15/09/2014 South Today

Hello, I'm Laura Trant. Welcome to South Today.

An inquest hears how a baby boy died after a chemical overdose dtring

Although we know a mistake was made during the operation, we know the

hospital team was doing its best to give him a better chance of life.

The worst offenders ` two of the South's water colpanies

are told they must do better with handling customer complaints.

The mother of an autistic boy says she's lost her job because the bus

And a triumphant end to a 1000 mile journey ` we speak to Saints'

People coming out and saying thank you, keep going, and just cheering

us on. It was amazing. A grdat way to finish the challenge.

An inquest has heard how a newborn baby died following a heart

operation at Southampton General hospital. He was accidentally given

four times the amount of solution needed to temporarily stop his heart

for the life saving surgery. Zach Hilder was just nineteen daxs old

when he died in November last year. His parents say they don't blame any

of the medical staff ` but don't want the same mistake to be made

with another child. Joe Campbell reports.

Even before their baby was born Zach Hilder's parents had known

because of scans that the toddler would need life`saving surgdry. The

operation that was meant to keep him alive was to cost him his whfe. When

he was injected with a chemhcal solution to stop his heart, intended

not for him but for a 3 `ye`r`old who had been in the same opdrating

theatre at Southampton General Hospital that morning. Strahghtaway,

the surgeon noticed something was wrong. Dark's hard was bruised ``

the boy's heart was bruised. He had never experienced anything like it

in his life. The man who detected the chemical cocktail was not here

to give evidence but he said he had had concerns about the lack of

information communicated to him before the procedure got under way.

He had some 20 years experidnce You had only worked at the hosphtal for

some months. His worries were dismissed by the coroner who said

that what happened was all the more perplexing because the dose was

displayed on the machinery. The parents today thanked the strgical

team through their lawyer and said they had not been told of any

individual responsible. We hold no animosity to those who cared for our

son. We know they were doing their best and hope they will continue

their challenging work to hdlp small children. Checklists have to be

signed off twice now at the hospital and doses must be shouted ott so

that everyone can hear them before the ad Minister. They hope there

will never be another case like Zach Hilder's.

The hospital has just issued a statement saying "We accept full

responsibility for the incident and have apologised unreservedlx for it.

"The error made was very rare. A number of important new safdty

"measures have been introduced and shared

"with all UK paediatric cardiac centres."

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Pennie D`vis a

mother of five, who was found stabbed to death in a field near

Beaulieu thirteen days ago. Justin Robertson appeared before

magistrates at Southampton, from where Sean Killick reports.

Justin Robertson, aged 36, `ppeared here for a hearing lasting just four

minutes. He stood to confirl his name and age and that he is of no

fixed abode. Penelope Davis had been stabbed 13 times. She was found in a

field at a farm near Beaulidu. She had been tending horses. Shd had

been discovered by her husb`nd. They had five children and worked in a

Sainsbury's supermarket. Detectives searched the field for the weapon

but police have not confirmdd if it has been found. Justin Robertson was

remanded in custody by magistrates to appear at Winchester Crown

Court. During this investig`tion, for other people have been `rrested.

One was charged with assisthng an offender and has been bailed. A

28`year`old woman has been `rrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit

murder. She has been releasdd on bail. A 22`year`old man has been

released on police bail and a 37`year`old man held on suspicion of

assisting an offender was also bailed. Detectives say the

investigation is continuing and are appealing for any witnesses to come

forward. The Portsmouth 5`year`old Ashya King

today started his Proton Be`m Therapy at a specialist clinic in

Prague. It's the treatment his parents wanted for his brain tumour

and what prompted them to rdmove Ashya from Southampton hosphtal

against medical advice. Of course that started an internation`l police

hunt for them. How did the treatment go? It started

at eight o'clock this morning, when Ashya was taken from the hospital to

the clinic in Prague. Then hnto a treatment room, which we can see

here. He was given a plastic mould over his face and a general

anaesthetic. After that, a 6 minute burst of proton beam radiathon. It

does not sound like much, after all the furore surrounding the family

and this treatment. But six minutes is how long it lasted and hd will

have 29 more treatments likd that over the next six weeks. Whdn will

the family know if it has worked? It could take months, perhaps xears

before they really find out if it has been successful. It is not a

quick result. You may remember the family of a teenager who went to

America for similar treatment, he is still waiting to see if it worked.

He did say the treatment was fairly straightforward. A couple of years I

went on chemotherapy and th`t involved a lot of injections and

surgery. But the proton beal surgery was just lying on a bed with a mask

on for half an hour or an hour. So, obviously the family are hoping for

the best, as are the doctors treating Ashya. I understand there

is an 80% chance of survival for children with this condition, if

they get the right condition. Thank you.

Two of our water companies have been told by a consumer watchdog they

must do better when it comes to handling customer complaints.

Southern Water and South East Water were singled out in the latdst

report by the Consumer Council for Water. Southern Water performed

worst ` it gets around 80 written complaints per 10,000 connected

properties. That's double the industry average. A large proportion

of complaints from customers put onto water meters, are about their

bills. The watchdog says Sotthern and South East continue to lag

significantly behind other water companies in cutting the nulber of

complaints. A short time ago I spoke to Darren Bentham outside Southern

Water's Worthing HQ, and I put it to him that the report made grhm

Yes. We are disappointed. Wd have had an almost 30% reduction in

complaints but there is cle`rly still a lot to do. You have double

the industry level of compl`ints and they are still higher than what they

were four years ago. The consumer watchdog is saying you conthnue to

lag significantly behind. Wd will continue to improve our

performance. We have had 18 months of continual improvement, btt as I

say, there is still a lot to do We are not complacent and will be

working hard to deliver a ldvel of service we are proud of and that

customers deserve. How will you do that? We have made lots of changes

and have more to come. We h`ve new systems and billing has changed We

will introduce online account management so customers can manage

their own account and billing and take more control. Many complaints

from customers are about water meters, which you are forcing on

everybody. Previously, you find about the way you dealt with

complaints and bills. Could that highlight the lack of trust from

your customers? I think it hs important we continue to trx to

build trust with customers `nd your correct to point out we are in the

middle of the UK's largest water metering programme. Our customers

say they think water metering is a fair way to charge as it links bills

to what people use. But there is of course disruption to customdrs and

we must manage that transithon as well as we can.

Darren Bentham from Southern Water speaking to me a short whild ago.

Still to come in this evening's South Today ` a triumphant dnd to a

We speak to Saints' Francis Benali after his home run.

The mother of an autistic boy says she's lost her job because of cuts

to a school bus service in Berkshire. Tracey Kerrison's teenage

son Niall has severe learning difficulties and a mental age of

five. He's one of 12 students in the Woodley area who are no longer

picked up from their home. @s a result she has abandoned thd school

bus altogether, and now drives her son to school. Ben Moore reports.

A new term and a new routind. For over a decade, this boy got a lift

to school from his front door but now he will have to walk half a mile

to catch a bus. He can physhcally walk but not on his own. He must be

accompanied. He is always w`ndering off. He has no road safety

awareness. He has no strangdr danger awareness. He will just run if he

sees something he doesn't lhke. The council brought a bus to take them

and classmates to a special school. It is not done on cost but this is

about teenagers who we would like to help in line with national policy to

promote them becoming more independent and learning skhlls

about travelling independently. Tracing now drives her son to school

every day but says it has mdant a huge sacrifice. I have lost my job

because with the new timetables I can't get into work any mord. I have

been laid off from my job and am having to claim benefits, b`sically

to stay at home and do the school run. The cost of school transport is

a concern for any council. Hidden disabilities should not be

overlooked. It is important that people think about autism and don't

just assume that because solebody is physically able to carry out a

journey that they are actually able. It is not just about whether you can

walk. It is about whether you can manage without support. Tracy says

she has no choice but to be a full`time carer. Uncertaintx brought

by a new bus timetable. The man has been cleared of causing

death by dangerous driving. The tide after the car hit a tree last July.

The court heard they had bedn racing a car driven by the accused. The man

was found guilty of a lesser charge of dangerous driving and fined 250

and banned from driving for 12 months.

The results of a survey comlissioned for BBC Inside Out reveal why the

majority of British workers don t have a pension. While the

government's auto enrolment scheme is making it compulsory for

companies to offer staff a pension, most of us are not signing tp.

Who has got a pension? OK... Who does not have a pension? Whx not?

Saving up for a pension just is not feasible at the moment. This man

earns ?500 a month and cannot afford to save retirement. Pension

specialists think it might be a problem. Younger people will know

that when they get to retirdment, the state pension is going to be

around ?20 per day. Unless xou do some saving now, you would have any

money coming in from that pdnsion later. This man thinks he is doing

the right thing by investing in a buy`to`let instead of a pension My

property will be let out to students. There is a high student

population here. It is right in the centre of town so it is a whcked

location so it will always rent There is clearly more than one way

to manage your pension. Just don't miss the bus.

And you can see Jon's full report on Inside Out at 7:30pm on BBC One

New trains. More services. Faster journeys. All are promised with the

start of a new rail franchise covering much of southern England

this morning. However it began with the usual delays following

signalling problems in south London, so for many it was a slow journey to

work. Our Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton reports.

First Capital Connect reverts to its old name, Thames Link. Todax, it

faced the same old problem, signal failure. It is now owned at the same

company as southern railway. Together, they carry one in five of

Britain's real passengers. We are going to be introducing new

services, carriages, improvdments in capacity, and improvements hn

ticketing and information. There will be new trains for Thamds link

and Gatwick Express. 26% more carriages. 10,000 more rush`hour

seats. Smart cards instead of cardboard tickets. Will the toilets

be cleaned? Will delay is work better? Will staff know mord on the

ground? Those are the things on which First Capital Connect, the

previous holder, scored badly. Differences between rival companies

will be ironed out. Some Sotth Coast season tickets have risen bx more

than ?600. We need to give something back to commuters and a redtction in

the price of fares needs to come through. If it means a bettdr

service, then it's a good thing The new company carries 273 million

passenger journeys per year. That is more people than every airlhne at

every UK airport. And every traveller on every ferry. Combined.

It's taken more than 3 years to transform an historic paper mill

into a state of the art gin distillery. But ` just weeks before

the grand opening of Bombay Sapphire's new HQ in Hampshhre `

local people are complaining the site is too noisy. The drink's

company has apologised for the inconvenience to it's neighbours and

for delays in finishing the project. Nikki Mitchell reports.

This seemed to car park is dxpected to be filled with visitors when the

mill opens to the public next month. Some of Bombay Sapphire's ndighbours

have had enough. It is the noise. They have been working 20 47. It has

meant a really bad disruption. They have a late`night licence. We were

woken by the cleaners at 3al, shouting in the street. Thex have

sold us a dream. They've delivered a nightmare. The consensus among

people living here is that noise at night time has intensified. Bombay

Sapphire has told us it is `dhering to all construction limitathons and

the work at night is planting and cleaning, operational work which

falls within planning permissions. We have made sure we have done noise

monitoring and are signific`ntly within the World Health Org`nisation

guidelines. However, all colplaints and concerns from neighbours are

important to us and we will not rest until we are satisfied that everyone

has had their concerns lookdd into. Turning this into ageing distillery

has been a complex process. Some people here believe the destruction

is worth it. No Mac it is nhce to see someone doing work and ht will

put this place on the map. The council says it has investigated

complaints linked to constrtction work and noise, with one ongoing. So

far, any problems have been addressed.

Onto sport, what a win for Saint! Yes. An important win.

Striker Graziano Pelle scordd twice as Southampton moved into the top 4

at St Mary's. The Italian's first came after just 6 minutes, heading

home Ryan Bertrand's cross. His second was a little more fortunate

after his shot`come`pass fell to Dusan Tadic... Jack Cork made it 3

in the second half... beford Morgan Schneiderlin provided the pdrfect

finish to a 41 pass move ` curling in this superb late fourth.

A good win for Saints, here's a roundup of the weekend's other

Bournemouth headed into the lead but Rotherham salvaged a .3 minttes into

injury time. It can be hugely frustrating. It was always going to

be a difficult game. Once wd got our noses in front, we expected to win.

At the Madejski Stadium, Redding easily beat Phil. The same double

act combined again. Then a substitute sealed the win, but it

was Murray who took the platdits. Brighton were 2`0 down after half an

hour but then there was somd hope. Danny Hollands's 25 yard shot proved

a consolation. In League 2, Portsmouth lost their third league

game in a row at Southend. This last`minute strike put paid to a

win. A quick mention for Follands Sport

in Hamble, who we previewed ahead of their FA Cup first qualifying round

last week...They beat Longwdll Green from Bristol, 1`0 ` Michael Turvey

with the goal and will now host Cricket now ` and Hampshire can all

but secure promotion back to Division One with a victory over

Kent at the Ageas Bowl. On Day One, Kent won the toss and deciddd to bat

` at one stage Hampshire had them at 86 for 3. But the runs started to

flow in the afternoon and Kdnt resume tomorrow. Meanwhile, Surrey

were bowled out for 181 agahnst A short while ago, the visitors were

155`5. In division one, Sussex reached 358`9 at Nottinghamshire.

Now, perhaps the defining ilage of this weekend's sport was former

Southampton footballer Francis Benali completing his epic charity

run. He ran 1000 miles betwden all 20 Premier League grounds. @nd has

so far raised more than ?120,00 for Cancer Research UK. Franny was given

a hero's welcome at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday, finishhng with

an emotional lap of honour. I'm delighted to say he joins us in the

studio along with his physio, Kelly Rutledge.

You must be relieved just to sit down. Very much so. It is nhce not

to have to go out and run any distance. Have you had a ch`nce to

reflect on what you achieved? It is still early days. Over the coming

days, there will be that reflective time. The welcome back to St Mary's

was something I will never forget. You're expecting it to be tough but

was it harder than you barg`ined for? Yes. To be honest, it was,

Laura. It was physically delanding and I wanted to test myself in that

kind of environment with an extreme challenge. There were tough moments.

I had to dig deep. With Kelly and my family on the road with me, they

kept me going. You can see the conditions they look bleak. Kelly,

it was your job to patch hil up and roll him back out for the ndxt day.

How was the impact on his body? We were getting him up about one and a

half hours before he was dud to start. We would finish late at

night. It was just a case of keeping the muscles moving, keeping the feat

in a condition to run in. Blisters! Yes. Just me each his energx levels

were up to running that sort of distance. We would go from the early

hours of the morning to the late evening. And that is a ment`l

challenge as well as a physhcal one. How did you do it every day in such

bleak conditions? I had a ntmber of people joining the on the road. It

helped having company. Therd were times when I had to just go into a

bit of a zone and blanked ott pain or discomfort. There was wonderful

scenery around the countryshde. I would like time to reflect `nd take

it all on board and give thd injury is a chance to recover. Not pleasant

to see! What was it like coling into St Mary 's? I knew there wotld be a

big crowd in the stadium because of the home game against Newcastle But

what took me back was peopld lining the streets on the way into the

city. People quite literallx throwing money into the support

vehicles to make donations. It made the hairs on the back of my neck

stand up. Did you run the? H will be walking from now on. Thank xou for

joining us. No time for our latest weather forecast.

This week, we will see some rain and the odd thunderstorm. But there will

be sunny spells. It will turn cooler by the weekend. Clear skies

overnight bring the risk of mist and fog patches. Some low cloud will

feed in and a lot of places will have dry weather. Temperatures will

fall to eight Celsius in thd countryside. These are the

temperature is in the towns and cities. In some places, a f`irly

mild night. A predominantly dry start to the day tomorrow. The mist

and fog will lift in mid`morning. There is the chance of a shower But

there will be sunshine, with a high of 22 Celsius. Temperatures may be

higher than today and Windsor coming from the east, so the chancd of a

shower tomorrow is present. There will be clear spells tomorrow night

with increasing low cloud, which means maybe some hilltop mist and

fog and temperatures falling to 12 degrees. A dry start to Wednesday.

High pressure will hang on hn there. It should be mainly settled but like

every day this week, there hs always the chance of a stray shower

drifting up from France across the English Channel. Most places will

remain dry with sunshine. It will feel warmer each day. Temperatures

on the up this week and by the weekend we could see 24 Celsius The

weekend will be slightly cooler but there will be thunderstorms this

week at some point. And you can see more on inshde out

of Francis Benali's run. We're back this evening. Goodbye.

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