:00:13. > :00:16.GP surgeries in crisis across the region
:00:17. > :00:24.This is the worst crisis we have seen.
:00:25. > :00:26.We'll be hearing how the problem's equally acute
:00:27. > :00:29.As the region's jobless figtres fall again,
:00:30. > :00:32.the Black Country project hdlping women set up their own businesses.
:00:33. > :00:35.Fall out from the Russian exports ban ` dairy farmers get togdther
:00:36. > :00:46.People don't realise how much is it is better how much we get. H'm sure
:00:47. > :00:48.you pay more if you knew. Could a Yes vote for Scottish
:00:49. > :00:51.independence mean a bigger share of And Warwick Castle looking
:00:52. > :00:55.resplendent in the morning sunshine. If you're planning on heading
:00:56. > :00:57.there this weekend, thunderstorms Doctors
:00:58. > :01:15.across the West Midlands ard warning that GP services are in crisis,
:01:16. > :01:18.both in rural and urban are`s. In Herefordshire, there are plans to
:01:19. > :01:21.close two GP surgeries, In Stoke on Trent, there ard
:01:22. > :01:27.warnings that two practices are also at risk of closure, despite the fact
:01:28. > :01:30.that some GPs in the city Our health correspondent,
:01:31. > :01:38.Michele Paduano, reports. It's a scene playing out ag`in
:01:39. > :01:42.and again across our region, In this surgery in Hereford, they
:01:43. > :01:57.have spent ?5,500 advertising for I have been a GP for a long time. It
:01:58. > :02:01.is my 30 year reunion coming up in a couple of weeks. This is without
:02:02. > :02:04.doubt the worst situation I have seen in primary care in a long time.
:02:05. > :02:08.I have been in Hereford for 22 years. This is the worst tile for us
:02:09. > :02:09.going forward. The picturesque village
:02:10. > :02:11.of Pembridge ` no post office, These children will be the first
:02:12. > :02:16.to grow up without a surgerx. Branch practices are closing here
:02:17. > :02:19.and in Eardisley, mums say ht's a mess, but it's the elderly who don't
:02:20. > :02:29.drive who are in most trouble. It is such a shame in a rur`l
:02:30. > :02:35.community, that people have to travel such a vast stones. The
:02:36. > :02:38.majority of people we see using it are elderly member is of thd village
:02:39. > :02:43.who would be able to walk in themselves.
:02:44. > :02:49.Nobody was willing to talk to us but NHS England said it was sorry for
:02:50. > :02:53.the disruption. There was enough capacity for everyone to have a GP
:02:54. > :02:54.and they are working on new technology to stop people h`ve to
:02:55. > :02:56.travel. In Stoke on Trent,
:02:57. > :02:58.the situation is grave. Each GP should look
:02:59. > :03:00.after 1,600 patients. After recruiting,
:03:01. > :03:14.the Haymarket Health Centre has We are used to the workload we get.
:03:15. > :03:17.There is a critical mass at which it becomes are difficult to de`l with
:03:18. > :03:25.and to deliver except to wh`t you want to deliver. We're not `t
:03:26. > :03:27.medical mass but there are ` couple of practices that are.
:03:28. > :03:30.Stoke's MPs have all receivdd a letter saying two anonymots
:03:31. > :03:34.Joan Walley claims there's ` lack of direction.
:03:35. > :03:42.We do not have enough GPs coming through at all. It is difficult to
:03:43. > :03:45.tie down anyone who has responsible at E48.
:03:46. > :03:48.Extra work load and pension changes mean GPs are retiring earlidr. There
:03:49. > :03:53.are more women GPs. They ard leaving the profession, on average, aged 39.
:03:54. > :03:59.My concern is that the systdm starts to fall apart and I would think that
:04:00. > :04:02.if that is going to happen, it will happen in the next few years. I
:04:03. > :04:04.cannot see it carrying on lhke it is for the next ten years.
:04:05. > :04:10.Changes need to be made to recruitment and retention and soon.
:04:11. > :04:14.And staying with the subject of the NHS under pressure ` West Mhdlands
:04:15. > :04:16.Ambulance service is holding its annual general meeting tonight.
:04:17. > :04:21.The service currently emploxs just over 2,200 front`line staff.
:04:22. > :04:27.Last year, they responded to 921,000 999 calls, an incre`se of
:04:28. > :04:31.They exceeded the government's targets for
:04:32. > :04:35.attending the most serious cases, but just missed out on meethng
:04:36. > :04:39.the target for the less critical cases ` the so called "red twos .
:04:40. > :04:42.Sarah Falkland is in Birmingham at the ambulance AGM for us tonight.
:04:43. > :04:52.So is this a good report for the past year?
:04:53. > :04:59.This is it, the report in qtestion. It is fair to say it is a c`se of
:05:00. > :05:03.could do better. This is thd first time in six years that West Midlands
:05:04. > :05:10.Ambulance Service that they have missed that target. Putting it into
:05:11. > :05:19.context, only half of the trusts managed to get red one and read two
:05:20. > :05:24.together, so it is difficult. One speaker said it had been a difficult
:05:25. > :05:28.year but he described it as being a strong platform from which to move
:05:29. > :05:32.forward. Putting that city tnions today, they said it is a bit like
:05:33. > :05:34.West Midlands Abingdon servhce is on the end of a diving board, ht is
:05:35. > :05:40.under that much pressure. They think things could go wrong at anx
:05:41. > :05:44.moment. The pressure is becoming intolerable. The resources have not
:05:45. > :05:49.increased and as far as we `re concerned, it is only a matter of
:05:50. > :05:55.time before things reach a critical level. So what is the answer?
:05:56. > :06:01.If you speak to the chief executive, he believes part of it relids on
:06:02. > :06:05.recruitment. They will be 300 new paramedics on the front lind by
:06:06. > :06:11.mixture. 200 will be starting by Christmas. That is a busy thme for
:06:12. > :06:16.the Ambulance Service was to I asked if he was confident that if we see
:06:17. > :06:20.the same increase in the next five years, will the service copd?
:06:21. > :06:24.Absolutely. That is why, since we were established and we havd worked
:06:25. > :06:30.hard to make sure we keep up their recruitment plans. We are mhnimising
:06:31. > :06:39.our functions to invest in the front line and we are continuing to
:06:40. > :06:41.upscale and resources for stuff that is the condition of our board and
:06:42. > :06:48.that is what we will be delhvering for the staff. The unions w`nt to
:06:49. > :06:51.see better public education. We have had some ludicrous cases here in the
:06:52. > :06:56.West Midlands, people calling in to press us at a pigeon of all things.
:06:57. > :06:59.They say things need to change. If you come in the next hour, they will
:07:00. > :07:05.be glad to see you Good to have you with us here
:07:06. > :07:07.on Midlands Today. It's worth nearly ?20 million to
:07:08. > :07:11.the local economy, but could this year's Conservative
:07:12. > :07:17.Party conference be the last in The number of people out of work
:07:18. > :07:21.in the West Midlands fell bx 9, 00 The unemployment rate
:07:22. > :07:27.in the region currently stands at 7.1%, which is still
:07:28. > :07:32.above the national average of 6 2%. But, in Wolverhampton,
:07:33. > :07:34.a project to help women set up their own businesses is helping
:07:35. > :07:36.a small number into work. Karolina Cumming has always wanted
:07:37. > :07:46.to run her own business, but setting A Government grant helped hdr
:07:47. > :07:52.with some initial costs, but she felt she lacked the knowledge to
:07:53. > :07:55.get her idea off the ground. She turned to Access to Bushness
:07:56. > :08:07.for help. We did things like health and
:08:08. > :08:15.safety, food safety, markethng, social media, all the other, as
:08:16. > :08:17.well. They were able to givd us the information I needed to open
:08:18. > :08:28.something of our own. The target was to support 50
:08:29. > :08:48.women with workshops on how to We offer a lot of support around the
:08:49. > :08:50.cloud's needs, really. Whatdver the cloud needs to help their journey
:08:51. > :08:52.into self`employment. It's not only Karolina that
:08:53. > :09:06.the charity Access to Busindss has They helped me to register ly
:09:07. > :09:13.business, how to work with ly taxes. I have set up lots of different
:09:14. > :09:18.websites. I am finding a re`lly good customer base. I thought I knew all
:09:19. > :09:33.the basics when it came herd but I obviously didn't.
:09:34. > :09:36.In Birmingham, however, GMB union leaders had a meeting with
:09:37. > :09:38.the City Council today to dhscuss yesterday's announcement it's to
:09:39. > :09:44.The council believes it'll need to save more than ?800 million by 018.
:09:45. > :09:47.It's now looking at new ways of generating income for thd city,
:09:48. > :09:52.But that means a change in the way it's traditionally pulled
:09:53. > :09:54.in major money`spinners, such as the political party confdrences.
:09:55. > :09:58.The Conservatives are due to arrive here in just over a week, btt might
:09:59. > :10:00.this be the last time they're here for the foreseeable future?
:10:01. > :10:06.Here's our Political Editor, Patrick Burns.
:10:07. > :10:10.Feast your eyes because, in a week's time, this whole place will be in a
:10:11. > :10:11.progressive lock`down. Police and convention centre managers `re
:10:12. > :10:14.convinced this is Birminghal's moment to bask in the glare of
:10:15. > :10:16.international publicity, though with no more conferences pl`nned, is
:10:17. > :10:38.I think the model of the evdnt world is changing somewhat.
:10:39. > :10:40.People are doing deals in different ways
:10:41. > :10:43.and I'm sure Birmingham will remain a competitive and compelling venue.
:10:44. > :10:45.The costs of staging these events are now
:10:46. > :10:49.This will be the fifth of the main autumn party conferences to be held
:10:50. > :10:52.here in the space of six ye`rs ` Four Conservative conferencds
:10:53. > :10:55.It is the last of them that are covered by
:10:56. > :10:57.a controversial funding deal agreed by the former Conservative`Liberal
:10:58. > :10:59.Democrat administration on Birmingham City Council.
:11:00. > :11:01.It means this conference alone is supported by nearly ?1.5 million
:11:02. > :11:04.from the council ? that is 85% of its entire events budget, dwarfing
:11:05. > :11:09.I think it is quite wrong for the ratepayer to subsidise the political
:11:10. > :11:11.parties to have conferences, whether it is here in Birmingham,
:11:12. > :11:14.I think they have to get re`listic in this day
:11:15. > :11:22.Inevitably, there are warnings that Birlingham
:11:23. > :11:25.risks leaving the field widd open to rival conference centres
:11:26. > :11:31.In a letter to the Birmingh`m Post, one former Conservative grotp
:11:32. > :11:44.leader accuses the current Labour administration of short`sightedness.
:11:45. > :11:51.I ask them to review this and try to have more initiative and innovation.
:11:52. > :11:52.We need to keep the party conferences here in Birmingham.
:11:53. > :11:55.The political parties are unlikely to abandon the big cities
:11:56. > :11:57.and take their main events back to outdated seaside venues.
:11:58. > :11:59.But with budgets squeezed like never before, the pressure is
:12:00. > :12:08.on for them to demonstrate their true value to the host citids.
:12:09. > :12:12.Our business correspondent Peter Plisner is in Birmingham for us now.
:12:13. > :12:14.We've heard from Nicola about women who are starting
:12:15. > :12:16.Are people opting for self`employment helping to
:12:17. > :12:26.bring down the unemployment rate in the region?
:12:27. > :12:32.Well, I think many people think it is. There is a growing trend of
:12:33. > :12:39.people going self`employed. 3.9 million people were self`employed in
:12:40. > :12:45.2008, but that has risen substantially. In the last 02 months
:12:46. > :12:50.13,000 more people in the Wdst Midlands are now self`emploxed. That
:12:51. > :12:54.is to do with redundancy, pdople using their redundancy monex to set
:12:55. > :12:58.up new businesses rather th`n take other jobs. What about thesd
:12:59. > :13:06.proposed cuts at Birmingham City Council? We have been here before,
:13:07. > :13:12.haven't we? It is sad news. For every public sector job that has
:13:13. > :13:19.been lost, other jobs have been created in the private sector. In
:13:20. > :13:26.the West Midlands we have created more private sector jobs ard never
:13:27. > :13:31.before, we have bucked the trend. We have been talking about the
:13:32. > :13:37.conferences, is Birmingham likely to lose out? It is easy to say they
:13:38. > :13:41.will, but we just don't know. The NEC Group say they are still in
:13:42. > :13:46.active discussions with the parties. They say that the door is
:13:47. > :13:49.not shot. They point to othdr conferences coming to the chty. The
:13:50. > :13:55.National Housing Federation are holding their annual conferdnce over
:13:56. > :13:56.the next few days. We are still attracting some of the big
:13:57. > :13:58.organisations to the city. The former Euro MP Nikki Sinclaire
:13:59. > :14:01.has appeared in court chargdd with misconduct in a public office
:14:02. > :14:03.and money`laundering. The charges relate to travel
:14:04. > :14:05.expenses which were claimed between 2009 and 2010, when Nikki Shnclaire
:14:06. > :14:08.was serving as a West Midlands MEP. She's now been bailed to appear
:14:09. > :14:26.at Birmingham Crown Court I completely refute these charges
:14:27. > :14:28.and I'm confident of being found innocent.
:14:29. > :14:30.A helpline has been made av`ilable at Birmingham Children's Hospital
:14:31. > :14:32.after a former employee admitted sexually
:14:33. > :14:34.abusing young cancer patients in his care at another hosphtal
:14:35. > :14:37.Doctor Myles Bradbury is facing jail for abusing boys as young as eight
:14:38. > :14:46.The doctor worked in Birmingham between 2004 and 2008.
:14:47. > :14:49.GP surgeries in crisis across the region because
:14:50. > :14:56.Shefali's all set to tell us about some wonderfully warm,
:14:57. > :15:03.The young hairdressers benefiting from a special fund set up
:15:04. > :15:08.in memory of Hollie Gazzard, murdered as she worked in a salon.
:15:09. > :15:11.Just weeks into the new season, football managers under pressure
:15:12. > :15:23.after six of our league sidds were beaten last night.
:15:24. > :15:25.Dairy farmers from around the country gathered
:15:26. > :15:30.in Telford today for a new national conference aimed just at thdm.
:15:31. > :15:32.The usual business facilitids were transformed into cattle`pens,
:15:33. > :15:34.while hotels in the area were reported to be fully booked.
:15:35. > :15:37.On many farmers' minds todax were the recent falls in the price
:15:38. > :15:40.of milk, which one Shropshire couple say could drive them out
:15:41. > :15:58.It was an unlikely setting for 00 cows. The International Centre in
:15:59. > :16:05.the middle of Telford not unnaturally bovine environmdnt.
:16:06. > :16:11.Dairy day, claim to be the first UK conference for farmers in this set.
:16:12. > :16:16.This couple are struggling. Milk prices have crashed and thex have
:16:17. > :16:25.lost 8p a litre since May. Their income is down ?4500 a month. We
:16:26. > :16:29.don't know what we are going to do. We might have to give up dahry
:16:30. > :16:37.farming, but we don't want to do that. We have a passion for dairy
:16:38. > :16:43.farming. People don't realise when you buy your paint in the shops how
:16:44. > :16:47.much it is as compared to how much we get. Surely they would p`y more
:16:48. > :17:00.if they knew. This is their farm. They have 90 cows. For Neal, the
:17:01. > :17:07.situation is heartbreaking. To be perfectly honest, if maybe the end
:17:08. > :17:12.of us. I don't want to be dramatic, but it is getting that bad. Experts
:17:13. > :17:18.say that the global market has started to collapse. The we`ther has
:17:19. > :17:23.been very good in Europe, Alerica and New Zealand. Milk production is
:17:24. > :17:32.up and China is buying slightly less. The Russian import ban is
:17:33. > :17:36.there, too. They were a growing market taking a lot of glob`l dairy
:17:37. > :17:40.products and they are no longer in the marketplace. Farmers from around
:17:41. > :17:48.the country have travelled here for a chance to discuss issues `way from
:17:49. > :18:02.their often isolated environments. Some good news at last! We have just
:18:03. > :18:04.won the senior class! Brillhant A boost for morale at least, hf not
:18:05. > :18:05.for their pockets. With a little over 12 hours to go
:18:06. > :18:09.now until the polls open in the Scottish referendum about
:18:10. > :18:11.independence, calls are growing for more powers to be given to the
:18:12. > :18:13.Midlands. Scottish MPs have already been promised that, whatever the
:18:14. > :18:16.result, they'll get more autonomy from Westminster, with the knock`on
:18:17. > :18:19.effect that some MPs here would like this region to have greater powers
:18:20. > :18:22.as well.For the time being, of course, we can only wait until
:18:23. > :18:28.Friday to find out how Scotland decides, with mixed views today from
:18:29. > :18:52.people in Coventry and Birmhngham I hope it is unknown. If I was
:18:53. > :18:57.Scottish, I would say, go, Westminster doesn't do anything for
:18:58. > :18:58.us. I don't see why they should be governed by people in other parts of
:18:59. > :19:01.the country. likely to have on us here in the
:19:02. > :19:06.Midlands? Paul Forrest from the West Midlands Economic Forum has been
:19:07. > :19:09.taking a look at the numbers and joins me now. Are we likely to be
:19:10. > :19:23.better or worse off depending on the Both options could be negathve to
:19:24. > :19:27.the Midlands economy. If Scotland goes for independence they would be
:19:28. > :19:32.allowed to change their fiscal policy, which would change their
:19:33. > :19:37.competitiveness against our economy. If they stay within the United
:19:38. > :19:40.Kingdom the prospects are even more negative because the amount of
:19:41. > :19:46.subsidies and offers that h`ve been made with the West Midlands had a
:19:47. > :19:57.complete disadvantage. People talk about the Barnett formula, but any
:19:58. > :20:03.politician will say... It is a political fix. Would we be better
:20:04. > :20:10.off if they said yes? Yes. Tnless there is a major re`negotiation of
:20:11. > :20:16.the asymmetry of devolution in England. So it could be an
:20:17. > :20:20.opportunity for the region? It could be, yes. There are a lot of claims
:20:21. > :20:26.that local authorities in Scotland are quite isolated. 80% of the
:20:27. > :20:34.Scottish population live in the central belt. If you rank
:20:35. > :20:36.Herefordshire, Staffordshird and Shropshire against Scottish local
:20:37. > :20:42.authorities they are in the bottom tier. If you look like an
:20:43. > :20:50.entrepreneurial local counchl dealing with massive cuts btt are
:20:51. > :20:51.trying to develop the econoly, the economy in Wolverhampton is a
:20:52. > :21:30.globally leading one in it would be a major incentive. That
:21:31. > :21:37.could happen if powers were to volunteer. Yes. The Davis commission
:21:38. > :21:39.required complimentary about the approach of Birmingham Airport and
:21:40. > :21:44.even though Birmingham is ottside the south`east, Birmingham was a
:21:45. > :21:54.solution to the problems. If you got rid of the passenger duty, ht would
:21:55. > :21:58.be an excellent idea. To aspiring hairdressers from Gloucestershire
:21:59. > :22:04.have become the first to receive funding from the Hollie Gazzard
:22:05. > :22:10.Trust. Straightening, cutting and colouring, 48 teen
:22:11. > :22:16.a dream come true. The teen`ger from Gloucester had always wanted to be a
:22:17. > :22:16.hairdresser at the cost of getting started on a course meant she
:22:17. > :23:22.couldn't afford fund is hoping to help train other
:23:23. > :26:08.head dressers to spot the shgns of domestic abuse.
:26:09. > :27:12.This is how we start the dax tomorrow, on a very misty note. It
:27:13. > :27:14.will be cloudy across the rdgion. It will be very warm initially and
:27:15. > :27:21.getting warmer by the end of the day. The temperature could get up to
:27:22. > :27:26.23 Celsius by the afternoon. Sunshine will break through, which
:27:27. > :27:32.will post those values. Tomorrow night we will see the humidhty
:27:33. > :27:35.kicking in and this thunderstorms breaking out. They will continue
:27:36. > :27:45.into Friday as well, perhaps even Saturday.