16/01/2017 Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and David Garmston.

Our main story tonight: A reality after 80 years.

of Bristol is opened which should help traffic move again.

We were gradually being cut off in the south of Bristol. This will go

some way to making them better and it is great news for the area.

The new road makes it easier to get to Bristol Airport -

Our other headlines tonight:

The reducing chances of having a baby -

the NHS cuts back on fertility treatment.

another defeat for Bristol City piles the pressure on Lee Johnson.

the restoration starts tonight on the clock that

Business leaders in Bristol have welcomed a major new road

which could help to create over 2,000 jobs in the

The link road was first suggested in council documents over

80 years ago but today the route road connecting Hartcliffe to

Here's our Business Reporter Robin Markwell.

It might have been gloomy in South Bristol.

But a gathering of high vis brightened things up.

A major transport scheme in Bristol finally complete.

Instead a minister moved a symbolic concrete block.

First mooted in the 1930s - 80-something years later

the South Bristol Link Road finally open.

The three miles of new tarmac now connects the south

On some maps online this road still does not exist, it is so new. This

road is not cheap. But it is... as well as improving

links to the airport. It will help with reliable journeys,

faster journeys to the Passengers will be able to get

to the airport in more Environmental campaigners

complained it would increase pollution as well as cutting

through the Green belt. At the Cater business park

they took a different view. This printing and plastics

firm has long been Having to ship their signs through

the centre of town was proving to be One of the concerns

was we were gradually being cut off and the south Bristol

routes weren't good. This will go some way

to making them better and it can only be great

news for the area. The South Bristol Link Road

is the first piece in a jigsaw puzzle of schemes that

arrive this year. It'll join up with the Metrobus

network due to open this autumn. Then motorists will be able

to judge if it's the answer And Robin joins us from

the South Bristol Link Road now. Given it's only opened first thing

this morning there has been a steady stream of traffic up and down this

road. Proof that there is demand for the road. It is significant because

the forecasts for growth are impressive. 2500 jobs. A quarter of

?1 billion of investment because of this tarmac. It is also supposed to

reduce congestion here and in surrounding villages. But as this

road opens another piece of work is set to begin around the corner. The

disruption is not over yet. Thank you.

A man from Somerset has been sentenced to 25 years in prison,

after being convicted of sexually abusing children since

It's been described as an unusual and shocking case.

Our Somerset Correspondent Clinton Rogers reports.

The prosecution called him a disturbed child who had

an obsessive interest in sex from the age of eight.

And today Andrew Margetts, now 31, was convicted on 23

charges including rape, indecent assault and

two girls and a boy, were aged between six

and 11 when the abuse took place in the '90s.

Throughout this week-long trial the court has heard that

Margetts subjected his young victims to sustained abuse

Sometimes he would gag or tie up his victims.

He threatened one with a knife saying, If you tell

prosecutor Sean Brunton said it was an unusual

The jury told they were entering a twilight world

The NSPCC told the BBC in fact a third of sexual abuse crimes

against children are committed by people under the age of 18.

But not unheard of and at the NSPCC we have

rare cases of seven and eight-year-olds also perpetrating

The judge said that the lives of the young victims in

you were doing was wrong, seriously wrong.

years in prison he told him, you are a wicked, depraved man.

It is the start of another week in January.

Stay with us tonight. We have much more.

I am reporting live from Yeovil hospital as we find out how

pressures in hospitals are affecting patients.

And weather forecast at the end of this programme.

Swindon has unveiled plans to reduce the number of IVF cycles funded

Until now the town's been the most generous place in the West

Tonight Inside Out West is back on our screens

and the new series starts with a look at rationing

As its presenter Seb Choudhury has been finding out,

the most controversial cuts have been to IVF.

For those embarking on their first treatment of IVF the forecast is

looking increasingly uncertain. At the moment, we've just

started our IVF treatment. We have been accepted

for two cycles of IVF so we're hoping that we will get

another go after this. But I understand that

CCG have changed The NHS guidelines recommend a three

cycles but in the West most areas fund one cycle. At the moment only

Swindon offers the complete recommended service but that is

about to change. Swindon will be reducing our IVF

provision from three fresh cycles to one fresh cycles and two

frozen embryo transfers. It puts us in line with our local

partners including Wiltshire and it helps us to stay

within our spending budget. If, as Jade fears, her

local NHS doesn't pay she'll be left to cover

the costs herself. Like Paula - she had to find ?33,000

for her two lovely children. I know if I lived in

a different part of the country, I would have had more

rounds funded for me. It wouldn't have mattered

if my husband had had children from a previous marriage,

that I would be entitled to some form of funding

and I wouldn't have had

to sell my house. However unfair it might seem,

with growing demand on NHS budgets - future funding for services like IVF

is unlikely to increase As we've been hearing, the NHS

continues to be under pressure. This winter, emergency

departments have had to cope with an unprecedented rise

in patients, coupled Now we've discovered this is having

a real impact on the patients who're critically ill,

with some hospitals left without any Our Health Correspondent

Mathew Hill is at Yeovil Staff here are pulling out all the

stops to make sure patient demand is met. That includes opening day case

alias, pitting beds in those areas. The Royal College of Surgeons says

that no more than 85% of beds in hospitals should be occupied at any

one time. We have looked at figures for intensive care and we have found

that for instance Southmead Hospital, in December, the figure

was 92.5% of beds occupied on average. Here in Yeovil the figure

is 82%, so that means that four days in the month of December, there were

no intensive care beds available. Great Western Hospital in Swindon,

78% occupancy for December. Western General Hospital, 17 days in

December there were no intensive gear beds available. In

Gloucestershire the picture is better, they are around 50% of the

time beds were empty. Joining me now is the medical director of the

hospital. How do you cope with demand when all your intensive care

beds are a fool? We have plans in place internally to manage most of

those instances. -- beds are full? There have been signs that there is

no intensive care beds you have got to be redeployed elsewhere, that

will have an effect on patients? Its Kurds but we have the ability to be

flexible and in the last six months we have not had to transfer patients

were nonclinical reasons to other hospitals. How is demand this

evening? Demand is high, the hospital is under a lot of pressure.

The entire system, not just the hospital. We are managing well.

Staff are working hard and we want to thank them all, the community

staff, as well as our primary care colleagues. Thank you very much. But

as the situation here tonight. Back to you in the studio.

Well let's discuss the Winter crisis in our hospitals a bit further.

who's in charge of Urgent Care across Bristol,

Helen Ryan who's the Director of Nursing at Yeovil,

and Morgan Daly, the Director of Healthwatch for

What is life like on the front line as a nurse? It is incredibly busy.

Nobody will be surprised to hear that. There is a lot of pressure on

the nursing staff, they are doing an incredible job. But it is very busy

and it is relentless. Is there anything that could have been

preplanned to dry and ease this period? We know what happens every

year. Yes, and we do a lot of planning, all the way through the

summer we talk about I went to plan, but what is happening now is that

winter is starting in summer. These pressures are continuing --

continuous. The plans we have put in, they are working well, but a lot

of goodwill and effort from the start it those plans work. Is it

more money that is required or reform? More money is always helpful

but we are in a system where that money is the money. My job is to try

and get the best out of the money, the resources, the people that we

have. I think we need to change how our system is balanced so that we

looked to be able to support more people in the community, we look to

use the hospitals for complex parts, acute assessments. We have heard

that over the years, ever since I started in journalism, hospital

bosses have been telling me we need fewer dead because people are

treated in the community, but there's any beds -- we need fewer

beds. Many patients who because of our system end up in hospital

because it is the only place where they can be kept safe. That is often

about care rather than about health. We need to make sure that the social

care services, the primary care service, the community care service

is able to manage and support patients. This care being rationed?

Are you having to cancel, postpone cancer operations to make way for

people turning up at a and E? Looking at our system, because of

the plan, patients with cancer are not being cancelled. There are a

small number of routine patients who are being cancelled at the moment,

and a number of outpatients are being cancelled, to cope with some

of the peaks and troughs, but the patients who desperately need the

surgery are having the surgery. What is your take on this? Is there

anything as patients we could do? Are we savvy enough to know when to

go to hospital, the GP, the pharmacist must remark you talked

about messages for patients earlier, winter planning, and we know that is

vital. We have been working to help the public understand these messages

this winter. The point where making if we tell patients to go to the

pharmacy, or in use 111 before Accident and Emergency that is great

but there needs to be sufficient investment in those services to make

sure that the work well for patients so they do not default to going to

the default -- going to their GP or Accident and Emergency. What about

beds in your hospital tonight? If you had ten people through the

hospital could you cope? Yes, if we only have ten we can Corp. We are

quite full this evening but we have got enough beds to get us through

the night. It is our by our at the moment. Is it getting to you? Do you

think, and other day, another crisis? I would be lying if I said

it does not get to you, of course it does. What we have to do is pick

ourselves up and get on with it. You are a GP? I am. There has been

criticism about GPs not been open long enough hours to see people. Do

you accept that? In Bristol and across this local area GPs do work

long hours, many practices are open 8-8, Monday- Thursday, sometimes

weekends, together with slightly shorter on a Friday, what we do have

however, general practice 24 hours per day, seven days per week, but an

out of hours that is delivered by an out of hours provider, and that is

staffed by GPs with support by nurses, paramedics and others. We

have a very safe system. I believe we have primary care 24-7. What do

you think? Vast majority of patients in the public do not want to see

items with health professionals, they value the service they get, and

actually we need to really value the provision, and if you look at the

feedback that we get from patients in the public, they received

excellent service. I do not think it is an issue. Good. Thank you. Thank

you all for coming in. Thank you for all you do at the sharp end.

Health funding and IVF will be the main topics for discussion tonight.

And Seb will also be trying to make us laugh on what's dubbed the most

A school in South Gloucestershire's been plunged into controversy over

racism and bullying - with the head teacher

Ofsted inspectors say the incidents haven't been dealt with properly -

although parents we've spoken to say they've not heard of any problems.

The verdict of Ofsted inspectors who visited Meadows Primary

Their main concerns were weak leadership

And a failure to improve on problems highlighted at the previous

there have been anti-social incidents in school,

We spoke to parents about those claims this afternoon.

If I thought that was going on there is no way my children would be going

there. I have got four children, three of which I know at secondary

school, and I have never had an issue. I am surprised. We feel the

same. The teachers do a great job. Our children have flourished here.

It does not been any sense. The staff here work so hard. It is not

fair. The local council says

its disappointed at the report. Saying it's ranked 34th out 152 -

based on Ofsted school inspections There is a new headteacher and a

deputy head from another local school to address some of the issues

in the report, to try and get this time around as quickly as possible.

The report did highlight the school's strengths.

Including above average results in reading and writing.

And a recent parent survey found 80% thought the school was well led.

Governors at the school CD are also surprised and disappointed by the

ruling, nonetheless the school is no in special measures, it will have to

take steps to become an academy which will mean it will no longer be

under the control of South Gloucestershire council.

He may be under pressure, but Bristol City head coach

Lee Johnson says he still has the 100% backing

City lost their seventh game in a row at the weekend,

with some fans now calling for a change.

But Johnson says he's certain he will turn things around.

Facing the media this morning to talk about tomorrow's FA Cup replay,

but with as many questions about his own future. On Saturday City back

another lead slip on their way to equalling a club record of seven

league defeats in a row. It is soul destroying. Of course it is. The

recent run of results. Do I think our performances warrant our bad run

of form? Absolutely not. Can become out of this? Absolutely. The support

has been top-class and it always has been at this club. They know I am

passionate about the club. They see the work rate we're putting in but

we have two hold our nerve and continue the progression. Since they

beat Blackburn last October City have won just once in 12 league

games, that has seen them drop from six, pint in 19th place. The problem

during this time has been weak schools. Nine of them conceded in

the last ten minutes of matches. -- the problem has been leaked goals.

The players sometimes come out of it. We have got to take

responsibility. There is good things beer at the same time. We do not

want to be negative. That is the last thing we need right now. We

need positivity around us. That is what we are trying to do. Tomorrow

they play Fleetwood who are unbeaten in 13 games. Defeat against the

League 1 side would only add to the pressure.

A bubble blowing clock that has been entertaining shoppers

in Cheltenham since 1985 has been stopped for a face-lift.

The huge Wishing Fish Clock in the Regent Arcade

is being dismantled tonight as parts of it don't work any more.

It was designed by Kit Williams, who was famous

in the '70s for Masquerade and the search for the golden hare.

Steve Knibbs, our Gloucestershire reporter,

Here editors, behind me, the iconic wishing fish clock. For the last 30

years on the half-hour and on the hour it has been playing music and

blowing bubbles. Apparently the original plan was for a cliched view

of Cheltenham, thankfully the orders of the arcade at the time chose

something more exciting and iconic. For over 30 years the mice have been

sneaky, the snake has tried in vain to catch them,

and the fish has blown bubbles to be I remember coming to Cheltenham on

special shopping trips with my mum and just being amazed that all these

bubbles were coming out. It is just lovely. It is nice having his

experience of something that I have been through as well. It is a great

attraction for the kids. Whenever you come here and there is always

children running around and enjoying it.

a timepiece that was magical, theatrical and fun.

Everybody is excited by bubbles. And the painting, which goes round and

round. There were lots of different aspects to it. Even the music. You

hear that music. of capturing the imagination -

in the '70s he wrote Masquerade, that, through a series of clues,

led readers to a jewelled But as for the clock,

time has taken its toll, and things need fixing,

like the infinite stream As they pass into the clock itself,

then the ball disappears and goes around the rest of the clock and the

empty cup comes back up again, where as it goes over the top, it is

falling down again. That is a simple check.

The new, improved clock will soon be back to grant wishes to everyone

The clock is going to be dismantled tonight. The goose, the fish, the

snake, and the mice are going to be restored, and in some cases improved

because originally they ran out of budget and could not meet the

original design. But the bubbles and the balls will all be back.

Time to catch up with the weather forecast. Let us go up to the roof

where Ian has the forecast. Good evening. Let me take you through the

forecast as we enter into a week which will be predominantly a

driver. There will be phases with some drizzly rain but certainly no

great amounts in any one spot. There could be great amounts of clouds to

chase around. That's more than anything is the forecast difficulty.

The knock-on result that all have in terms of temperatures by day and

night. Tomorrow there will be for the most part cloud, particularly

West and north-west. Conversely through the afternoon we will see

some sunny skies starting to emerge towards the south-east. For all of

us it will be a mostly dry day once we are to the early part of the

morning. We have high pressure building, but this beach-front is

moving from East to West, hence the drizzle, the low cloud, that

staggers towards the West, the rain dies away but the cloud remains. But

the skies are clearing and from the East, south-east, as dry area comes

from the new continent. For the rest of this evening they tonight we have

got this slow-moving band of drizzly rain. That will tend to die away but

that will leave a legacy of low cloud until fork which has been a

feature for much of the day. We will not see much frost tonight. Expect

tomorrow to be a start at least with low cloud, hill fog towards the

West. From the East, south-east, the skies are starting to clear. There

will be a tight delineation between the cloudy zone and the sunny zone.

Better chance of sunshine towards the south-east. Grealish skies just

north-west word. Tomorrow temperatures are in the range of

4-6 C, by tomorrow night I wager risk of seeing frost, some areas as

low as minus four. That does make me feel a bit blue

this Monday. And Julia wrote to us and said it is

blue Monday, Akanji have a mention? I sit, no. -- can she have a

mention. Goodbye. Let me see them hands up.

Let's do this. Glastonbury!

Make some noise! How you doing, Big Weekend?

Get ready. Go solo, Hyde Park.

Don't believe you. Secure your place at

the 500 Words Final, BBC Radio 2's writing competition

for kids with our honorary judge her Royal Highness the

Duchess of Cornwall. # Knees and toes and eyes and ears

and mouth and nose... #