19/04/2017 Look East

Looking after the elderly at home, a radical new approach in Holland is

being trialled in Suffolk. Cloudier for tomorrow. All the details later.

First tonight: The general election campaign gets into gear as the House

of Commons decides we will go to the polls on June 8th.

MPs from this region say they're ready for the fight,

not just on Brexit, but on a range of other issues.

Let's go straight to Westminster and our political

It is interesting here tonight. The people who work here have just

handed over their futures to the voters and even though many have

quite large majorities, many are quite apprehensive because they know

that, in elections, they can be uncertain and in seven weeks' time

they could be out of a job. 13 MPs voted against calling a general

election and one was the Norwich Labour MP Clive Lewis. His Lib Dem

opponents have seized on this saying he is running scared of the voters.

He says he just believes Prime ministers should not be allowed to

call elections when they want. Another bit of news is that we are

still waiting to hear if Douglas still waiting to hear if Douglas

Castle will stand. There is speculation he will not and he said

he would issue a statement in the next few days -- Douglas Carswell.

In reality, the campaigning is already getting underway and expects

to -- expect big name really is -- big names to our region. The general

consensus is Brexit will dominate but there are other important issues

which will be fighting to be heard. This is Beccles. A Conservative

majority of 2408, the most marginal seat in our region. What do voters

think this election is all about? Brexit and whether we should come

out. It has to be followed through. Unemployment and health care. The

NHS. Getting rid of the bedroom tax. At Westminster, the world media

watched as MPs voted for a snap election. There are other issues as

well. We need better infrastructure and more investment in schools and

make it deciding place to set up business. Dot-macro by triggering

Article 50. In Parliament today that the Prime Minister was keen to talk

about Brexit but most of the questions were about the economy and

school funding. Opposition MPs say elections are rare and they cannot

just be about one issue. Some people will want to make this solely about

Brexit but for a lot of people it is about -- chance to have their say.

The state of the NHS and care services for elderly people and

disabled people. The system is close to tipping point and everyone

outside government knows that. We are seeing a rise in violent crime

and public concern in soft law and order. For us in the east, grammar

schools could also be a big issue as Norfolk and Suffolk are rumoured to

be among the first places to get them. Whilst those behind Berry 's

campaigns to improve road and rail links will looking for guarantees

they are still available. But it will be down to voters to say what

they think is really important in this snap election.

And Andrew will be following the election campaign for us

Next tonight, a new way of looking after patients at home is to be

tried out in Suffolk based on a system already

The care is given by qualified nurses with the emphasis on spending

The Dutch say it helps people stay out of hospital,

Vikki Irwin has been to see how the Buurtzorg project works.

In this city, Nanda Janssen cycles to see her patient.

She's a nurse from Buurtzorg with 20 years experience.

Today, she is providing personal care and checking up

on the well-being of a woman with complex health issues

She comes here to shower me and we talk also.

It's not just home care, but also nursing care that she provides.

Three months ago, she had a serious back operation and needs help

learning to move again and to get dressed.

As a former nurse herself, she knows the value of having

They help me to not go back into hospital.

They help me not have depression, they help me for my day

because when you sit here and you have nothing to do

and you sit here for 24 hours then your day is very long.

If her patients lived in Suffolk they would be looked after by less

qualified and cheaper care workers instead of more expensive

The visits would last minutes instead of an hour and if any

medical care is needed, extra nursing visits

The other difference is the way that Buurtzorg is managed.

Within another organisation you go to your manager and say,

The model here in Holland started out with just four nurses.

It can boast about its higher satisfaction levels for nurses

and for patients, does but does it stack up financially?

Valuation consultants Ernst Young found it was much more

expensive to set up the model in the short-term, but people got

better quicker and emergency admissions into hospital

The overall cost of providing care was also 30% lower.

We could see Buurtzorg-style nurses in Suffolk within months.

The 12-month trial in West Suffolk will cost half a million pounds.

It's being funded by the NHS and the council.

Dr Simon Arthur is a GP in Newmarket and part of the West Suffolk CCG

I asked him what the Dutch model could offer.

The scales fell from my eyes when I saw it.

It really helps patients become more able to become better.

Therefore, they are able to look after themselves after a small

amount of care compared to what they would normally get.

So, although it's expensive care when it goes in,

it's for a shorter period of time to get you able again

And is this because the people giving the care

So, they're giving nursing care and they're giving

the high-level diagnostics, the intelligence they've learnt

Whereas a carer, who is absolutely wonderful although on the lowest pay

scale is given 15 minutes to come and give you a cup of tea, can do no

more than that and they haven't been trained or given the opportunity

This way, I'm hoping we can train up the carers so we can build up these

skills and give them a career pathway that is absolutely what most

The trial that we have funding for is half a million.

Whether it's money that is going to cost or not I don't know

In a nursing home it might cost 50 grand a year or ?1,000

So, by just saving one person there you've got a tenth

of the budget for the whole of Buurtzorg the whole of the year.

Are you confident that in this trial, this pilot,

that you're going to be able to see those financial benefits

I go by my gut feelings rather than everything in the book.

I'm hoping we can prove in that short period of time that it's also

financially viable for the health service and the country.

Finally tonight, American stealth fighters have been deployed outside

the United States for the first time at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

Over the next three weeks, the F35s will be flying alongside

The Americans say it's part of an increased deterrent as Russia

That's all from me, coming up now the weather

with Alex, but from the rest of the late team, goodnight.

Good evening. We have recorded some low temperatures and they could be

the risk of frost. But as the night goes on more cloud will come in from

the north so temperatures will recover by tomorrow. High pressure

is keeping things fairly settled. This weather front will increase --

introduce more cloud. Largely dry although the thickest of the cloud

might produce light rain or drizzle. Quite a lot of dry weather with some

brighter spells are not bad temperatures. A light wind from the

south-west. Here's the outlook: going into the weekend as well. A

similar story across the UK. Thomas matter has that story.

Good evening, before we get to the forecast, I want to show you a map

which depicts how dry it has been during the course of April. Brown is

below average rainfall, blue is above average. You can see how Brown

the map is. Some areas in the south, some counties have only seen a few

percent so far in April. Not necessarily a good thing at all.