:00:00. > :00:07.Welcome to Wales Today - our top stories:
:00:08. > :00:11.Patients protested at proposed changes to hospital services.
:00:12. > :00:13.The new man in charge admits it's a struggling health trust
:00:14. > :00:27.The organisation is struggling. The health board is in special measures.
:00:28. > :00:29.I understand there has been a lot of coverage that has been critical. We
:00:30. > :00:42.have let people down. Jordan Miers missing
:00:43. > :00:48.since a night out in Swansea - police comb the river bank
:00:49. > :00:50.in the hope of finding clues. Should MPs from
:00:51. > :00:52.Westminster be allowed We'll be hearing why it might
:00:53. > :00:58.improve how Cardiff bay works. the fire at a woodchip plant,
:00:59. > :01:02.burning since the begining And Michael Sheen as Christ
:01:03. > :01:08.in Port Talbot's Passion. It's goodbye to the Director
:01:09. > :01:11.of National Theatre Wales - who changed the face
:01:12. > :01:15.of our theatre. Problems remain and there
:01:16. > :01:19.are no easy solutions. That's the message from the newly
:01:20. > :01:21.appointed boss of Wales's In an interview with Wales Today,
:01:22. > :01:27.Gary Doherty the new chief executive of the troubled Betsi Cadwaladr says
:01:28. > :01:31.the health board has You can hear the
:01:32. > :01:39.interview in a moment. But first Roger Pinney reports
:01:40. > :01:42.on a troubled year for the NHS And his report begins
:01:43. > :01:56.with some descriptions The NHS hardly ever seemed out of
:01:57. > :02:01.the headlines. I found him lying flat in a pool of stale urine and he
:02:02. > :02:08.was restrained by an empty bed to keep him in place. I think the whole
:02:09. > :02:14.experience should be raised to the ground. It should be obliterated.
:02:15. > :02:17.What relatives told us following a report which described inhumane
:02:18. > :02:22.conditions at one of Betsi Cadwaladr's mental health units. The
:02:23. > :02:27.scandal plunged the organisation to its lowest ebb and within weeks the
:02:28. > :02:34.Welsh government has stepped in. As time has gone on, things have come
:02:35. > :02:37.out which frankly leave us saddened and disappointed. We are determined
:02:38. > :02:43.to make sure that no stone is left unturned and we do put these things
:02:44. > :02:47.right. Betsi Cadwaladr was placed in special measures. The Chief
:02:48. > :02:54.Executive, Trevor Pert, suspended. Carrying the can for the failings in
:02:55. > :02:58.Wales' biggest organisation. Public confidence was slipping away long
:02:59. > :03:03.before this. The Health Minister seemed to admit as much. It leads to
:03:04. > :03:12.listen to what it is being told by the local population rather than
:03:13. > :03:18.informing them of their already formed intentions. The Betsi
:03:19. > :03:24.Cadwaladr board said it wanted to remove Doctor led maternity care
:03:25. > :03:31.from one hospital, temporary measure while problems were sorted out. Many
:03:32. > :03:36.simply did not believe that assurance and thousands came to the
:03:37. > :03:41.streets to protest. There has now been a rethink but questions still
:03:42. > :03:44.remain about the long-term viability of the maternity service. That is
:03:45. > :03:48.the point you can have as many new bosses as you like but the issues
:03:49. > :03:55.remain. There will still be shortages of specialist nurses,
:03:56. > :03:56.middle ranking Doctor's GPs and some ponder whether the health board will
:03:57. > :03:59.even continue to exist. Just before we came on air,
:04:00. > :04:02.I spoke to the new boss of Chief Executive of
:04:03. > :04:03.Betsi Cadawaldr Health Board, I put to him that point
:04:04. > :04:07.in Roger Pinney's report that you can have as many
:04:08. > :04:18.new bosses as you like, The organisation is struggling and
:04:19. > :04:23.the health board is in special measures. There has been a lot of
:04:24. > :04:26.coverage that has been critical. We have let people down and we need to
:04:27. > :04:33.make the improvements that we need to make. It is a great place to work
:04:34. > :04:36.and I want to make it a great place for everybody and patients to get
:04:37. > :04:42.care and a great partner to work with. I am confident we will be able
:04:43. > :04:48.to do that. It hasn't always been a great place to get care. How do you
:04:49. > :04:55.rebuild public confidence? That is your challenge. How do you do that?
:04:56. > :04:59.When people can see things getting better and they know I am a man of
:05:00. > :05:07.high words, those things together will help tackle that issue. Many
:05:08. > :05:13.people think Betsi Cadwaladr health board is too big geographically. Can
:05:14. > :05:17.it survive in its present form? Size is a great strength but it is also a
:05:18. > :05:23.challenge making everyone feel part of one organisation. I do think that
:05:24. > :05:28.we need to look at that size as a strength and build on it and make
:05:29. > :05:32.the most of it that we can. Recently, the First Minister didn't
:05:33. > :05:36.seem that convinced. He suggested that Betsi Cadwaladr's future could
:05:37. > :05:42.be reviewed after the forthcoming election. Nothing stays the same
:05:43. > :05:47.forever. Hopefully we can work together on it and whatever we come
:05:48. > :05:53.up with, it will be the best thing for the patience and the staff and
:05:54. > :05:58.that is what everybody wants. It's made the cut up? I haven't started
:05:59. > :06:02.in the health board yet. Give me a chance to get in there. If we can be
:06:03. > :06:07.a successful organisation and do what we need to do, I don't see any
:06:08. > :06:12.reason why anybody will make organisational changes. How do we
:06:13. > :06:16.measure if you have been successful? We need to do better on waiting
:06:17. > :06:24.search -- waiting times. I hope I can get out and meet people and hope
:06:25. > :06:27.that people have confidence in me. When you meet people, many have been
:06:28. > :06:32.protesting in North Wales and they will tell you what they want is to
:06:33. > :06:35.stop health service managers meddling local services. It is
:06:36. > :06:42.difficult to push through change in the NHS and Wales, isn't it? I
:06:43. > :06:46.understand the passion that people feel for the NHS. If we work
:06:47. > :06:49.together and we have good reasons to make changes, they will come
:06:50. > :06:54.through. If we don't have good reasons, we shouldn't be doing them.
:06:55. > :07:00.Nobody seems to stay long in that job. How long will you stay? I am
:07:01. > :07:03.planning to stay a long time. You need to get to know an organisation
:07:04. > :07:08.and deliver what you need to deliver on. I have to make improvements
:07:09. > :07:13.quickly but I am hoping I will be there a long time because I think it
:07:14. > :07:22.is a good place to be and a job I am proud to have. Thank you very much.
:07:23. > :07:26.Now, the rest of the news. Police in Swansea are continuing
:07:27. > :07:29.to search for a 21-year-old man who's been missing
:07:30. > :07:30.since Saturday night. It's understood that
:07:31. > :07:32.Jordan Miers from Bonymaen, had been out with friends
:07:33. > :07:34.in the city centre Areas along the River Tawe have been
:07:35. > :07:39.the main focus of the search so far. After almost three days
:07:40. > :07:43.of nonstop searching, there are still very few clues
:07:44. > :07:46.as to what has happened to Jordan A popular football coach
:07:47. > :07:51.in the community and a recent university graduate,
:07:52. > :07:52.his disappearance has been described by some of those who know him best,
:07:53. > :07:57.as totally out of character. Like many young people
:07:58. > :08:00.over the festive period, he had been out enjoying
:08:01. > :08:03.himself with friends in the city The last sighting of Jordan was just
:08:04. > :08:10.after ten o'clock on Saturday night outside the Toys "R" Us store
:08:11. > :08:13.in the Park Tower retail and leisure It is believed he might
:08:14. > :08:16.have been planning It is likely he would have crossed
:08:17. > :08:21.this road and made his way along the River Tawe in the direction
:08:22. > :08:23.of the Liberty Stadium. That is where the police have been
:08:24. > :08:26.concentrating that search. Jordan is described as tall and slim
:08:27. > :08:29.and was wearing light blue jeans, a blue shirt, a burgundy
:08:30. > :08:33.jumper and brown Police officers as well as family
:08:34. > :08:47.and friends have spent the last few days searching in difficult
:08:48. > :08:50.conditions and many others have sent It is a very tight-knit
:08:51. > :08:55.community and we want them to know that we are thinking
:08:56. > :08:59.of the family and everyone is very concerned and is helping
:09:00. > :09:02.out with the search. As the searching continues,
:09:03. > :09:08.Southwest police is asking for anyone with CCTV
:09:09. > :09:09.cameras that cover the general area around
:09:10. > :09:16.the river, to get in touch. A driver who crashed and killed
:09:17. > :09:19.a teenage girl after squeezing seven friends into a stolen van
:09:20. > :09:22.in Rhondda Cynon Taff, has been warned he faces
:09:23. > :09:26.a substantial jail sentence. Sammy Jo Davies died at the scene
:09:27. > :09:29.of the crash in Aberdare in August. Kyle Perkins pleaded
:09:30. > :09:33.guilty to three charges, including causing death
:09:34. > :09:37.by dangerous driving. An education watchdog has
:09:38. > :09:42.launched an investigation into the West London Vocational
:09:43. > :09:45.Training College in Cardiff and its sister campus in London,
:09:46. > :09:47.following concerns highlighted Allegations of fraud
:09:48. > :09:54.were raised after a reporter, posing as a student,
:09:55. > :09:57.was offered a loan to study at the private college
:09:58. > :10:00.using fake qualifications. South Wales Police is also
:10:01. > :10:03.investigating the college. It's owner has denied
:10:04. > :10:08.knowing of any wrongdoing. It's been burning since
:10:09. > :10:10.the beginning of the month. But a fire that's causing an acrid
:10:11. > :10:13.stink across parts of Newport, may not be put out
:10:14. > :10:16.for another three days. Firefighters say they're
:10:17. > :10:19.still damping down thousands of tonnes of wood chippings
:10:20. > :10:22.in the Docks area of the city. The experts warned it could take
:10:23. > :10:30.weeks to put out and that has proven Around 20,000 tonnes of recycled
:10:31. > :10:33.wood chippings was once piled up here at Alexandra docks,
:10:34. > :10:38.stored ready for export abroad The fire crews and their equipment
:10:39. > :10:46.first moved in on the 6th of December when smoke poured
:10:47. > :10:49.across the river and across much It was brought under
:10:50. > :10:54.control but yesterday fire crews returned
:10:55. > :10:57.as the problem flared up again. trying to put out this seat of this
:10:58. > :11:04.fire when we have had so much rain Matt Jones is from South
:11:05. > :11:09.Wales Fire and Rescue What is unusual about this fireis
:11:10. > :11:13.that it's making it tricky to We have between seven and 10,000
:11:14. > :11:18.tonnes of a mixture of wood chippings and different
:11:19. > :11:19.types of wood. We are aiming to dig away at this
:11:20. > :11:27.and deal with these hot spots. We are doing everything we can
:11:28. > :11:30.to suppress the smoke The stuff down here which is sodden
:11:31. > :11:37.wet, which isn't going to burn in itself, the stuff under our feet
:11:38. > :11:41.is different and it is bone dry The layer underneath
:11:42. > :11:46.is well insulated and that is where
:11:47. > :11:49.the fire is occurring. We are using heavy machines to dig
:11:50. > :11:52.away at that and put copious amounts of water
:11:53. > :11:56.on to distinguish the fire. For those nearby, the smell has
:11:57. > :11:59.been the worst thing. It is a chemical based
:12:00. > :12:04.smell and it is pungent. Where we are on the docks,
:12:05. > :12:08.as soon as it comes up, As this material is wet,
:12:09. > :12:18.there is always a danger They hhope to completely extinguish
:12:19. > :12:22.the flames and hopefully get rid of the smell within
:12:23. > :12:28.the next 72 hours. I'll tell you if I weren't
:12:29. > :12:35.a married man... Mametz Wood, performed
:12:36. > :12:37.in a Welsh forest, now the director of National Theatre
:12:38. > :12:41.Wales takes his final bow. And you might be dreaming of a white
:12:42. > :12:44.Christmas - but dream on - Should Welsh MPs be allowed
:12:45. > :12:55.to become ministers in Cardiff Bay? The suggestion is it
:12:56. > :13:01.would improve the talent on offer But the former Assembly Presiding
:13:02. > :13:05.Officer Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas says it would be unconstitutional
:13:06. > :13:07.and absurd. Here's our Political
:13:08. > :13:12.Correspondent, Arwyn Jones. Two institutions which have
:13:13. > :13:15.the greatest say on so many parts The Welsh Assembly is set to gain
:13:16. > :13:19.new powers and members there say they are snowed under
:13:20. > :13:22.and need my help. At the same time in Westminster,
:13:23. > :13:26.following the English votes for English laws,
:13:27. > :13:29.there's a view there will be less At the moment, only members
:13:30. > :13:33.of the Welsh assembly are allowed to be ministers in the Welsh
:13:34. > :13:36.government but if we arrive at that situation where there are greater
:13:37. > :13:40.powers for this place and MPs from Wales in Westminster have
:13:41. > :13:44.fewer responsibilities, where one solution might be
:13:45. > :13:47.that we use the experience of those Westminster politicians
:13:48. > :13:53.here in Cardiff Bay. The body representing
:13:54. > :13:56.accountants in Wales and England says it will
:13:57. > :14:01.help to expand the talent pool As we have 40 MPs who are reluctant
:14:02. > :14:10.members to Westminster -- elected members to Westminster
:14:11. > :14:16.and their roles in Westminster are diminishing, then why
:14:17. > :14:18.not utilise those MPs The relationship between the Welsh
:14:19. > :14:23.government and Westminster will be improved with those
:14:24. > :14:25.MPs will involved. It will bring great talents
:14:26. > :14:27.and more opportunity. The former Presiding Officer
:14:28. > :14:29.the former AM sits in the Lords. Speaking from Westminster today
:14:30. > :14:31.he said the proposals would be It is unconstitutional and absurd
:14:32. > :14:37.because the Welsh people have voted twice in the referendum
:14:38. > :14:41.with increasing majorities for a National Assembly
:14:42. > :14:46.for Wales to which Welsh assembly members were elected
:14:47. > :14:52.to form the Welsh government Therefore, the idea that
:14:53. > :14:56.somebody should be imported from Westminster, from either house,
:14:57. > :15:00.to appear as ministers in Cardiff is totally contradict
:15:01. > :15:05.illusionary and In Lords, they sit around
:15:06. > :15:12.the Cabinet table so could The fear is it could blur the lines
:15:13. > :15:16.about who is responsible It would be confusing
:15:17. > :15:20.if you are trying to figure out which MP to vote for
:15:21. > :15:24.in a general election. Thinking about their campaign
:15:25. > :15:28.promises and what they were doing in Westminster and six months later
:15:29. > :15:32.they turn up in the Senate, The Welsh government
:15:33. > :15:43.says it can't see any For the moment, it
:15:44. > :15:46.seems the members of these two institutions will be
:15:47. > :15:48.staying quite separate. Live to our Parliamentary
:15:49. > :15:50.Correspondent David Cornock at David, an interesting suggestion,
:15:51. > :16:03.but will it ever happen? the law as it currently stands says
:16:04. > :16:07.the First Minister chooses his or her Welsh government ministers from
:16:08. > :16:12.among assembly members. There is a big legal obstacle to consider
:16:13. > :16:16.first. Then there are the political hurdles that will have to be
:16:17. > :16:21.overcome. The law could be changed but that would require a consensus
:16:22. > :16:25.among political parties and today it appears that among mainstream
:16:26. > :16:32.political parties, it is something of a friendless idea. Members of the
:16:33. > :16:37.House of Lords consider around David Cameron's table and they are
:16:38. > :16:40.accountable to the House of Lords. MPs who were Welsh government
:16:41. > :16:46.ministers wouldn't be accountable 2am is. Would they agree? Turkeys at
:16:47. > :16:48.this time of year, they never vote for Christmas.
:16:49. > :16:49.Charities say they're becoming increasingly concerned
:16:50. > :16:52.about the effect legal highs are having on homeless people.
:16:53. > :16:54.They say the use of so called synthetic cannabis among rough
:16:55. > :16:57.Drugs workers say they're seeing a rise
:16:58. > :16:59.in the number of overdoses, as the effects are
:17:00. > :17:07.Sweeping its way through the homeless community,
:17:08. > :17:12.a substance thatprovides oblivion but destroys lives.
:17:13. > :17:18.You can be speaking to someone and they don't
:17:19. > :17:21.know their names and are hallucinating.
:17:22. > :17:26.The street name for synthetic cannabis is the drug of choice
:17:27. > :17:31.for a rough sleepers.
:17:32. > :17:34.Spice itself has been banned, but it has become a brand-name
:17:35. > :17:39.for a range of many other legal highs.
:17:40. > :17:42.Users undergo a marked change in their
:17:43. > :17:47.perception of reality and it is proving appealing
:17:48. > :17:58.To deal with life being hard, you need to tranquillising self.
:17:59. > :18:22.She has been using it for three years and it is highly addictive and
:18:23. > :18:27.difficult for drug workers to treat. We have what we need to work with
:18:28. > :18:32.other drugs but with this, we don't have that and we are wiggly --
:18:33. > :18:34.winging it. There is no research on it.
:18:35. > :18:36.Specialist support service in Wales' capital city help
:18:37. > :18:43.Battling mental health problems and drug addiction,
:18:44. > :18:47.she told me what it was like to end up on the streets.
:18:48. > :18:48.Horrendous and terrifying and you become
:18:49. > :18:57.I had foot rot and all my toe nails fell off.
:18:58. > :19:11.The publicity in Manchester in Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville along held
:19:12. > :19:15.moustache homeless people to be in a building before it was renovated has
:19:16. > :19:19.promoted a raft of online petitions calling on other councils to follow
:19:20. > :19:23.and open up their empty buildings. But given the additional problems
:19:24. > :19:30.many rough sleepers face, it is not something Cardiff is planning. The
:19:31. > :19:35.provision we provide is a totality of a wraparound.
:19:36. > :19:40.The idea of emptying and opening an empty
:19:41. > :19:45.office building, it has to be staffed by people who can
:19:46. > :19:52.It is feared it may not help the homeless community with these
:19:53. > :19:59.Huge variations in council spending on mental health are worrying,
:20:00. > :20:07.according to the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
:20:08. > :20:09.They say while Monmouthshire spent around 11% of its adult
:20:10. > :20:12.social care budget on mental health, Blaenau Gwent spent just
:20:13. > :20:15.The Welsh Local Government Association says
:20:16. > :20:18.councils are committed to high standards, at a time when demand
:20:19. > :20:22.The Welsh Government says the figures don't include
:20:23. > :20:27.Local authorities are making decisions about how they use
:20:28. > :20:34.that mental health is taking a back-seat by comparison to other
:20:35. > :20:43.Patients with conditions such as dementia and
:20:44. > :20:45.need care packages, they need access to day centres.
:20:46. > :20:47.We are putting vulnerable people in danger by not
:20:48. > :20:50.giving them the services they require.
:20:51. > :20:52.A former S4C executive has called on the Welsh language broadcaster
:20:53. > :20:54.to automatically display English subtitles on all of its
:20:55. > :21:00.Tweli Griffiths says the idea could attract more viewers
:21:01. > :21:02.and has been prompted by the decline in the number
:21:03. > :21:07.S4C said the idea was interesting, and it provided subtitles for more
:21:08. > :21:14.than 78% of its current programme output.
:21:15. > :21:16.A final curtain call and a bow tonight for the outgoing founder
:21:17. > :21:18.and chief executive of National Theatre Wales
:21:19. > :21:25.John McGrath says he leaves at a vibrant time
:21:26. > :21:28.He's stepping down to run the Manchester International
:21:29. > :21:31.He launched National Theatre Wales in 2009
:21:32. > :21:33.with a remit to stage original and creative productions,
:21:34. > :21:35.many of them in unusual locations across Wales.
:21:36. > :21:56.Rehearsals for the inflatable candy lion. The final show under John
:21:57. > :22:07.McGrath's seven years at the National Theatre Wales. It has been
:22:08. > :22:11.a total joy to setup National Theatre Wales and have this amazing
:22:12. > :22:17.time with the Welsh artists. One of the great joys of not having a
:22:18. > :22:23.traditional venue, is that you are thinking of everything from scratch.
:22:24. > :22:32.You type -- starting each time with anything and anywhere. What might it
:22:33. > :22:43.be and what do we want to do? That ethos led to the staging of The
:22:44. > :22:51.Passion, starring Martin Sheen. There was an audience of almost 6000
:22:52. > :22:56.people over several days. Musician, Griff Rhys, is behind this final
:22:57. > :23:03.production and National Theatre Wales has been responsible for some
:23:04. > :23:08.unique innovative performances. John has done a lot to make that happen
:23:09. > :23:15.and it is exciting for him to be moving on and exciting for the
:23:16. > :23:24.company... I am sure he will pass them onto someone new. John
:23:25. > :23:35.McGrath's remit to make creative productions in unusual locations led
:23:36. > :23:46.him to do a play representing world more monuments at less arm. I think
:23:47. > :23:52.it is in a vibrant state at the moment. It has been wondering to see
:23:53. > :23:56.the independent companies and new performances and other artists that
:23:57. > :24:02.are making work, putting it on in all sorts of places. If they have
:24:03. > :24:05.inspired people to think that you can put art on anywhere, then that
:24:06. > :24:10.is a fantastic legacy for us to have.
:24:11. > :24:14.The Wales scrum half Gareth Davies says he never considered leaving
:24:15. > :24:15.the Scarlets, despite interest from elsewhere.
:24:16. > :24:17.The 25-year-old, who scored five tries
:24:18. > :24:20.has signed a two year deal with the region.
:24:21. > :24:23.Davies confirmed, that although there had been talk
:24:24. > :24:28.about a national dual contract, one was never offered.
:24:29. > :24:30.Welsh sailor Hannah Mills says the polluted waters of Rio
:24:31. > :24:33.could hinder her chances of winning Gold at next year's Olympics.
:24:34. > :24:36.Mills and Saskia Clark finished the year with victory in the 4-70
:24:37. > :24:40.Earlier this month, the Rio 2016 organising committee said
:24:41. > :24:41.the water meets the relevant standards.
:24:42. > :24:46.But World Sailing says the water quality in Rio
:24:47. > :24:56.Plenty of water here in the form of rain.
:24:57. > :25:05.Derek's got tonight's forecast - its drying up tomorrow?
:25:06. > :25:12.It is better tomorrow. We could do with a lot of dry weather.
:25:13. > :25:14.At Capel Curig around 800mm has fallen so far.
:25:15. > :25:16.That's over 2.5 feet and more than double the average
:25:17. > :25:20.At the moment there are four flood warnings in force in mid,
:25:21. > :25:29.This picture of the River Conwy looking very swollen was taken
:25:30. > :25:34.by our weather watcher Jannette in Llanrwst.
:25:35. > :25:36.This evening heavy rain will soon clear leaving clear spells
:25:37. > :25:42.The showers heavy in places with gusty winds.
:25:43. > :25:50.Temperatures inland dropping as low as 4 or 5 Celsius.
:25:51. > :25:58.A few showers dotted around but on the whole a lot of dry
:25:59. > :26:07.We'll all see some sunshine for a change.
:26:08. > :26:09.Top temperatures 8 to 11 Celsius and breezy.
:26:10. > :26:11.The wind strengthening during the afternoon and evening.
:26:12. > :26:15.Severe gales in Irish Sea with more heavy rain spreading east
:26:16. > :26:20.The rough weather associated with the next Atlantic storm
:26:21. > :26:32.The far north and northwest of Scotland Ireland will
:26:33. > :26:36.But here in Wales Christmas Eve will start wet and windy.
:26:37. > :26:42.Brighter and less windy with sunshine and showers.
:26:43. > :26:45.The air a bit colder so the showers will turn wintry on high ground
:26:46. > :26:50.with a little snow on the mountain tops.
:26:51. > :26:56.A dry start too bar the odd shower but it won't last.
:26:57. > :26:58.More rain will spread from the southwest.
:26:59. > :27:02.The wind picking-up and turning milder again.
:27:03. > :27:06.Boxing Day windy and mild with outbreaks of rain and drizzle.
:27:07. > :27:08.So tomorrow the best day of the week.
:27:09. > :27:14.Watch out for more heavy rain and strong winds tomorrow night
:27:15. > :27:32.The headlines: The new boss of Betsi Cadwaladr health board has told this
:27:33. > :27:36.programme problems remain and there are no easy solutions. Gary Doherty
:27:37. > :27:39.roommate -- said the health board has let people down. More on all of
:27:40. > :27:41.the stories on our website. That's Wales Today thank
:27:42. > :27:45.you for watching from all of us