30/03/2017 Look East

Hello and welcome to Look East. so it's goodbye from me -

In the programme tonight: With a deepening crisis in GP

surgeries, school children are asked to consider a career in medicine.

Fined for taking their children out of school for a family holiday.

Today, they lost their fight in court.

We have not impacted our kids's education in any way and we have

improved the family life of our children and given them an

experience they would not have had otherwise.

The Secretary of State for International Trade tells us

he believes farmers shouldn't be concerned about getting

And as seaside resorts get ready for the summer season, we ask what is

the attraction? A warning tonight about a deepening

crisis in our GP surgeries. The British Medical Association says

the NHS is at breaking point and the Government needs to end

what it calls a crisis The situation in our region is among

the worst in the country. In Mid Essex, for example,

there was a 12% drop in the number of GPs in just over a year -

that's a loss of 27 In a moment, a project in Suffolk

where surgeries are coming together to share the workload,

but first, Robby West reports from Essex, where doctors are trying

to encourage schoolchildren This morning, Dr Siddiqui

swapped his patients for pupils. I am honoured to be talking

to you today about a career Talking to over 20 sixth-form

children, he tried to tempt them Nationally there is an issue

in terms of recruitment of GPs and GPs locally wanted to do

something locally to promote general practice as a career

to our students in year ten and 11. Since the NHS was formed in 1948,

general practice has been the first port of call for people

who become ill. While surgeries have modernised,

the principals have stayed the same. But in Essex, surgeries like this

one are struggling to find doctors to fill them and figures show

the amount of GPs in This problem is made worse

by a growing ageing population Doctors fear that if this

recruitment crisis is not solved soon, it could start to affect

the level of care they provide. Back at the school, some

of the pupils seemed open I can see all the different

specialities and see what I could go into because I haven't completely

made my mind up. I've always wanted to be a doctor

until a couple of months ago. But it has helped seeing

the other side of it. Dr Siddiqui didn't shy away from

the realities of the profession. It is tough and there

is a lot of training that is involved and very long hours

and a long working week. Are GPs talking young students

out of becoming GPs? I sincerely hope that is not

the case and that is not the experience I have

had in particular. With training to work

in his profession taking over a decade, this will not stop

the gradual decline quickly. Health bosses are worried

that the problems they have recruiting could start to become

problems for patients Across the region more and more GP

practices are working together Kevin Burch reports

from the Suffolk GP Federation, 58 independent GP practices

covering 580,000 patients, but working together to improve

services, and help doctors Step inside the Haven health medical

Centre and you get a snapshot of the changing face of the GP. Paul

Driscoll has been one for more than 20 years while this man is working

his way through medical training. I cannot think of a job that I would

enjoy doing more, to do be able to develop that doctor-patient

relationship over time and followed that up and see how people grow and

how they manage their health throughout the years is really

rewarding. They look at some of our older GPs and they see how hard we

are working and a lot of this is bureaucracy and things that could be

done elsewhere so we do have it to look at how we can change that.

There are four practices in Felixstowe and three are now working

as won under the banner of Suffolk primary care with a total of some

18,000 patients. Tackling GP recruitment and retention is key and

the three practices share two emergency care practitioners. Jo is

one of them. She is off to see Brian who is in his 80s and feeling

breathless. It is using all this keel is available and making the

surgeries run smoother and creating a lot more appointments for patients

registered. It all helps ease the doctors loads. So too does this.

From free PM, patient calls are rooted to this one point at

Felixstowe Community Hospital and one GP on a route undertake triage

and see those patients who need help like Kathleen who is 95 and had a

fall. In Essex, they can be beautiful as long as it is not too

big and keeps the best bits of that corner shop model that is key.

We asked the Department of Health for an interview, but they declined.

In a statement they said, "We remain committed to an extra

5,000 doctors in general practice by 2020.

A couple who were fined for taking their two children out

of school for a week have lost their fight in court.

Matt and Kerry Thomas, who live in Norwich,

said it was the only way they could afford a family holiday.

But today, magistrates found them guilty and ruled their children had

Matt and Ceri Thomas know they have broken the law. They could have paid

the ?240 fine but decided to take their fight to court. If logic and

common sense can prevail, I shall win. Last summer they took their

children out of school and headed for the Spanish sun. It cost ?1800.

In the summer holidays it would have cost ?3000. The court was told this

was a difficult balance between a child's right to education and

family life, but the local authority rules are clear. If a child misses

school in five days in a row, the law is broken. The schools said

their week away had a direct impact on their education. How can you tell

they did not suffer? Because I read their school reports and they have

improved in geography and Spanish. The head says schools have such a

full curriculum that just a few days out can be damaging. They could miss

a really important concept and there is not the opportunity to catch up

for how they are going to get back that lost education. Despite being

found guilty, the couple escaped not just the fine but costs. Magistrates

gave them a nine month conditional discharge. The law needs to be more

clearly defined. The people in Parliament need to set down clear

rules for headteachers to follow. Local councils are watching the case

of another father who took his daughter to Florida and one at the

High Court. His local authority challenge the decision at the

Supreme Court. This couple have yet to book their next summer break

which may well be in August. The Chief Executive of Stansted

has defended security after a protest by 17 people that

meant flights had to be diverted The group was campaigning

against the deportation of people The nine women and eight men have

been released on bail. They'll appear before

magistrates next month. Where the breach actually happened

was in a part of the campus, the airport campus, which wasn't

in our main, critical part, so it was well

away from the terminals. It was in an area that was contained

very quickly, it was within 100 I will point out it was a criminal

act and the people involved, 17 people, have been charged

with criminal activity. The price war between budget

airlines at Stansted Another low-cost carrier has arrived

offering more than a million seats Jet2 is aiming to challenge the

dominance of Ryanair and easyJet. It is the new kid on the block.

Stansted's newest airline intends to give rivals a run for their money.

Jet2 will fly to 27 tourist destinations. There is a lack of

package holiday products and flight only products to leisure

destinations. Our product is very much in demand. We have an

award-winning tour operator, airline and we thought our product would be

very successful in the east of England. All Jet2 flights will be in

brand-new Boeing planes with room for 180 passengers. The company has

created more than 250 new jobs at Stansted. It is a big change moving

south from our predominantly northern basis. Jet2 will be

competing head-on with Ryanair and easyJet on key routes such as

Alicante and to be fair. I like to travel, always looking for the

cheapest prices so if it gets cheaper, it would be perfect. The

more competition that is the better. Jet2's arrival will upset the

established order at Stansted. Four years of Ryanair has been the number

one airline here with easyJet second, but Jet2 wants to replace

easyJet as number two. Its arrival is a big vote in confidence in

Stansted at an uncertain time. Ryanair and easyJet have seen off

challenges before, but with bookings going well, Jet2 can see only blue

skies ahead. Still to come tonight: It's

been the warmest day IM at this village in Great Yarmouth

as we look ahead to the start of the holiday season.

Now we've started the process of leaving the European Union,

thoughts have turned to what deals can be struck.

Today, the International Trade Secretary was in the region

to assure farmers that getting a good deal for agriculture

Dr Liam Fox said he understands that farmers are concerned,

but he believes the concern is misplaced.

He was speaking on a visit to Camgrain,

after this from our political correspondent Andrew Sinclair.

He is known as one of the three Brexiteer is, one of those

responsible for making life after the EU a success. Liam Fox was

admiring the view from the top of a grain store. He was here to campaign

in the Mayall election but farmers saw this as an opportunity to vent

his ear. In an ideal world we want tariff free trade that allows asked

to export our products to Europe and the globe. That will allow us to

compete and allow us to grow. It is Liam Fox's job to negotiate new

train kills not just with the EU but countries around the and he has a

lot on his plate. Businesses from every sector in the country, like

the car industry, pharmaceuticals, innovation are looking to him to

help them find new markets and this is a negotiation which means there

has to be give and take and I have heard some MPs expressed the concern

that in that list of things to be sorted out, agriculture and farming

may lose out. MPs say the agricultural lobby is powerful in

other countries. Why should a country outside the EU be given free

market access? And food in this country is produced to high welfare

standards, a trade deal with a country with lower standards would

hit our farmers. Farmers are producing to the highest standards

so we have a good quality of products. We must not allow others

to undercut us. Farming has been heavily dependent on the EU. The

subsidies which farmers receive in the future will be determined by the

sort of trade deals they get, so farming is looking to the doctor to

deliver. I spoke to Liam Fox during his visit

and asked him about farmers wanting Could he give them reassurance

that this was likely to happen? The idea of introducing impediments

to trade or investment in a post-Brexit European economy

does not make any sense at all. If you look at countries

like France, their agricultural exports to the United Kingdom

are greater than our It makes no sense whatsoever

to penalise French producers as a result of Britain leaving

the European Union, so I think in the end,

the economic arguments will trump some of the political concerns that

exist with our European partners But that agricultural lobby in other

EU countries is particularly strong, That could work to our advantage,

because if that agricultural lobby in other countries is so strong,

and we've all seen pictures of what happens when French farmers

are not very pleased with government policies, why would they react

well to any proposals to introduce tariffs,

which will actually hurt them more then it'll hurt UK producers,

because they actually export more But there is concern that

governments abroad actually back their farmers more

than our government backs farmers. How much of a priority

is agriculture for you? Priority needs to be given

to the areas where we are dependent as a country on the produce

and clearly farming is a very big part of that, not just here but also

in an area I represent So clearly that is a very

economic and employment element that the government

will take into account. I understand some of the concerns,

but I think some of the concerns We will want to maintain

an open trading environment Uncertainty is difficult for any

industry, but particularly in agriculture where they do have

to plan ahead. How soon do you think it will be

before we know where farmers stand? We have got a two-year period that

started yesterday and a lot of that will be how quickly our European

partners come to us with a view of the trade picture

that we want to see. We have made it very clear

what we want to see and I just hope we ensure that common sense

and rationality are not trumped by short-term

political considerations, because if we are rational about it,

then we will end up with a prosperous Europe

and if we look towards tariffs and barriers that don't exist today,

that is not just bad for us, it is bad for the global

economy as well. 79 years ago, with the world

on the brink of war, a very special cargo arrived by ship

in the port of Harwich. 200 children with no belongings

brought here to escape the horrors Over the coming months,

thousands of children would come as part of what was

called the Kindertransport. Some children went to London to stay

with foster families, Today, one of those who was rescued

met school children in Cambridge to talk about his life as a refugee

during the war. It's absolutely amazing

to see that again. Returning to the place that Gerald

calls his wartime home. Setup to give a place to stay

for older children who sometimes Today telling students

what it was like to return. It is really emotional, but it is 73

years since I first came here, But it has brought back

a surge of feeling. You remember any particularly

memorable discussions that you had? Students from the Parkside Community

College had been working with Gerald to discover how he found refuge

in the city in a world ravaged My clothes and one German mark

which translated into a few pennies, so we were totally dependent

on the refugee committee and the kind people

who looked after us. A chance for the students

to imagine what it was like If I was Gerald, I would feel

like it would be very hard to move, because you are moving from Germany

to England and you don't All he had was the clothes

on his back, so he's quite impressive to see that he has

actually become a professor. Lots of his family did die

in Germany and I think I would find it quite hard to just move

on as well as he did. This film showing children doing

chores in another hostel for Spanish refugees is part of the project put

together by Cambridge-based charity Key Stage Arts,

telling the story of those like this man, who was just seven

when he left Spain. I was very young and obviously

at that age, you take things as they come,

and I came from a small mining village and suddenly to have this

experience on a boat and arriving in a strange country,

being put in a vast tented camp, Today, a chance for students

to learn more from the past and the history right

on their doorstep. Of course the Easter holidays

are seen by many as the start It's big business for this

region, bringing in more The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge

is the most popular free attraction, with Colchester Zoo topping the list

for places that charge. One of our most popular

destinations is Great Yarmouth. This is done model village created

in the early 60s and very popular still today. Just being careful.

Tourism is worth around ?500 million to the local economy, so what

happens in places like Merivale this summer really matters.

The choo-choo train sets off for another summer

The town is a hive of activity at this time of year.

There are 5.6 million day trips to Yarmouth every year,

but these days the town has to work a bit harder to attract people,

with a marketing campaign which includes this TV ad.

We are always trying to extend the season,

get more people here and attracting new people, so we are targeting

Essex and the Home Counties this year, so people who have never been

before perhaps adding to our loyal base of visitors.

90% of people have been here before, they come year after year,

but new visitors are always important.

The tourism industry is continually investing for the future.

At this model village, they have just spent

The big rocket and the mountain this year has been one of the biggest

things we have done in terms of space and size and

You have to keep adding every year, otherwise everybody gets used to it

and they won't come back to see you again.

Across the region, tourism is big business.

In Northamptonshire they have also launched a new marketing campaign

Back in Yarmouth, familiarity is also important.

Tony Kemp has been driving the road train for nine years

We've got a lot to offer, Yarmouth and it's a really nice

Even when it's raining it's a really nice place to come.

So just come and see us and come and see the trains,

the Pleasure Beach, come and see all the fish and chip shops we have

Come and see us, it's a really nice place to come.

Of course what really matters is the weather.

Now, whether the weather will be any good this year is anyone's guess.

In Yarmouth, and for all our tourist venues, they are hoping the sun

Lovely day today. 17 degrees and the forecast for tomorrow and the

weekend is good, but you don't need me wittering on about the weather.

Let's get a professional to the job so back to the studio. Is he right?

We thought it was hotter. It got higher than that. We have had the

warmest day so far in our region. Plenty of blue skies. What did we

get to? In Cambridge, 22 Celsius, 72 Fahrenheit and many other places not

far behind. That does not beat the record for the warmest day we have

ever seen because that was back in 1968. I should say that was the date

in March. But 22 is still very nice indeed. The areas of thick cloud

drifting fruit although this pushes in from the West is likely to

produce a few showers, but for many it is a dry evening and night and a

very mild one. Temperature is no lower than ten or 11 Celsius. These

are the kind of values we should see by day. Tomorrow we have this cold

front moving through. We will have that cold front introducing thicker

cloud and outbreaks of rain. That rain not for everybody, but for most

of us it will be on the light side and still pretty warm. Not as warm

as today but up to 17 Celsius in some spots. Mainly moderate

south-westerly winds. Is that cold front pulls away, it will become the

drive for most of us by the end of the day with just a few showers

around. Saturday a slightly fresher feel to things. Some showers and

they could be heavy but by Sunday with high-pressure building in, any

showers isolated indeed. By Monday dry and becoming warmer as well. See

you later. A nine-year-old girl

from Peterborough has become an internet sensation,

all because she likes to take Lucy Harris, who has autism

and Down's syndrome, has taken one every night for more

than a year now and her dad has Her story has been watched

by more than 500,000 people We wanted to do this selfie video

because it dawned on me that we have loads of these pictures on my wife's

phone, on my phone. It was really cool

watching it fly by. The routines are something

that she needs to make sense You can see the whole family

on The One Show tonight. Keep watching, it

follows our programme. We will see you tomorrow night. Good