27/03/2014 South Today

Hello welcome to South Today, I'm Tony Husband. Here's tonight's top

stories: No consultants on shift ` one hospital defends itself after a

BBC investigation highlights a weekend issue on some of our wards.

You could come here 8am any Saturday or Sunday, with your film crew and

you will see us here working. Seeing patients straight off the streets.

New allegations of historic abuse by Jimmy Savile at two children's homes

in the South. Coming to a station nearer you ` Crossrail will bring

thousands more train seats for commuters into London. And sacked

after just 20 matches in charge, Portsmouth give manager Richie

Barker the boot. Ritchie was the wrong person in the wrong person in

the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn't fit Portsmouth. We all

thought he would. He hasn't done. A BBC investigation has discovered

that one hospital in the South has no consultants at all on its wards

on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The investigation by Radio Four

looked at who was on shift in hospitals and working at 3pm over

one weekend in December. Those figures were compared with

consultants working on a week day, and showed a drop of 84%. Our health

correspondent David Fenton has been looking at the figures. We all know

that there aren't as many consultants around at the weekends

as there are during the week ` but these figures show how much that

varies from hospital to hospital. St Mary's on the Isle of Wight had no

consultants in at all on either the Saturday or Sunday afternoons that

we looked at. The Queen Alexandra in Cosham ` a much bigger hospital `

had 14 consultants working across different wards. And at Frimley Park

in Surrey there were 22 consultants on shift in the hospital on Saturday

and 12 the Sunday. Why does it matter ` because death rates for

patients are often higher at weekends and the NHS wants to move

to more seven day care. Maria Lynch is an emergency consultant on the

Isle of Wight. She works one weekend every month ` on the ward in the

morning and on call in the afternoon, when often there are no

consultants in the hospital at all. Every weekend one of us will be here

from 8am and we take a handover from the night registrar and we work

through until around lunchtime. At that point, we may go home and have

lunch and we can get call back for all major trauma, burns, accidents

on the road. We come back for every sort of event. This patient has

broken his ankle. A is one area where the NHS believes weekend cover

is especially important. But for small hospitals like this one,

that's difficult. Total number of consultants working here is 80 and

actually there wouldn't be that much work for those consultants to do

even if they were here. Never mind the cost involved of putting on that

level of cover. Many larger hospitals do have consultants

working on the wards at weekends and even operating. This team at

Southampton General are doing regular brain surgery procedures on

Saturdays. I think there are some people like myself and the

anaesthetic team who actually might prefer to work the odd Saturday. It

is an efficient, effective list and is quite enjoyable. The NHS wants to

see more of this to help improve patient care throughout the week.

This whole argument goes beyond hospitals. It goes into the

availability of primary care at the weekends and also the availability

of community and Social Services. But the hospitals are simply one

component of a much bigger issue that we have to tackle on behalf of

our society. For smaller hospitals like St Mary's recruiting

consultants isn't easy and working them at weekends will cost an extra

?2 or ?3 million a year. What I didn't say there is that consultants

are often working late into the night and in the early mornings on

callment but that is not the same as being available for their patients

all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Hospitals even smaller ones are

looking at how they can do that. But it not going to happen quickly.

Thank you. It's emerged that two children's homes in the south are

being investigated as part of the latest claims into historic abuse

carried out by Jimmy Savile. Police are looking into incidents at an

unnamed home in Bournemouth and Broomfield Children's Home in

Guildford. It's part of a series of investigations across the country

following a review of documents by the Metropolitan Police. Nikki

Mitchell reports from Bournemouth. Jimmy Savile adored the view from

his holiday flat in East Cliff, a flat he bought in the 70s and owned

until his death. Bournemouth I find a very gentle place, full of very

nice gentle people and very, very attractive ladies, thank goodness!

Chilling words by a man police have labelled as a prolific sex offender.

A man often spotted running along the seafront here. Now the

Department for Education has asked the council to investigate a single

historic allegation of abuse carried out at a local children's home. We

have been given the witness's statement and we have been given

some guidance about our role in terms of investigating that

allegation and reporting procedures back to the Department for

Education. To you know the name of the home involved? No, we don't. We

have very sketchy information about the time scales, the home and that

obviously will be our urgent priority to establish the facts as

soon as we can. Jimmy Savile sailed on the QE2 at least 50 times, once

telling the BBC the ship was his spiritual home. But he travelled so

widely accounts for the fact the investigation in Bournemouth is one

one of 21 being launched. As well as his holiday flat, Jimmy Savile had

business interests in Bournemouth and it is thought he owned this

entire block at one time, renting out flats. It is not known how long

the investigation by the council will take. That depends whether they

find any truth in the allegation and whether or not this single

allegation leads to any others. It's long been rumoured, and hard fought

for. And today, it became a reality. Crossrail ` the new rail route

operating beneath London ` will be extended to Reading when it opens in

five years' time. Using the existing lines, it will mean more passenger

capacity from the Thames Valley into the capital, offering thousands of

extra rush hour seats on one of the country's most congested routes. But

it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Joe Campbell has the story.

Rush hour Reading and it is easy to see why extra seats between here Rah

London will be welcomed by many. For business travellers, cross rail has

one other big benefit. I don't have to get out to change. Half of the

stress of the journey is is the connection going to be there. You're

on a platform wondering if that tube line is delayed. I prefer to have a

seat in a relaxing journey. One of the obstacles to bring the scheme to

Reading was the cost of extending electrification this far out of

town. But with the wires now advancing as part of the Great West

scheme it is no longer an obstacle and it is not a case of when but ``

not if but when it will arrive. It joins up the dots that have been

around for a number of years. Reading stationed designed to take

CrossRail and now electrification. This will make Reading the place

where international companies will want to continue to come and new

ones will be knocking on the door. It means it will be a great place to

live. Unlike the existing trains, CrossRail will lack one facility,

but some question whether it is the right service. It is not something

that answers my dreams. I don't think it will make any difference,

because it won't be as fast as my other train. Will take the direct

service from Reading to London which takes 25 minutes. I don't think the

stopping service will help. While the government says it is

considering faster services, squeezing them on to the the route

will take considerable investment. Our transport correspondent is with

me. For 20 years Reading ruled it out. What has changed. CrossRail

should always have gone to Reading. Because unlike Maidenhead it already

a busy interchange. The rebuilt Taed reading `` the rebuild Reading

station was built to deal with CrossRail. Now electrification is

happening any way, that big financial obstacle has been removed.

So does Reading get more trains going into London or just different

ones? They will get do CrossRail services an hour into the heart of

London from 2019. They will stop at Twiford. The trains are in addition

to the suburban trains and the new intercity services. The result will

be a transformation of services, adding thousands of extra seats a

day. They look more like tube trains, will they be as slow? They

will take 50 minutes to get into London, compared to 25 for the

intercity trains. This is a high density tube`type service, that

means no toilets. It means no catering. But it will take a lot of

pressure off First Great Western services. Perhaps the biggest

benefits are for people using stations east of Reading, because

they would never get the new trains. Thank you. A man arrested in

connection with human trafficking in Bournemouth has been released on

bail. Police raided a garage as part of an investigation into forced

labour. Six men aged between 20 and 30, were taken to a safe house.

Locals say the car wash was busy at all hours and recently men had

started living in a caravan on the site. Still to come in this

evening's South Today: The history of the satchel as the next

generation of reporters takes to the air. The editor of the Reading

Chronicle has been suspended and an investigation launched by the

newspaper's publishers after it ran a front page about hooliganism at

the town's football club. Last week the newspaper upset Royals fans and

the club chairman who called the article an "unwarranted attack". An

apology was then made by the paper online. Today the newspaper

apologised on its front page, saying Reading fans have a well deserved

reputation. Onto sport now and Portsmouth's under pressure board

sacked manager Richie Barker today, with the club facing a fight for

survival as a football league team. Pompey, owned by a supporters trust,

have turned to Andy Awford as a caretaker for the second time this

season. He has seven games to turn their fortunes around. James Ingham

has spent the day in Portsmouth. James, what's the reaction been?

Well as you know, Portsmouth supporters have been have been

through a lot. Their club's nearly collapsed, but still they have

fallen through the leagues. This season they have watched as the team

has struggled on the pitch, making relegation a real threat. So there

are huge hopes here that a change at the top will be the key to survival.

Players gave nothing away today, shortly after hearing they were

getting a new boss. The man who has led them for three months has failed

to inspire them. Recent results speak for themselves. The team's won

only four of 20 matches since Ritchie Barker took charge, putting

them in serious danger of relegation. The board has run out of

patience. We cannot risk doing nothing and letting this club go

into the conference and so we had to act. It wasn't a case of more time.

We don't want to be in the conference next year. We want to be

in the league. It is time to start fighting our way out. After taking

over, Ritchie Barker said he was shocked by the challenge he faced

turning Pompey round. He said it would take time. But after three

months, the club's decided he just isn't up to the job. Ritchie was the

wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn't fit the

Portsmouth mould. We all thought he would. But he has not. I am sure he

will be a success elsewhere. But it wasn't working here and now. Pompey

is owned by the fans and last year supporters who took over the club

were cheered. Today, they're being urged to unite behind the club's

decision. Whether or not they agree. It is down to the manager. You look

at some of the other managers, they're getting results. Portsmouth

seem to be stuck. So it is probably the time for change. I think so.

They have got to get somebody good, somebody who can motivate them to

stay up. Its not the manager's fault. It comes down to the players.

But obviously they have to take responsibility for this. It is

unfortunate, because the fan base is fantastic. Pompey's fate is now in

the hands of Andy Awford who will manage the club for the lest of

season. He has just seven weeks to up the game if Portsmouth are to

survive in the Football League. The supporters trust believes Andy

Awford is up to the challenge and the club runs through his blood. As

a player he successfully fought relegation. He has been speaking to

the squad, but we will have to wait until tomorrow before he reveals his

game plan for the final few crucial weeks. Thank you. In her day she was

a pioneering feat of maritime engineering with a fearsome

reputation that deterred would be invaders. HMS Warrior now cuts a

distinctive silhouette on the Portsmouth skyline. More than 150

years after she was built, the warship's long`serving 18th captain

stood down today. Katy Austin was there. Well good luck, Tim. Handing

over the baton, or in this case handing over a telescope. Ken Jones

is retiring as the captain of HMS Warrior. Today he got the chance to

show off the ship he has led for eight years to his successor,

retired naval officer, Tim Ash. When she was commissioned in 1860, HMS

Warrior was the only iron`hulled warship in the world. She saw ten

years of active service, but never went into battle. Now she sits here,

permanently in Portsmouth's historic dockyard. But she still needs a

captain. These days the captain's role doesn't involve going to sea.

It's about preserving heritage. My real key job, as the Chief Executive

of the trust that looks after it, is to make sure it is preserved for

future generations. Even though the next captain is more used to

minesweepers than museums, he's looking forward to getting to know

the ropes. In many respects it's similar. It's about promoting the

ethos and values. So there is better opportunity to show people what we

do here. Having changed the face of naval history, this is a difficult

ship to part from. I'm a little bit sad, because it's been really,

really good fun and people ask me what's it like to work in the

Warrior and expect me to say it's been good fun and it has been

really. The new captain will officially take the wheel on Monday.

Today is School Report day, when pupils from schools across the south

learn about making TV and radio. Tonight, we have three students from

Applemore College, near Dibden Purlieu who tell the history of the

satchel. Do you know the value of your school badge? Do you know know

when the first satchel ever appeared? We will be taking an

exciting look at the history of the satchel. With the expense of the

school bag increasing at an alarming rate. We'll be interviewing pupils

at Applemore College to find out what they carry in their school bags

and whether they think they're putting themselves at risk by

carrying such costly items. # It's not about the money, we don't

need your money! # What do you carry in your school bag? I mostly carry

my phone and my purse. I've just got my phone and that's really it. How

much do you think it's worth? I don't know. 500? I just carry my

phone and some head phones and that's about it. So in total, how

much do you think your school bag's worth? With my phones and all, about

700. Yeah I'd say the same. Did you have any expensive gadgets in your

school bag when you were is a student? No, we had brick`like

phones which I begged for at the age of 13. The leather satchel has been

around for centuries as a means of carrying things. In Roman times it

was a Localus, which literally means a little place. In popular culture,

the iconic leather bag has always been associated with the classic

English boy and Indiana Jones too! To find out more about the history,

we Skyped a museum in Holland. This museum specialises in the history of

bags, purses and satchels. Books are coming up in the late 19th century.

Before that you didn't take a lot of things with you. When they started

to take books with you and it's more like second world. You take more and

more and your satchel gets bigger. With more expensive gadgets being

carried in our school bags, the potential risk of thefts can be

greater. We asked Hampshire police for their advice on how to keep

school bags safe. Possibly stay in groups and not to leave your bags

unattended. You've got simple marking equipment that can be used,

such as UV pens, so you can post code your lap top, your iPod, mobile

phone. And you can also register with online web`site companies with

all your serial numbers that the police can use to help search should

they get lost or stolen. So what's in your school bag? And remember, if

you don't need it ` don't take it. This is Ben. Philip. And Alex.

Reporting for BBC School Report. A very good report as well. Now some

rugby. London Irish's club captain and longest serving player Declan

Danaher hung up his boots last week. The flanker ` who's known amongst

the fans as Mr London Irish ` has been with the Exiles since the age

of 17. And now he's moving on to work with the club's stars of the

future Jenna Hawkey has been talking to him. Declan has been a leader

among the players and a favourite with the fans. But after 15 years he

has decided to call it a day. I made a conscious decision at the start of

the season to think about myself and life after rugby and then I suppose

six or seven weeks ago I managed to tear a muscle and that is a four

month rehab. But I think my time will be far better spent with the

Academy and the young guys. He has been with the team through some

highs and lows. Winning the PowerGen Cup was amazing. The period from

2000 of to 20 twen when we made a Premiership final and went to the

semi final of the Heineken Cup. But he won't be going far. He has taken

up a full`time coaching position with the club's Academy. Something

he has been fitting in until now. I'm looking forward to working with

the young guys. I couldn't think of a better person to be in charge of

moulding young players and for the young players, particularly modern

players, to understand that the club comes first and the team comes first

zblcht this weekend `` This weekend they will take on Harlequins at the

Stoop. Good luck to Declan and to London Irish. We saw some of our

school report students in action putting together their own report.

Some others involved in the project have been learning about other

aspects of our job here and in particular the weather. Yes Yes, six

students came to join me earlier this week to learn how I do my job.

But, it was with a twist. We set them a task, to do the weather in

their first language or one they are learning. See if you can guess which

languages they are. Very good. They got the mannerism

right. The point at the end ander very confident. Did it put you under

pressure? Looking good? It is looking good for the weekend.

Richard Jacobs photographed a Red Kite enjoying the sunshine at

Timsbury in the Test Valley. Karen Slack captured a busy bee on Cherry

Blossom today at Whippenham on the Isle of Wight. And Michael Foreman

took this picture of Bella enjoying the spring sunshine with the cows in

Farnborough. We are expecting a few showers for the first part of the

night. They will ease away, but there may be the odd rumble of

thunder. Through the night the risk of a few showers drifting up from

France and more likely the further west you are in Dorset and the Isle

of Wight. Elsewhere, mainly dry with temperatures down to four to five

Celsius. So a warmer night than last night. And ruling out the chance of

a frost. The thundery showers will continue in the west. They could

drift further north and eastwards. There will be some sunshine. But it

will be limited with temperatures up to 12 or 13 Celsius. The winds are

changing direction tomorrow. So we are expecting drier air to push in

from the south and east and that means temperatures are on the up. As

we head to the weekend we are looking at temperatures above the

seasonal average. Further shourts for the south and west tomorrow. ``

showers. But clearing skies and mild temperatures with that warm air

arriving. Expect lows of five to six Celsius. A dry start on Saturday.

And it should stay that way through the weekend and it will be mainly

dry. That dry air coming from the south`east. Some sunshine but not

wall to wall sun. A cloudy start on Saturday. Sunday starts dry, but by

the evening we will see cloud and a front creeping up during the second

part of die and `` of the die. `` of the day. Some showers tomorrow and

as we head to the weekend temperatures are on the up. As we

head to Monday, still the risk of a few showers. But the mild

temperatures will stay us with. As you heard in the school report, the

clocks string sfoer ward on `` spring forward on Sunday by an hour.

Thank you. Tomorrow the man who hopes to keep Portsmouth in the

Football League. And we will see you tomorrow.