12/12/2013 BBC News at One

Failing to meet basic standards - the GP surgeries in England with out

of date medicines and even maggots in the floor. In the first national

inspection in England - close to a thousand surgeries were checked -

one in three weren't up to scratch. The Prime Minister asks the MPs' pay

regulator to "think again" after it confirms plans for an 11% hike.

Shoulder to shoulder with world leaders - the man accused of being a

fake signer at Mandela's memorial says he was suffering a

schizophrenic attack and was hallucinating. Calls for a

specialist food unit in the wake of the horse meat scandal. And fine

jewels and precious objects belonging to Edward and Mrs Simpson

are to go under the hammer in the next hour. Later on BBC London, the

family of a London Doctor imprisoned in Syria say they are increasingly

concerned for his health. A memorial service for those who died in the

Clapham Junction rail disaster 25 years ago.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. One in three GP

surgeries in England is failing to meet basic standards - that's

according to the first national inspection of more than 900

surgeries. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission unearthed a

catalogue of failings in some practices that had endangered the

health of patients. They said while many received an excellent service,

they'd found examples of poor standards in cleanliness and the

handling of medicines - including maggots on the floor at one

practice. Richard Lister reports. Over the next two years, every GP

surgery in England will be inspected and rated by the Care Quality

Commission. This one is well-regarded but others have

already flagged up problems to the CTC, and they were the first to be

inspected. Some of the results are startling. There are 8000 GP

surgeries in England, and in April this year, inspectors visited more

than 900 of them. Of those, one third field to meet at least one of

the required standards in cleanliness or the storage of

vaccines. Ten practices had very serious failings that could affect

thousands of people. At this surgery, the report said consulting

rooms were dusty, staff had not had criminal record checks or up-to-date

training, and at this one in Nottinghamshire, inspectors found

maggots on the premises, as well as dirty screens and furniture. The

surgery has resolve those issues and patients we spoke to were surprised

by the findings. I am surprised. If it is true. I don't think it would

bother me at all. I'm sure it is something quite trivial and it has

been sorted out. It is fantastic. All the doctors, the trainees, they

are good. I cannot say too much about it. The man leading the

inspection process is a GP himself. He says he was shocked by some of

the findings. Our job is to make sure patients get the quality of

care they deserve and we will not tolerate inadequate, dangerous

practices. They are very small in number, but patients deserve really

good care wherever they are. The report stresses that patient care is

generally good and many of the failings are in the management of

the worst performing surgeries. GPs say patient numbers are growing what

budget numbers are falling. This is squeezing the resource very

tightly, and then there are the responsibilities for commissioning,

for management, professional activity. It can be quite difficult

to get the balance right. Patient groups have welcomed this report

which they hope will remind the rest of England's GPs that their

surgeries will be scrutinised. The inspections will get fully underway

next year. Our health correspondent is here. The first big inspection of

its kind. It will leave a lot of people very concerned. This is an

important moment. When we have contact with the NHS, 90% of the

time it is with a GP, not the hospital. Remember, patients

generally get good care from their GPs, and these were practices that

were suspected to have problems, but the findings are nonetheless

shocking. As one put it, you would not expect this lack of cleanliness

in a restaurant. It would get shut down. The chief of GPs has strong

powers coming he can close services or prosecute. This is the start of a

big process over the next two years. Every GP actors in England will get

an inspection and those results will be published along the way. Plans

for an 11% pay rise for Mps by 2015 are going ahead - taking an MP's

salary from just over ?66,000 to ?74,000 a year. The head of the

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Sir Ian Kennedy, said the

reforms would set MPs pay on a sustainable footing for a

generation. This morning David Cameron said the pay rise was "not

on" when there is pay restraint across the public sector. Here's our

political correspondent Iain Watson. MPs used to decide their own

salaries but decisions are now taken by an independent body called IPSA.

They are proposing giving politicians an increase of around

11% in 2015. Party leaders oppose this, but the man in charge says it

is unlikely to change. The package has been well thought out, it has

taken 18 months, we have talked to the public, done studies,

consultations, and we are not about to undertake it. IPSA say that

whilst salaries would rise to ?74,000 in 2015, in return they

would need to pay more for less generous pension and would be unable

to claim for the expense of an evening meal or taxi journeys. They

would only get the payoff if they voluntarily stand down. Polling of

100 MPs suggested more than 66% of them felt they were underpaid. IPSA

were given their powers after the expenses scandal, and some of them

defend its independence. Some people are suggesting because this body has

come up with this bad recommendation we should scrap it. I would be very

wary of turning the clock back and going back to the bad old days of

MPs being judge and jury of their own pay and expenses. IPSA would say

there is now a growing gap between MPs' pay and those of other senior

public workers. Headteacher outside London is paid around ?78,000. A

chief superintendent receives a salary of ?70,000. A senior civil

servant takes home about ?18,000 per year. Government ministers are paid

a higher salary. IPSA's own polling suggests most people are opposed to

this, but they say, this is just a one-off, after that, they will rise

only in line with average earnings. In the run-up to the election, MPs

will be under huge pressure to say whether they will pocket any extra

money. The man accused of being a fake sign language interpreter at

Nelson Mandela's memorial service said he suffered a schizophrenic

episodes during the service and was hearing voices in his head.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood shoulder to shoulder with world

leaders - including the American president - on Tuesday, has admitted

he sometimes reacts violently when shizophrenic attacks. It's raised

serious questions about security at the event. Our South Africa

correspondent, Andrew Harding is Johannesburg.

Yes, this morning, the interpreter at the centre of this strange story

has been trying to explaining flatly what happened and why. -- explain

exactly. Embarrassed South African officials have been giving their

version of invents. -- events. He was the unknown sign language

interpreter who got it badly wrong, giving strange signals at the

Mandela memorial, unconnected to the words the leaders were saying. But

now, we have a name and perhaps an explanation. Speaking to a local

radio station this morning, Thamsanqa Jantjie insisted he was

not a fraud but he is mentally ill. I am currently a patient receiving

treatment in schizophrenia. Thamsanqa Jantjie insisted he is a

registered interpreter and wants to continue working. Absolutely, what I

have been doing, I think I have been a champion of sign language.

Sunday's event also sought South Africa's president controversially

booed by the crowd. Today, the authorities denied the event was

badly organised or that they had messed up in their choice of

interpreter. They have been providing sign language services to

as many of their clients as possible and nobody has spoken up, and we are

grateful that we have picked that up. Nelson Mandela's body is lying

in state for a second day. Long queues reflecting a massive public

determination to catch occurrence of him. The queues are moving slowly,

some people were in line all day yesterday only to be turned away.

Now they are back, patiently waiting for their chance to say goodbye. I

am here to see Nelson Mandela. I do not know if this is the last day but

I want to see. Are you prepared to be patient? Yes. This is history. It

is up to us to carry on with his legacy. Nelson Mandela's body will

remain in Pretoria until the weekend, when it will be taken to

his home to be buried on Sunday. We are in the middle of a very long,

complicated week of official events. Clearly, there are security lessons

at the very least to be learned from the issue with the interpreter but

you get the sense here across South Africa that people do not want this

to distract from the big issue, which is the burial of Nelson

Mandela. Judges in England and Wales have

been given new guidelines for sentencing sex offenders. From next

April, the offender's behaviour and motivation will be reflected in

their sentence to a greater degree. Courts are also being advised to

place more emphasis on the psychological impact on victims when

deciding punishments. Our Legal Correspondent Clive Coleman has the

details. Between the ages of 11 and 14,

Jonathan, not his real name, was sexually abused by a teacher at his

school who had befriended his parents. Following a trial in

September, he was sentenced to six years imprisonment. During the

sentencing process, I got more and more upset about the things the

judge was saying, and he did not seem to be taking into account the

impact I was getting, I was angry, I was crying, it seemed that the place

where we had come for the right justice was ignoring it. Last month,

the Court of Appeal increase the sentence to eight years. Current

guidelines for things like sexual assault emphasise physical factors,

but following sexual abuse scandals like that involving the late Jimmy

Savile, judges will have to apply the new guideline, which reflects a

far greater understanding of both the psychology of abusers and the

psychological harm done to victims. We are trying very much to capture

the experience of the victim, not just limited to what happened at the

time but the whole process as far as the victim is concerned and the

consequences for the victim after the crime. We are also trying to

look at the motivation of the offender in greater depth. The new

guideline punishes those who, like Jimmy Savile, abuse the trust of

victims by using their celebrity status. The recommended sentence for

things such as rape are significantly increased and it is

made clear that child victims are not responsible for and did not

consent to what happened to them full the trial process was quite

traumatic. In future, those who target child victims like Jonathan

will face more rigorous sentencing. All remaining UK Blockbuster stores

are set to close within days. The administrators have been unable to

find a buyer for the DVD rental chain. The 91 outlets. Operating by

Monday. Blockbuster had 264 stores and a 2,000-strong workforce when it

went into administration last month. The security firms G4S and Serco

have lost their contracts to tag criminals. Both are being

investigated by the government for tagging people who were either dead

or in jail. The contract will begin to Centrica for an interim period.

Jurors in the trial of two former personal assistant is accused of

defrauding Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi have been warned to

ignore comments made by David Cameron during a recent interview.

Tell us more about what has been said. The judge, Mr Justice Robin

Johnson has directed the jury to ignore the comments made by the

Prime Minister, he said to them he had been shown a large number of

press reports this morning in which David Cameron comments on the

prosecution witness, Nigella Lawson, and he said, it was of great regret

when a person in public office comments on an ongoing case. He told

the court that the defendants felt aggrieved as the comments were

favourable, and the judge said the fact that they felt aggrieved was

not without justification. The judge directed the juror is to ignore the

Prime Minister's comment and not bear it in mind. Our top story this

lunchtime. Failing to meet basic standards, the

first national inspection in England finds one in three GP surgeries

aren't up to scratch. Alastair Cook confirmed it is his biggest

challenge yet as England try to claw their way back in the Ashes.

Later on BBC London: Help for working parents as the Government

gives London councils more money for childcare.

And Baldrick takes to the river bank as Sir Tony Robinson performs in The

Wind in the Willows. A cure, or at least a treatment for

dementia by 2025, that is the ambitious goal by health ministers

from the world's richest countries. They said the world needed to fight

the spread of dementia in the same way it had fought AIDS. Yesterday's

summit was the first of its kind. We talked to some of the key people

there. Tom and his wife at the G8 summit. For them this is personal.

Tom was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 57. How many of you have

parents or relatives with Alzheimer's? We all know just how

awful it is. The headline from the summit, find a cure for dementia by

2025. Tom meets the German Health Minister. What do you think will be

the most important thing to come out of this summit? I hope it is a

kick-start for new research programmes. In Germany we have about

ten years of experience in research, but no results at this moment. The

government has pledged to double the budget for dementia research. Is it

enough? We spend ?500 million a year on research into cancer, but only 50

million into research on dementia. Tom gets to ask the first question

at the press conference. I would like to know why we are putting so

little money into research, it really is a drop in the ocean. Has

anything come out of the summer that will affect me now? Let me address

that directly. The amount of money going into research is too little.

The reason for having this summit is to try and galvanise the

international community because we recognise if we are going to find a

cure for dementia, it is not something the UK can do alone. If

you do not set a goal, you will never achieve anything. I hope by

2025 they have found a cure. It is not going to change my life. By the

time they find a cure I will be long gone, or too old to appreciate it.

Tom leaves the summit optimistic and resigned. Predicted advances are not

likely to come in time for the 800,000 people in the UK living with

dementia today. The Royal College of psychiatrists has warned that mental

health services in England are near breaking point. The comments,

figures obtained by BBC News Digest funding for such services have been

cut over the past two years despite government promises to cap NHS

spending. -- figures obtained by the BBC suggest funding. After years of

struggling, this woman's mental health trust approved her therapy

last year. But delays in funding problems mean her treatment has not

started. The only way you can access support is when you are in crisis.

You have to get to a very low point before you get any kind of support

or help. Information obtained from Freedom of Information requests

suggest the budget has been cut by more than 2% in real terms over the

past two years. Of the 13 trusts which provided budget details for

next year, ten are showing reductions. Separate data provided

to the online community care sure that referrals to crisis and

community mental health teams have increased by 16% over the past two

years. Even small cuts can have a profound effect on patients with

mental health problems. More than -- 1700 mental health beds have been

cut over the last two years. This woman knows the consequences of

cuts. Despite a history of severe mental health problems, she went

three months last year without help after a community support team was

axed. I have been sectioned, I have been detained, I have heard voices

telling me to jump in front of a train which is what I went to do. I

was sectioned into hospital. During this period I had no contact with

them, they cut the service. Experts say one in four of us will suffer a

mental health problems during the course of a year. President Putin

says he hopes for a political solution to the current crisis in

the Ukraine and has insisted he is not trying to force the country into

signing a deal with Russia. In his state to -- state of the nation

address he said he was not imposing anything on anyone, but if Ukraine

wanted to work towards a deal, Russia was ready.

The Foreign Office says it is looking into a report that a grenade

has been thrown at British tourists in the Kenyan city of Mombasa. A

local police chief said that the device did not explode and they are

searching for the man who took it. It comes as the canyons are

celebrating 50 years of independence from Britain.

The government is being urged to set up a food crime unit to prevent a

repeat of the horse meat scandal. Britain's food systems are among the

safest in the world, but they say there needs to be more focused in

tackling criminal activity within the food supply network.

There is a lot of money to be made in supplying and processing food,

and criminal gangs are profiting. The result, we do not know what we

are eating. One year ago, horse meat was found in beefburgers. And then

in other ready meals, and then other supermarkets and other EU countries.

To fight the fraud we need a food crime unit according to today's

interim report. Many people are aware of what is going on but do not

know the scale of the criminal activity. Interpol believes it is a

serious issue. The European Commission are setting up a

specialist unit. My recommendation is we should do the same thing in

the UK to find out the extent of the problem. A new unit would be led by

the Food Standards Agency. Police would work alongside experts in the

industry itself. There would be a serial tolerance approach.

Unannounced inspections. -- a zero tolerance approach. This report

suggests a lot more could be done to make sure our food is what it says

it is. A selection of jewellery and precious objects owned by the Duke

and Duchess of Windsor will be auctioned at Sotheby's in the next

hour. King Edward famously abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. The

collection features many of her jewels. Our royal correspondent has

been to see them. Her clothes, her jewellery, her style made the news.

The scandal of the abdication fuelled public interest in the Duke

and Dutch is of Windsor. Even today that sense of curiosity remains. The

jewellery and personal belongings being auctioned reflects the likes

and tastes of the couple. This bracelet made by Cartier estimated

to sell for up to ?180,000. The Duchess of Windsor wore it to meet

the Queen in 1972, the last time the Queen would see her Uncle David

before his death. There is nothing understated about the Duchess's

jewellery collection. Bids for this necklace will start at ?40,000. She

was a very small woman, and it is said she knows she was not a

beautiful woman and as a result had to compensate by dressing very

beautifully. Her style is incredibly bold. Also up for auction, items

belonging to the joke of Windsor reflecting the Royal life he left

behind. -- the Duke of Windsor. The sale has attracted global interest

from those wanting to invest in a piece of British royal history.

England cricketers are under huge pressure ahead of tomorrow's third

Ashes test in Perth. If they lose again, it will all be over and the

tourists will be handing back the urn. Alastair Cook admits his 100th

test will be the toughest of his career. Look into his eyes, Aske

yourself do you feel lucky. At over 150 kilometres an hour, Mitchell

Johnson has overwhelmed English batsmen in Australia. He is a

conscious throwback to the 1970s when a sturdy bowled fast. -- when

Australia. Anyone bowling over 140 is quick. It is intimidating. Here

in Perth there is a fascination with the wicket. The little strip of

ground in the middle where all the action happens. Here it is supposed

to be especially bouncy and quick. In Adelaide Mitchell Johnson was

bowling on a name Road, here it will be a motorway. The man in the green

blazer is Australia's captain. Perhaps Perth's greatest batsmen

tells England to expect bruises. As a top batsmen you have to have

courage, no doubt about that. You have got to have mental courage and

physical courage. Remarkably, both captains will play their 100th test

here. Alastair Cook accepts it is his biggest challenge yet. The

hunger and desire which everyone has questioned has always been there

with this side. We have another chance to try and show it this week.

There are plenty of things to do when the temperature nudges 40.

Cricket promises extreme intensity. It is the pressure you relish or run

from. England must try to enjoy it. Time for a look at the weather.

The pressure is on down under, but so is the heat. The temperatures

will raise ten or so above the seasonal norm. Temperatures will be

up into the high 30s over the next few days. Back on our shores the

best we can do is call it mild. That mild air coming in thanks to a

southerly wind. Most of the rain towards the north and the west. Some

fog still lingering, quite misty into the afternoon. A lot of cloud

in Scotland, but notably quite mild. Similarly mild across Northern

Ireland. A lot of cloud for England and Wales. Western Wales will see

most of that. Notably, down towards the south and the west it is very

mild. Through the evening a lot of cloud and rain. I think we will have

a fairly dull and damp night, notably it is a very mild night.

Temperatures holding well up into double figures. It might just be

temporarily cold before the cloud moves on. A little bit of rain

tomorrow, dry for a time, but already the next batch of rain

working its way in from the west. Notice how it brightens up in

Scotland. There will be one or two showers to go with that. Another

mild day, double figures across the board. For the weekend we look out

to the Atlantic because a bit of a storm is heading our way. It will

affect the north and west of the United Kingdom in particular. We

could see some transport disruption, heavy rain to go with

that. One band of rain clears the eastern coast early on Sunday. On

Sunday, towards the north and west, and other low is on its way. Again,

there is a risk of transport disruption. Turning stormy in the

weekend, the worst in the north and west of the UK.

In reminder of our main story: The first national inspection of GP

surgeries in England finds that one in three visited were not up to