26/06/2014 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Dominic Heale. First

tonight a massive shake up of the NHS in Leicester as it confronts a

funding crisis. We're being told, without radical changes, thd money

will run out, services will have to be cut and even patient safdty could

be compromised. Doing nothing, NHS bosses say, would lead to htndreds

of millions of pounds of debt in just a few years. It's likely to

mean fewer beds in our big hospitals. Our health correspondent

Rob Sissons reports. Without action we are told the financial problems

will simply get worse. Up to eight five million overspend in fhve

years. `` a ?400 million ovdrspend. One of the problems is the `geing

population. The number of over 5s set to increase by 12% in that time

in this region. The hospitals will have to go from three to two.

Intensive care, complex surgery and the maternity unit at the gdneral

could all be transferred to two other hospitals in Leicester. The

boss of Leicester's hospitals says to acute sites are no longer viable.

We will be in serious trouble in a few years' time. Firstly, wd will

not be able to sustain clinhcally the services we have at the moment,

particularly the way they are arranged around the city. Wd will

not have enough money to sustain them, we get piecemeal cuts. We want

to avoid that at all costs. In future we will see more pathents

like Ann, she says the NHS lust spend money smarter but also provide

specialist facilities for p`tients with dementia. I was in a w`rd with

four patients who had dementia, it is a nightmare being in a w`rd with

them. They scream all night long. This leading GP in the city says

without brave and bold decisions, Leicestershire's NHS system will

collapse. The whole system hs struggling. Patients cannot get

appointments with GPs quite often. A departments are busy, hospital

wards are full. We have to look at the different way to providd

services. The big idea is to shift more help away from hospitals and

closer to the homes of patidnts in the community. Saying it is one

thing, delivering it will bd quite another. So, is moving servhces into

the community the way the NHS has to go? I put the question to Bdccy

Ashton from the King's Fund, an independent thinktank which carries

out research into the health service. I think we need to look at

very different models of how a service is delivered to pathents. It

makes sense to do that. There is not necessarily evidence it is luch

cheaper to provide care for people in their own homes but it is

certainly better for them and their families. Quietly as they are a

financial crisis facing the NHS `` why is there? There has been flat

funding. That is since 2010 and yet and is going up, partly due to an

increase in population, partly the costs of medical technology and the

cost of clear, while demand is rising we need up to 6% extra a year

depending on the calculations you use, you can see why there hs a gap

developing. Between three and 6 at two keep up with public expdctation

and the land, roughly in th`t area. Thank you. Legal proceedings have

begun to get a group of travellers removed from a busy car park. Around

20 caravans moved onto the Park And Ride site at Pride Park in Derby

over the weekend. The City Council says it's served them with `n order

to leave. And the authority says it's been told by the travellers

that they intend to go withhn the next few days. A union says it's

shocked by proposed cuts whhch would see over 100 firefighters lose their

jobs. The Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has to save over ?7

million over the next five xears. Fire chiefs say lives won't be put

at risk. Quentin Rayner reports Firefighters training this lorning

but if the cuts go through their numbers could be reduced by up to

one quarter. Our members ard in shock at the moment. We are

terrified. Terrified for our own safety and for the safety of the

public. The implications of what has been suggested is so signifhcant. Is

it your opinion lives will be put at risk by these proposed cuts? Without

a doubt. Firefighters lives will be put at risk and the public's lives

will be put at risk. Three local regions will all lose a fird engine

and manning of pumps will bd reduced from five to four. The servhce will

not be the same but people will not be put in extra danger, says the

fire chief. It does ensure we are able to meet the risk. Will lives be

put at risk? We do not think so The proposals that are put forw`rd we

believe we can still maintahn adequate resources against the risk

in particular areas. We do not believe that is the case. It is

hoped people in Leicestershhre will agree to a small rise in cotncil tax

to reduce the need for cuts in the service. If they do not, thd cuts

will come into effect next @pril. That's your news. So, it's goodbye

from me, but with your weather now, here's Anna Church. After the dry

weather we have had recentlx it is all change. Some heavy showdrs on

the way. Cloud has been increasing through the day to day from the

south`west. Fairly light and patchy rain tonight itself with thd minimum

temperature of 12 Celsius. Some cloudy skies with outbreaks of rain

through the morning on Frid`y. The risk of heavy showers and some rain

and thunder. The rainfall m`y lead to some localised flooding. Top

temperature around 16 Celsits. On Saturday there will be a good deal

of dry weather around. Also a scattering of showers is possible.

In a few moments we the outlook, hopefully by Sunday

most of us will be dry. Alex has more detail now.

If you have a barometer wowily have seen the pre low pressure moving in.

There will be some sunny spells tomorrow but more downpours.

There is a greater risk of seeing thunder and lightening. Here is the

low pressure. Most of the showers have been