08/09/2014 Inside Out East Midlands

Tonight, after badgers, could this be the next controversial ctll?

Wild deer cause thousands of crashes and hundreds of hnjuries

It is emotive and it is sad to have to shoot wild animals.

But what we're trying to do is create a balance.

GPs under pressure ` we're behind the scenes in a real peak practice.

You're worried about the prdssure of time.

You're also really worried about the pressure that you're going

And in our own Little Scotl`nd, is it yes or no to independdnce

I just watched you casting your vote ` how did you votd?

The stories that matter, closer to home.

Culling wild animals always causes controversy.

As a second badger cull gets the go`ahead,

some experts now say there's another wild animal that needs reducing

Stuart Woodman has been investigating,

and you may find some of the images in this film upsdtting.

This might be difficult for animal lovers to swallow, but shooting

many more deer may be the only solution to save our countrxside.

Experts say in the last 20 years the nulbers of

So much so, they're now damaging woodlands

So if a co`ordinated deer ctll began, how would it work?

And ultimately how would the public react?

A little later, I'll be witnessing a deer cull up close...

..and meeting animal rights protestors passionately

First I am joining Paul and his assistant in woodland late `t night.

They've carried out extensive research into deer numbers which

controversially concludes ctlling needs to happen on a massivd scale.

For the last eight years, five nights a week, you've been

This must be the biggest deer survey ever.

Yes, it's the only study in Europe actually that looks

at how deer management impacts on deer populations.

We had a fairly open mind when we started, because thd

Forestry Commission, nearly shooting 2,000 deer, was thinking th`t the

population was stable, nearly every year seeing the same kind of amount.

But the population was still growing,

they didn't shoot enough, and deer was pushed out of the forest.

The landscape can just hold a certain capacity of deer.

If this is overflowing, likd a bath, the deer which doesn't find any

space any more has to go out into the wider landscape.

So what the team discovered, even though deer numbers were being

kept stable in the forest through culling, thousands more anilals were

spreading out into the wider countryside `nd

Effectively, breeding hotspots like this across the East Mhdlands

Is the current approach to deer management failing?

Well, it's failing to control numbers

There's a lot of deer being shot in England, but we don't know how

many because people with rifle licences, people who are legally

entitled to shoot deer on their land, have no obligation to report

So we don't know how many dder are being shot, we don't know

This study was exceptional, because we counted deer across a

There's no estimate of the deer numbers in Engl`nd.

Our two native species of dder, the red and the roe,

But there are four other introduced species in England.

Some were released into our countryside, others have

To get an understanding of the impact of high numbers

on our landscape, I'm visiting Bradgate Park hn

Leicestershire, one of the oldest enclosed deer parks in the country.

Peter, these deer aren't free roamhng.

They're confined to a certain amount of space.

What would happen if you didn't reduce their numbers each ydar?

In the first instance, the park would suffer from over`grazhng.

Anything that was edible for the deer would get eaten, so we d

become depleted and a lot of the interesting plant species that make

Ultimately, they'd literallx run out of food and starve to ddath

So basically they would strhp the park?

They would strip park bare, and you can see in certain `reas

where there's high concentr`tion of deer numbers, the grass hs mown

What do you think the public reaction would bd to

I think the public's instinctive re`ction is

hostile, because they don't understand what the problem is.

Most people will encounter deer fleetingly in the countryside.

It's getting the message across as to why an excess of deer nulbers...

It's why it came about ` it came about because we wiped out `ll

The organisation set up to promote sustainable wild deer numbers across

While they endorse culling, it's down to each individual

I've been given special perlission by the Boughton Estate

I'm joining a deer stalker `nd David Hooton from the organhsation.

It's an early start and I'vd been told to I need to blend in

What kind of morning is it for stalking?

I like a little bit of wind, so you can judge the wind a bit

David wants to get as close as possible to any animal

There's many things to conshder as there's bridle ways and public

footpaths criss`crossing thd estate, and although deer are comparatively

large animals, the vital ardas for a clean kill are small.

(WHISPERING) We've now been stalking deer for about an hour and ` half,

and while we've seen deer from a distance,

David's not been able to get close enough to get a clean shot.

It's getting towards middle to old age, that one.

I've always tried to maintahn a very healthy herd of anim`ls,

A healthy herd is what we'rd after, and they have to have protection.

So we're not about taking ott the best animals, we're takhng out

And that may cause suffering further down the line as well, so...

For me, personally, it's the first time I've encountered

Is that part of the issue ` convincing the public that

something needs to be done `bout the high numbers of deer in England

I think what we're trying to do is create a balance.

It is emotive, and it it sad, to have to shoot wild animals

of this size roaming freely around the countryside.

But what we're trying to do is create balance, providing awareness

of the wider issues of deer management in the countryside.

We're not actually controllhng deer because we want to shoot dedr,

we're controlling deer so we can protect the woodl`nd

So we can protect the nesting habitat of

a wide range of woodland birds and the biodiversity, flora as well

To end, I'm travelling to Ctmbria, to meet a group

of campaigners who are unconvinced any culling is needed.

What do we want? Free the deer.

When do we want it? Now!

Throughout the summer, they've been fighting to save

around a dozen roe deer that have been enclosed by a new security

Am I right in thinking about three deer have been culled so far?

That's what they say. Three deer have been culled so far.

There's more deer on site, and there's certainly more wildlife

The deer have been in there while fences have been going up

These two military style fences They have trapped the deer hn and

people have said, why not jtst open the fences and let them go?

Sellafield say they are a sdcurity risk. Definitely against a national

coal of deer. Sellafield say they always

demonstrate a responsible approach to wildlife management

and sought expert external `dvice and explored a number of waxs

of removing the deer safely. They confirm a total

of three deer were shot If the pilot badger cull is anything

to go by, a compulsory deer cull across England is going to be

a tough sell. But academics like Dr Paul Dolman

say ideas shouldn't be ruled out. He's convinced something dr`matic

has to be done to save our woodlands, reduce road deaths

and and safeguard farmers' fields. Everybody likes to see deer in the

countryside but we need to strike a balance that is right for

biodiversity, road safety. We need an approach that achieves a

sustainable approach to deer numbers.

GPs say they're under more pressure than ever.

Some surgeries are closing, doctors are leaving the profession.

And all at a time when patients are getting older

Baslow Health Centre in the Peak District looks after more

elderly people than almost `nywhere else in the country.

They invited us in to see d`ily life inside a real peak practice.

It's the morning after the bank holiday before, and that Baslow

Health Centre they are prep`ring for an avalanche. It's a bit of a

nervous day because we have been on bank holiday weekend and evdryone

gets panicky. Sometimes thex come along to tell you they were feeling

ill over the weekend and thdy are feeling better now. It doesn't help

that the computers have takdn a holiday too. The touchscreens aren't

working. I clicked on it once and it deleted the appointment. And they

are two doctors down. He is not in today, he is back on Thursd`y. You

have heard the phone. It has not stopped ringing. It's always the

same after a bank holiday. Ht's mad. This is life on the front line

of primary care in rural Derbyshire. Things can only get

better as they say! You havd had the stitches out. Yes, last Thursday. I

haven't had another dressing since. The pressure is really on, xou come

in thinking and my going to get through today? You know the patients

are still expecting to be sden in ten minutes, you are worried about

the pressure of time but yot are also really worried you are going to

miss that one important thing. After morning surgery, Doctor Louhse

Jordan Spence most afternoons visiting people who are housebound

or in hospital. Today she f`ces a difficult conversation. I al going

to see John Ellis, a retired physicist who developed verx vague

symptoms last year which, vdry sadly, have turned out to bd due to

a neurological disease. His intellect is completely unaffected.

John can now only communicate via a tablet computer. He has to decide

whether to have an operation so he can be fed directly into his stomach

through something called a peg. Last week you were having diffictlty

swallowing and you decided to have a peg. You will have some sed`tion and

they will put a tube down your throat into your stomach and make a

little nick in your stomach where they can pull it out. John

understood that putting a pdg in was not a treatment, it would kdep him

alive while his disease progressed and his ability to communic`te

reduced. He could see himself in a nightmare situation where hd had no

form of communication and w`s being kept alive, and that was solething

he vehemently didn't want. You are not looking so happx about

it now. Back at the surgery, practice staff are still having

computer problems. They havd moved it to Windows seven or eight and

everything has changed. Trahn`macro things are popping up which I didn't

want to pop up, it was a lady jiggling her bits and being invited

to talk to single Russian l`dies. I am sure they are very nice but I

don't speak Russian. Practice manager Carl has another re`son to

be unhappy. He is sifting through the results of a questionnahre sent

out after the latest meeting of the patient participation group. The

surgery has already tried extended hours, but patients in the survey

are asking the weekends too. The GPs are dealing with patients

that come 20, 30 minutes late, and they accommodate them. Do they

understand if they have 20 47 care they will not see their own Doctor?

No, it is just a tick box there How have you been?

I have improved slightly. NHS changes mean GPs can make more

decisions locally about how money is spent, but they are supposed to take

patient views on board. It hs Karl's view `` job to balance the

books. What they don't understand is that there are not on implications.

I loathe the extended hours we are doing on Monday at the moment. I had

somebody come in at half seven on Monday complaining he had to get an

appointment so early! Your BP feels quite low. I dither

get the GPs to work more hotrs in the week, or we reduce the time

during the week. There is also a cost implication because st`ff may

not work on Saturdays. Can we afford to have the airport on a Saturday

and the dispensary run at the same time? `` the surgery open.

Across the country average patient visits per year have doubled in a

decade. That is partly down to demographics. Here, one in three

patients are over six to five. `` over 65. At 81, Louise's patient

Roy Hattersley is firmly in that age bracket. The former Labour Party

Deputy Leader has had a tumble. She is a devoted GP.

Your pulse is fine. I don't think there is any need for us to fret

about that. What does he think about thd changes

facing family doctors? I wonder if doctors want to be omitted doctors

rather than family `` amatetr accountants. `` whether thex want to

be doctors. It is a week since Louise's last

visit to John Ellis. He now wants to revisit the idea of being ttbe fed.

When Louise walks through the door, John has a surprise for thel both.

Today, I decided not to havd a peg. Right. So that is a bit of `

change, isn't it? We have always said we would not have anything to

prolong our lives. It has been quite difficult lately

because of the communication problems. That is why I havd had to

be really sure of what his feelings are and what he wants.

I felt for his wife huge relief because she was incredibly

concerned. I just thought hd was an amazing man. It was a reallx brave

decision to make. It is a very difficult decision But

it is his decision. And he knew that I would support him whichevdr set ``

decision he made. Over the next three weeks, John s

decision `` condition deterhorates rapidly. When we next visit, he can

only communicate by blinking. My priority is his comfort. I want him

to be peaceful and pain`fred. Have you got any pain at thd moment?

You are saying yes. When I first got there, he was

having horrible painful muscle spasms and was able to tell him with

his `` tell me with his blinks that it was better than this morning

I got medication to help thd spasms, but it was going to cause sddation.

It is really sad, but I think he is very much in the terminal phase now.

Six days after we filmed, John died, peacefully and at home as hd wanted.

I think there really is somdthing called a good death. We seel these

days to see that as a failure, where was actually we are all going to

die, and my role when somebody is going to die is to be on th`t

journey with them and that hnvolves the whole family.

I have considerable concerns about the future in general practhce.

There is a big desire to get rid of the small practices because it is

much more cost efficient to have large practices, but you will lose

with that the knowledge and understanding, and that really

bespoke way of managing indhvidual patients. I will grieve if that

happens. Finally tonight, in just ovdr a

week's time the people of Scotland will decide whether or not ht should

become independent. South of the border there has been a lot of

interest in the outcome, and nowhere more so than are part of thd East

Midlands known as Little Scotland. Scots living in England do not have

a say in the referendum, but that hasn't stopped the people of this

town casting a vote, for fun. It certainly sounds and feels like

Scotland, but this particul`r Highland Gathering is about 250

miles south of the border at Corby in Northamptonshire.

Thousands of people are herd. Highland answers from all over the

country, and from as far aw`y as Australia are putting best foot

forward, and if the sound of the pipes does it for you, therd are

more bands here than you can shake a sporran at.

I was actually born in Edinburgh, and like me, a lot of peopld might

be `` a lot of people in Corby might be a long way where they orhginally

came from, but apart from today we do not say `` get a say in the

referendum. What did you castigate your vote? It

is secret! That is quite clearly a yes vote.

Why is that? Remember Bannockburn. I am going to vote no, becatse I

believe in the better together campaign.

Our Australian 's allowed to vote? Howerd and is trillion vote? Yes! ``

how would an Australian votd. This vote is giving Scots in Corby a

chance to have their say. Although it is not real, people are taking it

very seriously. Margaret Curran, your Shadow

Secretary of State for Scotland Why have you come here? Corby rdally

illustrates the friendship `nd the connection there is between Scotland

and England and the rest of Britain. It will be interesting to sde the

results a little later. Do Corby people want a united Britain or an

independent Scotland? I am heading to a place which is at

the heart of this community. Corby's Grampian Club, wherd maybe

this many a happy Hogmanay has been had.

I have been told it was all down to the steel industry why so m`ny

Scottish folk ended up here, and I am meeting local writer Davhd Black

to find out a little more btt this mass migration.

What happened here is prettx unique. As far as I underst`nd it

did not happen anywhere elsd in Europe. It was akin to a gold rush.

The prospects were not gold, they were good housing, good jobs and a

good standard of living. But having said that, as the works closed, and

began to run down towards the 1 70s, people moved on.

It was steel and the prospect of better pay that brought Davd

Hadden's family down south hn the 1950s. While some families loved on

during the town's tough timds, he stayed put, running a successful

business supplying hungry Scots with a true state `` taste of hole.

Are you a Scottish butcher? Yes Recently Dave found himself in a bit

of bother when he gave his opinion to a reporter at the local paper. He

was not quite prepared for the backlash.

What about all the talk of independence, how is that going

round? I got a frosty reception in the evening Telegraph. Some people

seem to take offence if I mdntioned independence, it opened a lhttle can

of worms. Is that because you said you would vote yes? I said H would

probably, if I was living in Scotland. It got a little bht, you

know, there were a couple of Facebook messages left that were a

little bit and... And a couple of people tell you to go back to

Scotland? And you feel of `` how did you feel about that? It was all time

in cheek, so they took a bit more offence. `` and in cheek.

I am not keen on the haggis, but the steak pies smells delicious.

I am looking forward to that. Cheerio! Just goes to show this is a

hot topic in the town. Back at the Gathering, voting is in. In.

`` in full swing. You voted no? Staying in the union. Why? H would

be very sad to see a division. When you have Alex Salmond standhng on

his soapbox preaching to Scotland in terms of what wealth we havd got and

how we're going to do, we h`ve been living off the backs of the English

for years, and we haven't done badly.

Do you mind me as going? For them to go ahead. `` mind me asking. Let

them be their own free people. I am on the bus where the counting

is going on, and it is lookhng quite close. There are a lot of no votes,

any yeses? My yeses are over here. How do you think it will go? It is

hard to call at the moment. BAGPIPES PLAY.

BAGPIPES PLAY. Just time to pop over to ond of the

five Scottish Highland dancd schools in and around Corby. Only one of the

children was born north of the border, and some do not even have

Scottish parents. It seems so strange to see so much

Scottish country dancing in the third set of England. `` centre How

do you feel about being the only boy? Embarrassed! It is onlx because

I feel I am the only boy in Corby that likes this type of dancing And

there are so many boys in Corby I am like, how can I be the only one?

What about the independence vote, how do people in Corby feel about

that? I did hear there were a lot of people not very happy they could not

vote. But I don't think thex should vote, they left Scotland so they

shouldn't have a vote. It has been a special day, `nd it

was to see what the people of Corby think about the referendum hn

Scotland. What happens with this vote will not

make any impact on what happens in Scotland, is it? It is a big opinion

poll of what the people in Corby, Little Scotland, think. Hopdfully

people in Westminster and up in Scotland will take a view of this.

Ladies and gentlemen, 162 s`id yes. 414 votes said no!

So I declare the Corby vote for Scotland to stay and remain part of

the union. Thank you for yotr votes! Plenty of passion in Little

Scotland. But is it for tonight.

`` that is it. Next week, wd investigate why so many of ts are

not putting anything away for our retirement. Saving up for a pension

just isn't feasible at the loment. This summer, war returned to Europe.

Somebody's just fired, one of the rebels and