09/03/2017 South Today - Oxford

Stopping people with mental health problems ending up

We have exclusive access to the teams who try to get

Also: The growing number of apprentices in the NHS

and what it could mean for you as a patient.

How arsenic may have played a part in her poor eyesight.

BBC South has been given exclusive access to some of the teams

who are trying to stop people with mental health problems

Across the South there's been a big fall in the number ending

up in police cells - down by more than 800 in two years.

But there's been an increase in mentally ill people being taken

to casualty and mental health units - up by more than 800

Our home affairs correspondent Peter Cooke reports.

Side-by-side on the front line, Reading's street triage team links

up a mental health worker and police officer who attend emergency

The team advise those in need about finding suitable care and help

them avoid being taken into custody or hospital.

This man called 999, saying he was depressed

Yeah, it does, but the thing is, when it goes away,

it is still here with me, you know, the mental

Nobody knows what I'm going through, basically.

The scheme will soon be operating seven days a week.

It means that we can do some reviewing in advance

We get some instant updates on the background of people and it

I am hoping that this is something that is going to be seen

as a beneficial service across the whole country

because it will definitely make a big difference,

as it has made a difference in this area.

A team of mental health experts are on hand

at the Royal Berkshire Hospital to support them.

Everyone is now conscious that we need to work as a team.

Most people's problems cannot be solved by a single service,

The team operate 24 hours a day to deal with the ever-increasing

The cost of burying a dead child in Oxford has been abolished

Parents used to be charged ?340 if they lost a child

A small number of councils across the country,

including South Oxfordshire, had already dropped the fees.

A man's been left with back and knee injuries after being

It happened near Serpentine Court in the Water Eaton area.

The 26-year-old man was stabbed several times after a fight broke

out between a group of people on Saturday afternoon.

An investigation's started into a major oil spill

The spill has affected almost two miles of the river.

Booms have been put in the water near Grazeley to stop

The number of apprentices at the John Radcliffe Hospital

in Oxford has doubled in the past year.

The health trust says it's now taking on even more to improve

patient care and tackle the long-term problem of recruiting

17-year-old Olivia has been working at the John Radcliffe Hospital

She is one of almost 30 apprentices here who have taken the decision

At the beginning it was quite scary because you don't really know

anyone, everyone is quite a lot older as well.

And not a lot of people know what an apprenticeship is.

But as they have kind of got to know what I can do,

you do start to feel part of the team.

Clinical apprentice numbers here have doubled in the last year

and Oxford University Hospitals Trust plan to appoint

At the moment we have got about 13 clinical apprentices and 13 business

administration apprentices, and a couple of

But actually, we've had a lot more than that actually move

on to permanent positions or leave to go to university.

So, for a lot of them, it is a real stepping stone into the NHS.

In yesterday's Budget, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond,

pledged an extra ?425 million to the NHS in England

Money for plans to improve local services, but critics say

this is just a cloak to disguise forthcoming cuts.

So, as people continue to fight for their NHS,

is using cheaper apprentices a quick fix to a bigger problem

I do actually want to be a nurse when I'm older,

so I'm going to go down and keep pursuing it.

So I'm not just going to leave it and go and do something else.

Earlier I spoke to Laura Roberts, who's the managing director

of Health Education England - an independent group which sets out

to improve the quality of healthcare through better training.

I asked her who's signing up to be an apprentice in the NHS.

It is a huge variety of people who are signing up at the moment.

We have school leavers, as you say, people particularly

We have apprentices in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

We also, within the NHS, have about...

Over 70% of our apprentices are women.

It is not just about school leavers, it is not just about kind

of traditional manual work, and it is not just for boys.

What about the view that there is a danger of using apprentices

to plug staff shortages, even though they are inexperienced

Oh, I think that has changed quite considerably, really.

The NHS is really keen to almost set the benchmark for high

We produced over 19,000 apprenticeship starts last year

and over 90% of those people carried on working in the NHS at the end

of their apprenticeship, which I think is evidence

that they both received good quality training and there was a real job

From a patient's perspective, in terms of clinical apprentices,

how much responsibility are they given in terms

Oh, they will be very strictly supervised for those apprentices

So they would be ones that are working in, say,

rehabilitation or on the wards and there will always be registered

But apprentices are about way more than just the direct patient care,

we have them in all fields, in admin, in finance,

We have them in gardening, plumbing, electricians.

A marble flowerpot, used in the grounds of Blenheim Palace,

has turned out to be a Roman stone coffin, dating back

The container was discovered by chance when an antiques expert

visited the stately home in West Oxfordshire.

Could this be the most expensive flowerpot in the country?

For many years it was tucked away in the grounds of Blenheim Palace,

but an expert spotted its historic significance - it dates

It's always a lovely surprise to find something like that.

In a place this size, we have so many beautiful artefacts

but it is always surprising to find something you didn't know special

is actually really special, something that you have seen every

day but you did not realise what it was.

It has been valued at ?300,000, but it will not be

It is one of the many treasures of Blenheim Palace.

It was brought here in the early 1800s, you know, why

Visitors to Blenheim can see the sarcophagus but it's not kept

It is inside, given the respect it deserves.

A Harry Potter-inspired sport's tournament is taking place

this weekend, involving a team from Oxford.

Quidditch is one of the fastest-growing

Jonathan Eden has been finding out more.

From the pages of Harry Potter to the fields of Oxford University

parks, Quidditch is fast becoming the most progressive competitive

So it was made about 11, 12 years ago now in America and it

came to the UK a bit later, but it was some people who had

read the books and went, "This would be really cool to try."

So they made it and then obviously, being on the ground,

you have to change some of the rules, but there are things

that are still in the books - both genders playing,

same number of people on the pitch, the same sort of aims,

but it has just become a sport in its own right.

There is basically a new rule book out every year trying to refine

the aspects to make it a better spot.

Each team consists of seven players: A Keeper, three Chasers,

My job is to prevent Hoops and I like it because it involves

less running than a Chaser and I can use my height to intercept.

I'm a Seeker, we come on 80 minutes into the game and the job for us

The Snitch is worth 30 points and when we catch it,

it ends the game, so it is quite make or break.

I'm a Chaser and I play with a Quaffle, and my role

is to throw the Quaffle into the Hoop.

This weekend will see the annual Quidditch Cup with over 30 teams

The team from Oxford University Quidditch Club,

the Oxford Quiddlings, will be battling with clubs

from Reading and Southampton for the top prize.

I'll have the headlines at 8pm and a full bulletin at 10.30pm.

Now more of today's stories with Sally Taylor.

Hampshire and Sussex border. It happens at Row gate just east of

Petersfield. Stay with us to find out

about the power behind the Wessex Warriors as the team

explains a new style There are calls for the resignation

of Surrey County Council leader David Hodge tonight after further

twists in the "sweetheart Letters released last night revealed

the fury of some MPs who thought the county had been promised

40 million pounds of extra cash. The documents obtained after a BBC

Freedom of Information request detail extensive negotiations

to allow the County Council to be the first in the country to keep

all of their business rates. But in Parliament today

the Local Government Secretary answered Labour questions by saying

no deal was done. The BBC has now published a letter

from DCLG officials showing they did in fact offer Surrey more cash

in a unique deal. Did the Secretary of State

know about that letter Surrey approached the department,

as do many other councils before a financial settlement asking

for more money and they made a request being considered

for business rates retention plan There's been a rise in the number

of babies and very young children At Southampton General

there are currently five children under the age of five

who are waiting for transplants, Many will need regular dialysis

while they wait for surgery. Our health correspondent,

David Fenton reports from inside the special unit that

helps keep them alive. Suleman spends three hours a day

three times a week on a dialysis machine. He was given just a 1%

chance of survival as a baby, but he If he didn't have this piece

of equipment here, I don't know, we would really be struggling

with him, so we are very fortunate he has responded

well to this treatment. The team here sees many children

with serious kidney problems. Within 48 hours he was sitting up

and eating and his denial and since then has been astonishing.

Day-to-day, you wouldn't know to look at him.

But the number of patients under the age of four is growing,

The number under the age of four is increasing

because we are diagnosing them better, looking after them better.

Babies and toddlers can take a full adult kidney and thrive if they can

find a donor. Sometimes that is the hardest part.

Growing up in Hampshire, he was constantly bullied

Later, when Daniel Gray was training to be a teacher, he was advised

to hide his homosexuality being told it would give his students

But now the 32-year-old secondary school teacher is hoping to become

the positive role model he never had.

He told our reporter Nikki Mitchell about his nerve-wracking decision

This assembly hall was packed with students having their daily

assembly. On the big screen was a video of me talking about LGBT

history month and I came out to my students. The build up was

nerve-racking, it was tense. As a gay man, I know how important it is

to grow up with positive role models who support you, understand you and

help you see it gets better. We have set up the culture club... There

were shrugs and smiles and a couple of mouths fell open the generally

the reaction was muted, only after the assembly did the reaction

becomes stronger and more positive. I was relieved it went so well. I

sat in the assembly going, oh, my God. He has come out, what is the

reaction going to be? We are the most accepting generation, people

are fine. I was shocked at first but not in a way, oh my God, she is gay

but he came out and in confidence and I thought it was quite

fantastic. Everyone talked about it but everyone reacted positively. It

is a good feeling to know someone else is different and they are OK.

Because I had such a horrendous experience at school, it has been

important to me to come out to the students because I think I want to

be the role model that I never had. My secondary school experience in

Basingstoke I was bullied everyday for being gay, I did not know I was

and they called me names and push me around in corridors. I was upset

every day going home. The schools did not know how to deal with it but

now the schools know how to deal with it. Our job as teachers is not

just back curriculum but about building young people into

competent, strong and individuals and that is why I have done it and I

hope other teachers will see what a positive impact it can have. He is a

role model. How popular is live music

and is there still an appetite Today there's a big effort under way

to try to check up on the health Southampton is playing a major role

and our reporter Chrissy Sturt has been sampling what

the city has to offer. With these incredible vocals, it is

no surprise this student band loves going to gigs in Southampton. It is

a vibrant, it is always happening, there was always something going on.

The engine rooms by the docks so I knew Southampton would be a great

place to study music. But they need help, if it was cheaper to hire

venues, this band could perform even more. That is the kind of

information the survey is after, who is listening to live music and why?

We have a team of students from Solent going out to survey the live

music scene looking at several venues and they are collecting data

from the venues so we can get an accurate data picture of what goes

on in the live music scene in Southampton.

Let's go live to Chrissy now at The Engine Rooms in Southampton,

where they're preparing to hold a live music event this evening.

600 students have bought tickets to be here tonight in the engine rooms,

great atmosphere, they have come to see a band. Georgia, you are a

student questioning people, what do you want to achieve with a census?

The most important thing about the live music census is to raise

awareness nationwide of how important these venues are. Are they

facing threats? Yeah, there are a lot of things challenging small

venues, the rise in business rates, exchange rates decreasing because of

Brexit so it is a worrying time. And you want to see them survived? Yeah,

it is integral to the music scene to have small venues because without a

small stage artists can develop that sounds to play at larger arenas. And

also promoters need to start somewhere small. Thank you so much.

The Wessex Warriors are one of the newer Powerchair football

Formed 18 months ago they're already making a big impact.

They were named the Dorset FA's outstanding club of the year

recently for the opportunities they're providing to disabled

I went along to meet the players and have a go myself.

They are warriors with heart on the pitch, the Wessex team spans all

ages and disabilities. We tried to take out disability because that as

it is turning up and playing and throughout the community there are

so many examples of this throughout all disabilities. Many youngsters

grow up dreaming of playing football. Power chair football has

been a life changer for those like Adam. It is a sport I would not be

able to do but now I can. I can make new friends and play. Lovely touch.

As you can see, I am still getting to grips with using a chair, it

takes skill and touch and precision, a tiny movement and you can be often

away on the left wing. Each chair costs ?7,000 to buy. The funds are

raised through a variety of sources and with every chair is a new

player. Here we go. Goal! Not everyone can control the chair with

their hands. Keith Harris uses his tongue. I became disabled after

contracting an adult strain of flu. I cannot use my limbs. As a

consultant said, the best muscle in the body is the tongue. You need

many skills, including driving the chair. They are sensitive to drive.

They are hard to drive and it is the first skill and then you think about

the positioning and space and knowing where your team mates are.

For those volunteers the reward is remarkable. I love it. I love to see

them smile and have the opportunity that they would not have and one of

the mums said recently she never thought she would have her sons

football shirt on the washing line and that, to me, just says it all. A

lovely group of people and get along and support them if you can.

The women's lacrosse players... Estate is schools tournament Aogo 20

nations will compete at the event taking place in July for ten days

and starts on the 12th. But one of the UK's greatest authors

would have had trouble reading and writing towards the end

of her life because she may Spectacles belonging

to the Hampshire writer Jane Austen have only just been

tested by optometrists. And thrown up some surprising

results that cast new light Ben Moore has taken an exclusive

look at the evidence. She may have been one

of history's greatest writers, but for Jane Austin,

just reading her novels would have Her spectacles have been

at the British library in her writing desk for 20 years,

but only now can they bring Back in the early 19th century,

there were prescription similar to what we have today,

so what we did was have somebody bring in a portable lens meter

so that we could very, The first pair of glasses

have a low prescription. Her second pair show her vision

deteriorated before the final pair showed she lived

in a very blurry world. This could explain why

she died so young. The possibility of her being

poisoned accidentally We know that arsenic can cause

cataracts now and arsenic was often put into medication for other

illnesses, like rheumatism. The spectacles are 200 years old and

made from natural materials like tortoiseshell and glass but one

thing we don't know is whether they were specifically prescribed for

Jane Austen or whether she just bought them from a travelling

salesman, the same way we do when buying reading glasses off the

shelf. Luckily, using modern optometry we can see just what Jane

Austin's eyesight was like. That is plus one. Quite blurred. But you can

cope. This is plus three. Yeah, that is pretty blurred. Getting

difficult. That is 475. I cannot see your face. I can only see my hand.

So, one of the worlds greatest novelists would have had trouble

reading and writing. She would have noticed the difference when the

light was poor and overtime as she aged it would be have been more

important to have a stronger prescription because your eyes need

more help for reading as you age. The British library 12 in

optometrists to offer opinions. A red chance to see things through the

eyes of one of Britain's best love authors -- a red chance. A great

story. I had no idea! I got my bit in defects but it will be cloudy. --

vitamin de fix. Christopher David took this picture

of the morning sunshine This lovely picture

of Abingdon was taken Lovely conditions and allowing

temperatures to rise to 16 Celsius. In some areas at Heathrow it was

16.9. Overnight, we expect clear skies saved Chile at first, three

Celsius but the arrival of the cloud mean temperatures will start to

rise. -- chilly at first. Temperatures tonight by dawn will be

down to six or nine Celsius. A cloudy day tomorrow, spots of rain

in the morning and a fair amount of mist and fog on the coast and for

the Isle of Wight. Some brighter spells developing for western areas

and temperatures up into double figures, not as high as today. Ten

to 11 Celsius. By the cloud and mist and fog tomorrow night, a good deal

of cloud to start the weekend. It may be dense on Saturday morning and

temperatures falling away to eight or nine Celsius. A good deal of

cloud over the weekend, Saturday is the better day for dryness, they

weather front moves in on Sunday but Saturday sees brighter spells in the

afternoon further east slighty more cloud arriving later on with the

arrival of a weather front by Sunday morning. That weather front pushes

in, still uncertainty as to when we have the rain but some outbreaks of

rain in the course of the day. Dry weather over the next few days,

cloud, brightness tomorrow afternoon, and some mist and fog

possible on Saturday, again, through the course of the day, brighter

spells developing in the afternoon and some rain at times but next week

it will turn more settled because high pressure will start building.

Despite the cloud, send us your pictures. Does that mean next week

is spring? Not officially but possibly. I pressure will develop.

There'll be a news summary at 8pm and we'll be back at 10:30pm.

Oh, the dragon. Dylan Thomas.

Richard Burton. Barry Island.

The River Shannon. We invented the submarine.

with a spectacular Friday night encounter...