02/09/2014 East Midlands Today

degrees. Thursday, more of the same. Is that is all from us. Now

Tonight ` a breakthrough in the fight against a killer superbug.

He knows that can smell deadly infections. Commuters promise faster

journeys. Why the Catholic Church is now recruiting priests from Africa.

One of the busiest ECMO wants in the world. `` wants.

Good evening and welcome to Tuesday's programme.

It's the word that chills everyone going into hospital:

Well scientists in Leicester have developed a new weapon in the fight

Four people a day are dying from Chlostridium difficile or C Diff.

Now, as Jo Healey reports, researchers in Leicester have made

a breakthrough in the form of an 'electronic nose'.

His father got the infection while in hospital in Leicester.

You go from being fit and healthy to, you know,

His father survived but every year in this country more

than 1500 people who are infected die. That is most associated with

hospitals and it costs the NHS millions of pounds each year,

But treating it is difficult because there are more than 450

So that is where this electronic nose comes in.

It can analyse patients' faeces, find the bug and the variety.

What we have been doing is sniffing out the bugs here.

What we take in is the gases that come out from the

bugs than we chemically fingerprint them in this machine here.

We draw it in and we produce a chemical fingerprint that allows us

to look at the individual chemical molecules that make up the smell.

The real significance of that is we are able to differentiate those that

are infectious from those that are non`infectious, from the smells.

At the moment, patients get a blanket treatment with antibiotics.

What this electronic nose can do is distinguish

between the different strains and therefore allow a lot more targeted

The patient would not be given an antibiotic

If you can find a way of treating the right type of it, then yes, you

Hospitals are working hard to reduce it but also welcome the new research

Well, we heard there hospitals have been trying to bring C Diff

Well, at their peak there were many people with this awful infection

In 2007 the Leicester Royal Infirmary reported

nearly 2,000 cases ` it now averages around 60 cases a year.

In recent years, NHS England has really toughened up on hospitals `

What this shows is the number of cases of C Diff each of our main

The red figures show how many they actually recorded,

although it's important to say they told us many of the cases weren't

Now in recent years, for every patient who was infected with C Diff

in hospital over and above those permitted totals the hospital could

Earlier this year, that penalty was reduced to ?10,000 but still

Well no, I've been told this afternoon, they're now worried about

a new group of antibiotic resistant bowel bacteria, known as CRE `

Cases are spreading in London and the north west and patients

going into hospitals here will be screened for this from next month.

Next tonight, wildlife groups have given

a cautious welcome to the news that the government is going to part`fund

It will include large parts of the East Midlands, in an attempt

But a second planned cull of badgers in one badly affected

A badger is vaccinated against Tibet doses after being trapped. Today ``

against trabecular doses. To back you losers. Our it is good the

government is putting some money on the table so we welcome that but we

do have some concerns about the amount of money involved. And as of

money involved. And also be coordination which is lacking.

Vaccination projects could also receive advice from experts. Also

free loans of traps and free supplies of vaccines. But the second

planned badger cull in the south`west of the country is going

ahead. We know that there is no single measure run it saying it will

tackle the problem. The disease has now been spitting for around 15

years. It covers a large part of the country and we're slaughtering

33,000 cattle a year. We do think there is a role for vaccination on

the edge of the visit is `` disease. There was no scientific evidence to

suggest that a cull will solve the problem. We are totally opposed to

any cull comment adoption. This is the way to go we never said we could

vaccinate every badger but we are showing the way it can be done. We

need more reason is as an quarter nation from the government. It is a

good start but there is more to go. The next phase gets under way

tonight. It is hoped that will prevent the need for a badger Karl

here and protect cattle herds across the region. `` badger cull.

another significant transport project gets the green light.

Improvements to commuter rail links between Nottingham,

Newark and Lincoln, have been given the go`ahead

The planned upgrade of the Castle Line follows years of campaigning by

It'll cut journey times and the project could be completed

Our Political Editor John Hess is at Westminster and has more details.

I understand that officials from the Department for Transport

have been working closely with East Midland Trains, local council

and business leaders over the summer, to upgrade the Castle Line.

The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin is expected to make

a formal announcement within a week or so.

Certainly, we had a big clue when the Chancellor

of the Exchequer George Osborne backed the project during the

What exactly are the improvements? We will get a little more detail in

a minute from Robert Jenrick. Presently the current rail service

stops that many villages, it is slow and can take more than one hour from

Lincoln to Nottingham. The investment could cost more than ?1

million. It will double the number of direct services especially

between Newark and Nottingham. It could cut journey times by 20

minutes. I think it would be nice because we get old strains on this

line. It is standing room only so it is badly needed. I start university

in September and I will be using it fairly regularly and the quicker and

more often the trends are the better it will be. I think it is very badly

needed because a lot of people go to Nottingham and thinking. ``

Nottingham and Lincoln. Paying the third to have to stand is not

acceptable. This is good news for you and for a new work. A lot of

commuters will look at the ?57 billion being allocated for

something else and saying there are projects that could benefit from the

cash. This is a line where you could travel faster in 1909 at you can

today so I think it will bring thousands of jobs to the area and it

will help anyone who commutes or goes to college, goes shopping in

any of the towns or villages in this area and it will be a massive

benefit. Of course the cash being spent on HS two is a lot of money

but this is a huge step forward for the area. Is that funding cast`iron

regardless of the outcome of the election? I hope it will continue.

There will be a formal announcement in a week or two. Hopefully happier

news for commuters on the Cassel line.

The Department for Education will meet

representatives from Leicester's first free school for Sikhs next

Falcons Primary was due to open tomorrow, but those plans have

been delayed after its funding was held back by the government.

Parents met outside Leicester town hall yesterday to protest

There are hopes that a Sikh school could now open

An independent inspector has described signs at a controversial

junction in Nottingham as "not adequate".

handed fines for turning into Station Street from London Road

since last summer. The adjudicator directed the council to cancel the

fine for a driver who appealed against the penalty. But, the

authority has defended the signage as "robust and reasonable".

Still to come ` an ice bucket challenge without the ice.

This young man's video's being viewed around the world.

Churches in the East Midlands are tackling a shortage of Catholic

The new priests are taking services, and working in hospitals

And for some ` the move here has come as quite a shock.

Our Social Affairs Correspondent, Jeremy Ball, reports.

Sunday Mass at St Philip's in Mansfield.

A typical Catholic parish in a traditional Nottinghamshire

mining town but the new priest here grew up in a peasant farming

Father Victor is one of seven African priests who have

been sent to the East Midlands in response to a request

But it was not what he had been planning.

I immediately asked my Bishop, why me?

I was afraid of leaving my community, leaving

He has been getting used to Mansfield's weather

He has also been posted to Derby in Loughborough and to

He was worried that people would not understand his Nigerian accent.

You might have to come in African dress.

But no complaints from these Mansfield parishioners.

Technically very charismatic, very warm, very welcoming.

We have been so used to having an Irish priest coming over here

as missionaries and indeed us going over to Africa as missionaries now

we've got the African priests coming over here as missionaries to us.

It is not just about taking services,

when he is not in church, he spends a lot of time visiting hospital

patients and he is trying to bring a bit of traditional African

What surprised me coming to England is the joy is not the same

So, after four years working here in the East Midlands,

I really really would love to go back to Nigeria.

Leicestershire Police have declined to comment on claims that a report

to the Home Office said they were ill`equipped to take the British

It's claimed by Sky News that the comments were made in 2010

in an unpublished report submitted by the Child Exploitation

The decision by the Association of Chief Police Officers to give

Leicestershire the lead was reportedly described

as a "mistake" as the investigation was said to be too big for them.

Leicester City Council have announced how they will demolish

The New Walk buildings will be brought down in a controlled

The method will bring the two tower blocks down into their own

Staff moved to other offices in the city this summer

after the buildings were found to be structurally unsafe.

Now to a national service which has been saving lives for 25 years but

It's provided by a team of specialists based at the

They work round`the`clock, treating patients on a life support

And to celebrate 25 years of this expertise, we've been given

In the first of our series on the Heartlink ECMO Centre,

Victoria Hicks takes a look at how it all began at Groby Road.

A tiny life being given an extra chance.

Weighing just over four pounds, Braden was born four weeks early

It was crying begin with then stopped crying and then Tuesday

night came down here and that's when I first heard about ECMO.

Braden has persistent pulmonary hypertension.

Put simply, he cannot breathe for himself.

At the Glenfield Hospital a machine is beathing for him.

Through this circuit, giving his own heart and lungs a chance to recover.

They basically said they couldn't do any more for him,

he would have to go on the ECMO, it was his only chance of survival.

ECMO is only used when conventional intensive care has not worked.

It costs between ?5,000 and ?10,000 a day to trigger patient

With constant care from a specialist team.

In 1989, Glenfield Hospital was the first in the country to

At the time, nobody really understood what it was all about.

Apart from one heart surgeon, Dr Richard Furman.

He had seen it been used in America, and was sure it could also save

The initial experience that we got in Michigan convinced us that

When we had only done on very few cases, it was clear that

there was a lot more to this treatment than even we do imagine.

The charity, Heartlink, was the first to back ECMO.

At the time when the NHS would not fund it, Mr

Fermin came along and told us about it, and as far as we were concerned,

he is a consultant and you listen to what a consultant says.

And if they believe in it, someone else has got to back him.

He could not manage it on his own and Heartlink was his only chance.

It was a decision which nearly bankrupted the charity.

Even though Dr Richard Fermin and his colleague took

the extra workload of ECMO for no extra pay, and had little support.

Everybody actually was against it and telling us that we

were wasting our time, we should not do it ` you are just prolonging

And it is that success and expertise over the past 25 years which has

given ECMO treatment at Glenfield Hospital a world`class reputation.

They did a study in newborn infants and a study in adults with

which really set the standard for ECMO practice around the world.

On tomorrow's program we find out how that expertise save the lives

of this patient after she contracted legionnaires

In a moment we'll meet Nottingham Forest's new `

and long awaited ` Chief Executive, but let's round up Transfer

Deadline day first because Leicester City brough in two new players.

Both of them are youngsters from Manchester United.

Striker Tom Lawrence has signed a four year deal, while fellow

forward Nick Powell comes to the King Power on a season long loan.

Both could be in first team action against Stoke on the 13th.

Now, Nottingham Forest's new Chief Executive who's told us today

that his job is clear ` it's to make sure the Reds are ready

Paul Faulkner used to be the Chief Exec at Aston Villa

and only officially started at the City Ground yesterday.

So, just hours into his new job, he's been talking to Kirsty Edwards.

The hunt for a new chief executive has been a long one but at last they

have their man. Fresh into the job, I met him today to find out what he

is hoping to achieve. To help gel things together and help make the

manager's life easier where I can. On the commercial side of the club,

to develop that and really get us ready to get promoted and be in the

Premier League and ready to be a really strong club. They have been

without a chief executive for over one and a half years and there have

been concerns someone needed to be brought in to oversee the day to day

running of the club. I was not here when those situations went on but it

is not the reputation that we want here and, as I said, the owner has

committed and I will play a part in it and I want to make sure people

feel good about the club. I do not want on paid bills and the like.

There is a lot of positivity around the club right now and we have two

make sure we keep that momentum going. Obviously you have met the

owner. How do you see your relationship with him going? I have

been really impressed with his passion, his commitment, enthusiasm,

knowledge as well of football in general and certainly this club. I

expected to be working really closely with him. He has got big

ambitions for this club and it is my job to help those, too. The main

dream is the Premier League with the site top of the championship it is

exciting times. It is very exciting right now. It is early days right

now. The real challenge is to keep it going and to stay at the front of

the table. Interesting times. There is football action tonight

with Notts County and Mansfield Town gearing up for an eagerly awaited

Johnstones' Paint Trophy match Overnight deals for them saw French

midfielder Drissa Traore arrive Sam Clucas has gone to Chesterfield

for an undisclosed fee. Coming in was promising

striker Rakish Bingham. Other sport ` golf first,

because Lee Westwood has made it into the European Ryder Cup team

as one of Captain Paul McGinley's Westwood's form this season was

nowhere near good enough for automatic qualification but he

has huge experience and has improved In Cricket, it looks

like Nottinghamshire's crucial match at Durham will need something

special from title`chasing Notts. Set a massive three hundred

and seventy`five to win, they're In the second division,

Derbyshire allowed leaders Worcestershire to sneak themselves

a first innings lead. But decent work

from their second innings openers. But in Leicestershire's game at

Hampshire its all about Jimmy Adams. The new home planned for

Leicester Riders basketball side could make the club

a long term force in the game. A brand new ?4.2

million arena will go up just outside the city centre `

giving the Riders their first The lander 's battered and

contaminated but it is right next to the grand union Canal. A short walk

from the city centre and it is in the hands of the authorities which

means they can make it available for the new arena. Absolutely ecstatic.

It is a game changer. We have been waiting, planning, trying a lot of

options for the past 20 years to get to a position where we could get to

a home we could call on. We are there now so we are absolutely

delighted and very focused on delivering the project that we have

announced today. It is far from the most attractive places at the

moment. A wasteland. But they have an ambitious timetable. They say by

this time next year 2300 fans will be here cheering on the riders. That

is going to take a lot of work and a lot of committed people are behind

it, determined that we will actually make it on that timetable. What we

will get at the end of it is something stunning. This is a

partnership. It will open up the waterfront. The big winners are

definitely the riders, who hope to repeat successes like this again and

again. I think this makes riders our long`term force on the British game.

We have been quite successful in the past two years but sustaining that

is always difficult when you do not know where you are going to be

playing. Time will tell about going to do it on the court but riders

will have a court. Thank you. A five`year`old boy who can't risk

getting cold, has done the ice bucket challenge

and managed to stay dry. Albert Tansey from Burbage

in Leicestershire was born with half His video has become an internet hit

and raised the profile A family tweet alerted us to

Albert's video and thousands The five year old needs

a heart transplant and cannot have ice thrown over him

but was desperate to take part. He has wanted to do this for a

while because he has been watching everybody else's challenges so he

was so excited at the thought that We got all of the balls out,

didn't we? And one of the posts that was

actually not linked to the YouTube link actually got over half

a million likes on Friday evening and there is another one still there

now that has got over 300,000 shares I think we can be confident that

over one million people around Albert isn't nominating anyone or

asking for donations, What started out

as a simple idea to allow a child to do something he could not do,

has ended up as a brilliant way of And if you want to see Albert take

that challenge again we've popped it on to our Facebook page,

and there are the details. You can of course also contact us

by Facebook if you want to tell us about a story and you can use it to

send us your pictures too, We'll let the weather get a million

likes? `` will. It is relatively warm over the next couple of days or

so. The temperatures are very dependent on whether we get that

sunshine. If we get cloud, temperatures not doing too badly. 17

degrees. When the sun pops out there is the potential for them to reach

21 degrees. A taste of summer over the next couple of days of you get

that sunshine. Sunshine this morning by clouds increasing this afternoon

so it is fairly cloudy at the moment. The cloud will start to

thicken up and it was such a lower as well later in the night so it may

turn a little bit misty. Maybe some health across the Peak District by

the end of the night. It will keep the temperature is absolute is

really rather a warm one. 13 degrees or 14 degrees. Not falling very

fast. Tomorrow morning a completely different picture first thing in the

morning. Cloud, mist as well. Eventually the cloud will slowly

lift up thin and break into the afternoon so we will get some

sunshine and brightness late on in the day. Light, southeasterly winds

and so it will go quite present. `` pleasant. Temperatures at 21 degrees

or 22 degrees. Perhaps bigger cloud into Thursday but again some breaks

in the cloud from time to time. Temperatures in the low 20s. So we

are still on for a gradual improvement. Lip flops out of the

cupboard. I will see you for late news. Goodbye.

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