:00:04. > :00:07.Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's
:00:07. > :00:11.programme: A hospital apologises for discharging an elderly woman
:00:11. > :00:18.with dementia in the middle of the night. Phyllis Collins was put in a
:00:18. > :00:22.taxi, still wearing her hospital gown.
:00:22. > :00:26.Appalling really that they can discharge an 85-year-old lady with
:00:26. > :00:31.dementia out into a taxi. I mean, you know, anything could have
:00:31. > :00:34.happened to her really. Also tonight: the death of two soldiers
:00:34. > :00:38.in Afghanistan - an inquest hears their base could have been better
:00:38. > :00:48.protected. And later: up before the beak -
:00:48. > :00:50.
:00:50. > :00:53.find out how the law is giving a helping hand to birds of prey.
:00:53. > :00:56.First tonight, an 85-year-old woman with dementia was discharged from a
:00:56. > :01:03.Buckinghamshire hospital in the middle of the night in her hospital
:01:03. > :01:08.gown. Phyllis Collins was sent to her care home in a taxi, and was
:01:08. > :01:11.left in the common lobby when she couldn't get into her flat. She was
:01:11. > :01:16.found cold and confused at 6.00am in the morning. Stoke Mandeville
:01:16. > :01:20.Hospital has apologised. Stuart Tinworth reports.
:01:20. > :01:25.Julie speaks to her elderly mother twice a day. Fill hreus has
:01:25. > :01:30.dementia and has been in a home for 16 years. Earlier this month, she
:01:30. > :01:33.was rushed to Stoke Mandeville with breathing problems but it was the
:01:33. > :01:37.way she was discharged after being treated that's left this family
:01:37. > :01:42.angry. Staff at the hospital booked her a cab at 2.00am. She left
:01:42. > :01:46.hospital in the middle of the night, wearing just a hospital gown.
:01:46. > :01:51.just think it's appalling really that they can discharge an 85-year-
:01:51. > :01:55.old lady with dementia out into a taxi. I mean, you know, anything
:01:55. > :01:58.could have happened to her really. I mean, there must have been
:01:58. > :02:02.somebody around that could have seen this old lady wandering about
:02:02. > :02:06.in a gown and walk out the main entrance. Somebody's got to be held
:02:06. > :02:11.responsible. The hospital has now launched an investigation and
:02:11. > :02:15.assured us this was an isolated incident. It's not good care. It's
:02:15. > :02:18.not the care we expect for our patients. Patients are diskharpbled
:02:18. > :02:21.in the middle of the night sometimes because it's appropriate,
:02:21. > :02:24.they have carers at home and it's the best circumstances. But on this
:02:24. > :02:28.occasion it wasn't the best solution for this lady. We failed
:02:28. > :02:32.her. The hospital says it will speak to all staff involved to get
:02:32. > :02:39.a full picture of what happened. And Julie hopes there will be some
:02:39. > :02:42.answers as to why her mother was left in the cold.
:02:42. > :02:48.Earlier, I spoke to Giulia Johnson from Age UK in Buckinghamshire, who
:02:48. > :02:50.gave me her reaction to the story. Horrified. I am absolutely
:02:50. > :02:53.horrified. I don't think it's ever appropriate to discharge somebody
:02:53. > :02:57.in the middle of the night, whatever age they are but
:02:57. > :03:02.particularly someone who's old and vulnerable, particularly wearing
:03:02. > :03:08.nothing but a hospital gown. People should be treated with dignity.
:03:08. > :03:12.There has been a national campaign to make hospitals aware of treating
:03:12. > :03:15.older people with dignity. If you wouldn't want to be treated that
:03:15. > :03:18.way yourself, why would you treat somebody else like that?
:03:18. > :03:22.hospital has said in this case it did make a mistake, she shouldn't
:03:22. > :03:26.have been discharged in the way she was at the time that she was. How
:03:26. > :03:29.concerned are you generally about the discharge of elderly paeurbs, -
:03:29. > :03:33.- patients, do you think there is too much pressure to get beds freed
:03:33. > :03:37.up? There is pressure to free beds up and I do appreciate that as far
:03:37. > :03:40.as the hospital's concerned if someone no longer has a clinical
:03:40. > :03:45.need to be in hospital, they should be discharged as quickly as
:03:45. > :03:50.possible into the community. However, I think the needs of the
:03:50. > :03:54.individual should be taken into account and in this case clearly
:03:54. > :04:00.something went wrong but I just think that someone somewhere along
:04:00. > :04:03.the line should have questioned the fact that we are sending somebody
:04:03. > :04:07.who's old home in the middle of the night in January wearing nothing
:04:07. > :04:12.but a hospital gown. Common sense sense does not seem to have kicked
:04:12. > :04:14.in along the line. We hear more now about care for the elderly, partly
:04:14. > :04:20.because we are living longer so either people are elderly
:04:20. > :04:24.themselves or they have elderly relatives. Absolutely, yes. You
:04:24. > :04:29.know, the demographic trend, particularly in Buckinghamshire we
:04:29. > :04:37.are going to have more people over 65 than ever before and a lot will
:04:37. > :04:39.be 85-plus. Thank you. The father of a soldier based in
:04:39. > :04:42.Bicester who was killed in Afghanistan says the Army should
:04:42. > :04:46.get its act together and look after its lads. Corporal Andrew Roberts
:04:46. > :04:48.and Private Ratu Silibaravi from 2- 3 Pioneer Regiment were killed in a
:04:48. > :04:51.mortar attack in Helmand Province last May. Their colleagues told an
:04:51. > :04:54.inquest in Oxford that fortifications to their base were
:04:54. > :04:59.strengthened too late. Sinead Carroll reports.
:04:59. > :05:03.He was known as ginge to his friends. 32-year-old father of
:05:03. > :05:06.three corporate Andrew Roberts had been accepted for voluntary
:05:06. > :05:16.redundancy so 2012's tour of Afghanistan would have been his
:05:16. > :05:19.
:05:19. > :05:29.last. Just loved life. Loved his job. Yeah, a son you wish for.
:05:29. > :05:29.
:05:29. > :05:32.year-old Private Silibaravi was killed with Andrew Roberts last May.
:05:32. > :05:36.The They were sitting inside their base when they were attacked. It
:05:36. > :05:39.was a hot morning and despite anxieties about an increased threat
:05:39. > :05:43.from the Taliban, none of the soldiers had been forced to wear
:05:43. > :05:47.their full body armour. Questions were also raised today about
:05:47. > :05:53.whether the forward operating base in Helmand was adequately protected.
:05:53. > :05:58.Both men died at the scene. The army need to get their act
:05:58. > :06:00.together and look after lads better, not put other things first. That
:06:00. > :06:05.should have been protected first and then done the other areas that
:06:06. > :06:09.they need to be doing. Despite the questions raised here at Oxford
:06:09. > :06:14.coroner's court about the armour provision, about the way that the
:06:14. > :06:18.base was fortified, and indeed about whether the attack could have
:06:18. > :06:22.been predicted, the coroner decided against making any recommendations
:06:22. > :06:27.to the MoD. He said that the changes that had been made since
:06:27. > :06:35.last May at the base were adequate. Instead, he recorded two verdicts
:06:35. > :06:39.of unlawful killing while on active service.
:06:39. > :06:41.A man described as the naked rambler has failed to have a case
:06:41. > :06:44.against him dismissed at Oxford Crown Court. Steven Gough from
:06:44. > :06:47.Eastleigh in Hampshire has appeared in court on numerous occasions in
:06:47. > :06:51.the last few years. Last December, he was arrested for outraging
:06:51. > :06:57.public decency in Carterton. He appeared naked in court today and
:06:57. > :07:00.was told by the judge that his case would go to trial. River levels are
:07:00. > :07:03.expected to rise across the region over the next few days. Some roads
:07:03. > :07:07.and acres of farmland are flooded. Up to three centimetres of rain
:07:07. > :07:10.could fall in the next few days - half the usual amount for the whole
:07:10. > :07:15.of January. The Environment Agency is warning that further flooding is
:07:15. > :07:18.possible. Almost �2 million needs to be spent on dilapidated
:07:19. > :07:21.community centres in Oxford. Jericho Community Association,
:07:22. > :07:26.along with Donnington Centre and East Oxford Games Hall, are in the
:07:26. > :07:32.worst condition. Oxford City Council owns most of the buildings
:07:32. > :07:35.and is negotiating with the landlord in Jericho. It says the
:07:35. > :07:40.works aren't urgent, a view disputed by those using the centres.
:07:40. > :07:44.This building is very much the centre of the community in Jericho
:07:44. > :07:48.and it's full seven days a week from 9.00am until 10.00pm at night.
:07:48. > :07:52.Everything from baby and toddler groups to pole dancing classes and
:07:52. > :07:59.it's a vital part of the community and yet the building's falling to
:07:59. > :08:02.pieces. Sometimes the simplest ideas are
:08:02. > :08:06.the best, and it was a simple idea that became a worldwide success for
:08:06. > :08:09.an Oxfordshire woman. 30 years ago today, Leslie Scott launched the
:08:09. > :08:12.game Jenga - a toy that's gone on to sell more than 50 million sets
:08:12. > :08:15.across the world. James Ingham has been to meet her.
:08:16. > :08:19.What's not to like? Young children love building and knocking over
:08:19. > :08:25.towers. So a game based on that premise had potential. At least
:08:25. > :08:29.that was the hope of Jenga's inventor 30 years ago. I thought it
:08:29. > :08:37.was going to be successful, but I don't think I even I at that time
:08:37. > :08:42.would have said it would be 54 million units of the game sold. I
:08:42. > :08:50.mean, that's mind-blowing really. Tell me where you got this idea
:08:50. > :08:55.from. It kind of evolved. My much younger brother, who was a baby at
:08:55. > :08:59.the time, had a set of playing blocks. Didn't really think that it
:08:59. > :09:03.was anything that unusual. Just thought this is what people did
:09:03. > :09:08.with blocks of wood. It was some years later that I decided to
:09:08. > :09:12.actually make a game of it and take it to market. But this wasn't an
:09:12. > :09:16.overnight success. At her first toy fair 30 years ago today, no one
:09:16. > :09:24.paid any attention. Eventually a Canadian company showed interest
:09:24. > :09:29.and it gradually took off. It's a lot of luck. I think there
:09:29. > :09:33.is determination but I think without the luck I don't know that
:09:33. > :09:38.- I don't think it would have succeeded. But succeed it did. Two
:09:38. > :09:42.million packs are sold around the world every year. Leslie has
:09:42. > :09:51.devised around 40 games since, and is working on a new idea now, but
:09:51. > :09:54.it's her first that's going to be hard to beat.