announced today will turn the NHS into the

most transparent health care system in the world. Every hospital in the

country will be publishing nursing ratios by Ward and shift on a

monthly basis. The public will be able to see the proper staffing. We

believe that publishing staff numbers online will help improve

patient care? There are lots of different issues

and we have to crack everyone of them, but the way to do it is to

sure that if there is a problem we as the public find out really

quickly. What happened with Mid Staffs was

these problems went on between 2005 and 2009 and nothing was done about

them. Just talking about nursing numbers, it is sent by the Royal

College nursing that there are 20,000 vacancies to be filled, how

will you get more nurses? We recruited an extra 1300 nurses

this year, but as a result in the big change of mood in the NHS this

year, hospitals know to recruit 4000 more nurses than they did one year

ago. It will be different in different

bands of the country but we will be looking to help everyone find the

nurses they need. How do you recruit nurses to hospital such as

Stafford, that is now has such a damaged reputation two it is

interesting, `` such a damaged reputation?

We have discovered that hospitals in special measures are facing

challenging circumstances, if staff feel things are being sorted out my

morale goes up. I spoke to representatives that

George Eliot, another hospital near you in special measures, and since

that there has been a moral interests `` increase because people

feel the problems are being addressed. You have said that the

NHS has listened and learned, but sadly this has come too late for

hundreds of families in the Midlands, has it not?

It really has. There is nothing I can say today that will take away

the sadness of the losses they have faced. Only one thing I can say is

that they were not in vain, because the terrible trash and `` tragedy at

Mid Staffs has led to the most fundamental changes in NHS culture

in 65 years and everything we have been doing has been designed to

ensure that those changes are built to last.

Coming up later in the programme... She lost her confidence when she

lost her hearing, but she's back and determined to make her mark in the

music business. Stoke on Trent City Council's

announced plans to save a further ?20 million from its budget for next

year. It will mean jobs are lost and some fees and charges will increase.

It is predicting it will have to find ?100 million of savings over

the next four years. Our Staffordshire reporter, Liz Copper,

is outside their offices now. Liz, what details have the council given

about these cuts? Well, all of the details are

contained in this large, hefty document that was handed to

councillors and journalist earlier today. It goes through point by

point how the council plans to save this sum of ?20 million. There were

some job losses, around 150 jobs will go, and around 80 of those

posts are currently vacant. Some things will increase, so charges,

for example car parking, they are expected to go up by 3.8% over the

city in the next year or so. Also cremation fees will go up by ?35.

Some things will be reduced, for example grass cutting on the

council's grass verges, will be scaled back. They will also be

changes, for example, to library services in some parts of the city.

In addition, the council currently has plans to sell off some of its

buildings and thinks there will be more savings once those buildings

are disposed of. As for council tax, the council says it will be freezing

council tax next year. Has there been any reaction so far?

As you can imagine with a hefty document like this, people are now

going through it in detail and die jesting what it means.

The Labour city council meeting `` and digester what it means, the

Labour city council leader says the cuts are sustainable. The opposition

parties say they want more clarity on the detail of what these plans

actually mean. Voters will have the chance to have their say at the

public consultation starting tomorrow running until Christmas.

Export growth in the West Midlands is amongst the highest anywhere in

the country. The value of overseas exports from this region has risen

by 30% over the past two years, and was worth more than ?6.5 billion to

the regional economy in the last quarter. Earlier this year, China

overtook the United States as our biggest export market. More and more

companies are now heading down the export route, as our business

correspondent, Peter Plisner, has been finding out.

Knit one, purl one, export one. Well, more than one, actually.

Exports at this small Malvern`based knitwear specialist are booming.

With the recession affecting domestic sales, developing new

exports markets has been crucial. Having gone into the Japanese

market, I have found that market to be growing, and growing well. It has

completely changed the way my business could have been if I had

just stayed with the UK market. They have been marketing my label

with flyers... And Nicky's keen to find more

countries to snap up her knitwear. So where better to find them than at

this recent event offering speed`dating for exporters?

It is an opportunity for companies to come and what the world. They can

speak to 65 different countries and talk to them about what

opportunities may look like for their businesses in those countries.

One area that has attracted a lot of interest is Mongolia. Delegates have

been finding out about a variety of export opportunities in a country

that is seeing double`digit growth. Last year, the economy grew by more

than 12% there. What sort of opportunities are out

there for companies in the UK? Generally, mining. But this mining

sector supplies new opportunities for every other sector, such as

construction, infrastructure, as well as services.

Perhaps not a market for Nickies knitwear, but there are plenty of

others places that need to wrap up warm.

It is fantastic because you can come to one place, spend the day and get

lots of information and speak to the people from all the different

embassies that may be relevant to you.

With domestic sales still depressed, exports are vital in keeping

economic growth going and helping create more new jobs.

Campaigners have dismissed the idea that Birmingham could offer an

alternative to increased airport capacity in London and the South

East. The Let Britain Fly campaign was launched this morning and is

supported by politicans and leading businesses like Dixons, John Lewis

and KPMG. They say expansion is vital, but that regional airports

like Birmingham aren't the answer, even if the HS2 railway plans go

ahead. High two will bring more

connectivity, but it doesn't replace the need for a hub airport and

currently airlines go to the south`east, if they cannot get there

they go to other European destinations or outside Europe.

The Greater Birmingham area is to receive ?4 million in government

funding to help young people get into work and training. More than

14,000 people between the ages of 18 and 24 are unemployed in the area

covered by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise

Partnership. Some of the money will be spent on a new Apprenticeship

Training Agency. A government inquiry got under way

today into controversial plans for a waste incinerator in

Gloucestershire. The County Council refused permission for the ?500

million project at Haresfield just south of Gloucester due to its

visual impact. But the company behind the proposals appealed, and a

final decision is now due next summer.

A deaf actress, dancer and now singersongwriter from the Black

Country says it's become her ambition to break into the music

industry. Rebecca Anne Withey worked on the BBC teenage drama Grange

Hill. When she lost most of her hearing, she says, she also lost her

confidence. But now she's determined to make her musical mark, as our

Arts Reporter, Satnam Rana, has been finding out. Rebecca Anne Withey

from Walsall is severely deaf. She lost most of her hearing by the time

she was 18. But she uses her memories of music to write songs

now. See You In The Sky, filmed here at

Elvaston Castle in Derby, is the first song she has recorded with

composer Stephen who's also deaf and works for charity Music and the

Deaf. There is definately a stereotype

that people believe if you are deaf you can't hear anything and you

never have and you never will. That's not the case, especially with

the technology and the equipment we have now. I'd like to think this

project is demonstrating that actually deaf people can be very

talented in the music field. One in seven people have hearing

difficulties in the UK. In Birmingham, Bid Services connect

many of them with the arts here at the Deaf Cultural Centre.

What do they think about Rebecca's venture? That is a fantastic

achievement for Rebecca and it is so important the deaf communities are

aware that Rebecca has created her own song in that way and it means

the deaf community hopefully will become inspired to make their own

songs, as well. This is just the start for Rebecca.

She wants to become the first deaf artsist in the UK to be signed up by

a label. Our top story tonight...

They did not die in vain, the words of the Health Secretary on the

hundreds of patients who lost their lives at Stafford Hospital. We have

a detailed weather forecast to come shortly, also tonight...

How Aston Villa are a being encouraged to do diversify into

tennis and golf. And he was officially named a rock

legend last week, today he became a doctor.

Thousands of documents telling of life on the home front during World

War I are being preserved as part of a major Heritage project in

Herefordshire. Newspapers, letters and school logs, some of them too

fragile to be handled by the public, are among the material being made

available online so they can be saved for future generations.

Almost 100 years ago, teenagers not that Michael not much older than

these walked this impact. Then they were coming to work at a munitions

factory in Herefordshire. The site opened in 1915. It was mainly women

who worked here, the canary girls they were called because the

material used to make shells turned here yellow.

I don't think the appreciated quite how dangerous it was when they

started, and wouldn't add my two women were handling explosives

without masks to begin with. Then people started dying.

These youngsters from Hereford Academy are learning what went on

here as part of a First World War centenary budget.

I have not heard of it, but I have heard some rumours. It is really

interesting. We have learned that there was loads

of shelves here, and with one sparked the whole place would grow

up. I heard about it once in primary

school, it is very interesting coming here and amazing to learn

about what happened. Thousands of documents like

newspapers, diaries and letters from 1914`18 are being digitised.

There is less known about what the First World War meant for people in

Britain at that time, particularly in rural areas like Hereford, what

it meant for farming, for women, for the children.

Volunteers have the painstaking job of sifting through.

It is fascinating, especially looking at the old newspapers and

thinking this is how life was and finding out about the language used

then. A lot of this material shows the impact of the war was felt in

the most remote places. This is a school logbook from a

small village just outside this area. From March the 22nd, 1918,

Miss Simmons visited and asked scholars to collect sheep 's wool

for the making of soldiers' blankets.

The result of the project should be the most competitive story ever told

of Herefordshire in the First World War.

And now to sport, news of Aston Villa investing in other sports away

from football. Yes, it is all because of the

Olympics, really. It was hardly ideal weather for damning ice tennis

and golf but that did not stop Birmingham schoolchildren in joining

themselves today. `` it was hardly ideal weather for tennis and golf.

Dan Evans, a tennis player, playing tennis. Felicity Johnson, a golfer

playing golf. But aren't these two both

footballers? Not this afternoon ` they were braving the cold to get

children into sport. It has been a good afternoon. It is

freezing but it is nice to come down and see what the kids are doing and

get involved. It is one of the initiatives from

the Premier League to come down and help the kids out. See them having

fun, it is a bit cold, but when you are enjoying yourself you see them,

they forget about it and have a good time. This is Premier League for

sport. It is an Olympic legacy project with

extra funding from sport England. Tennis and golf are on the menu

today, but Aston Villa promote a total of eight sports, including

hockey, basketball and judo. Football clubs are often accused of

being detached from the community, but here within the shadow of Villa

Park, Aston Villa are getting involved.

These excellent youth facilities opened only last month. They are

helping golf and tennis shrug off the tag of being elitist.

There are quite a few people coming through who are not from that

so`called elitist background. They are from working`class backgrounds,

and that can only be good for the sport.

I think golf has that perception, but it is really not any more. A lot

of schools have golf as part of the EE programme from a very young age

until the least let 16. `` as part of the PE programme. The challenge

after London 2012 was to build on the success of the Olympics, and

today that legacy was very much alive.

Now for football itself. And a great win for Walsall in League One last

night. Manager Dean Smith says his side are

a match for any team in that division after beating thirdplaced

Peterborough 2nil last night. `` the beat third placed Peterborough 2`0.

Milan Lalkovic, who's on loan from Chelsea scored their first last

night at the Banks's Stadium. The second was another good goal.

Romaine Sawyers scored that one. And the Saddlers could have won by

more but Ashley Hemming's penalty was saved. But the result lifts

Walsall up to seventh and just a point outside the playoffs.

Excellent goals. Yes, and Wolves are top of the table

but they're involved in the FA Cup this evening. They're at home to

Oldham in a first round replay. It's live on BBC WM. The winners are at

home to Mansfield in round two. Now, to a remarkable little girl who's

reaching new heights in her sport. Ellie Harvey from Staffordshire is a

two times world champion in kick boxing and she's only eight! She's

been competing internationally for just a year, so she's now also a

contender for newcomer of the year at the West Midlands Community

Sports Awards. Laura May McMullan went to meet her.

A little girl with big ambitions. Dedicated Ellie Harvey trains five

nights a week at the Rugeley martial art centre in Staffordshire. At

eight years old, she is already a two times world champion.

It makes me a champion in my age category, and I feel really proud of

myself. I put in 100% and it is mostly hard work.

It clicked from the first time she tried, she fell in love with it. It

is just considered `` constant, you cannot talk to her without her

having her leg in the air. Despite her young age, she also

helps to coach the Ninja class. She is confident for her age, which

has developed massively over the short period of time she has been in

training. Almost from day one we got her a really big tournament to

compete in front of thousands of people and she was not fazed by it

at all. Kick boxing is a male dominated sport, but that does not

stop him three competing and winning against the boys.

Extract `` that does not stop Ellie. Extract remission from her brother,

three times champion, has helped. `` extra tuition. I do not go easy on

her, but I do not go any harder on her.

Ellie has a wealth of medals under her belt.

She will represent England and says in the future she wants to be at the

top of her sport. Don't argue with Ellie. The winner

of the Newcomer of the Year will be revealed at an awards ceremony in

Birmingham next month. One of the founding members of legendary

Birmingham rock band Black Sabbath has been awarded an honorary degree

today. Guitarist Tony Iommi received the honour from Coventry University

for services to the Arts. He stopped off this morning at the city's

cathedral and he's now on his way to rejoin the rest of the band who are

on tour in Finland. I got a letter from the University

and, yes, they were saying that because of the invention of heavy

metal and all of the years and things I have done, it was

brilliant. Great. I couldn't believe it. Straightaway from here we go to

the airport off to Helsinki. We rehearsed tonight, supposedly, then

do the show tomorrow and start the European tour.

I bet it will be called in Helsinki. It certainly is here!

Yes, even colder here than in Helsinki, would you believe? I will

put you on the spot tonight, because a little birdie told it is not just

Tony Iommi who has cause to celebrate, but also you.

Congratulations are in order because earlier today you received an

honorary degree from the University of Worcester. I believe we have a

photograph behind me. You are looking rather nice with Professor

David Green of the University. Very well done, thoroughly, thoroughly

deserved. Back to those temperatures from

Helsinki, they are down to three or five Celsius tonight, but put a

minus in front of that and you have the values for the Midlands. It is

much colder, largely down to the sunshine and clear skies during the

day. We will not see clear skies for long because we have an area of low

pressure coming from the north`west later tonight, bringing rain, cloud

and some strengthening winds. That will be out of the way by tomorrow,

but the high pressure will then take over, keeping things settled from

Thursday through the weekend. That translates into clear skies tonight

to start off with and now we will see a rapid drop in temperature down

to minus for Celsius in the countryside, leading to widespread

frost. `` four Celsius. Temperatures later will be to 23

Celsius. `` two to three Celsius. Rain later could be heaviest on the

highest grounds and could be producing a wintry element in sleet

or snow. That is more likely during tomorrow as the rain spreads

Southeast. It will be heaviest across the highest ground,

particularly in the north, then later in the day to the south

eastern corner, containing hailstones, sleet or snow over the

highest peaks. Temperatures will rise to around six or eight Celsius

in towns and cities. With the strong wind in the morning it will feel

colder than that. Winds will ease during the afternoon as the rain

moves out of the way and it is a much drier end to the day with a lot

of cloud and the odd shower. We will see more showers through tomorrow

night, some heavy and again containing a wintry element, but

with the damp surfaces and temperatures falling to around two

or three Celsius in towns and cities, lower in the countryside, we

could see icy stretches on some untreated services `` services. ``

surfaces. By Friday a bit of cloud coming in

off the North Sea, but some sunshine, as well.

You gave me quite a funny turn, I am not used to seeing myself on

television! Connect's headlines...

Hospitals will have to publish figures on staffing levels and

doctors and nurses will have a statutory duty of candour to the

patients in a raft of measures announced today.

And here on Midlands today Jeremy Hunt said the hundreds who lost

their lives at Stafford hospital did not die in vain.

That was the Midlands today. Join us again at 10pm when we will

be talking live to the Stafford MP about today's response to the

Stafford hospital scandal. Goodbye.