:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to South Today, I'm Edward Sault.
:00:00. > :00:09.They gave it up after just seven months.
:00:10. > :00:11.Coperforma surrends its contract to run patient transport
:00:12. > :00:20.But is the new provider at risk of overstretching itself?
:00:21. > :00:22.Could these be coming to the leafy Surrey hills?
:00:23. > :00:31.Protestors hope not as they set up camp.
:00:32. > :00:35.Tomorrow morning there is the chance of Frost, I will have the wdather
:00:36. > :00:40.details shortly. They had weathered the storl
:00:41. > :00:42.but have now decided to throw Coperforma - the company
:00:43. > :00:45.running the NHS patient transport service in Sussex -
:00:46. > :00:53.is handing back the sixty ?62 million contract
:00:54. > :00:54.after just seven months. in April, hundreds of patients
:00:55. > :01:00.were being left stranded, Thousands soon signed a pethtion
:01:01. > :01:04.calling for an end to the contract. providing ambulances went btst
:01:05. > :01:09.and vehicles were seized. Then, in August, an NHS report
:01:10. > :01:16.found Coperforma had failed to plan properly to take
:01:17. > :01:18.on the service. Despite making big
:01:19. > :01:20.improvements, the NHS today confirmed Coperforma had given up
:01:21. > :01:22.the contract and South Central Ambulance Service will take
:01:23. > :01:28.over for the time being. Let's join reporter
:01:29. > :01:30.Anjana Gadgil who is live The writing has been on the wall
:01:31. > :01:42.for some months now, hasn't it? Yes, the contract was awarddd
:01:43. > :01:44.to Coperforma in April and health bosses in Sussex have been dealing
:01:45. > :01:47.with the fall out ever sincd. There were angry patients
:01:48. > :01:49.not being collected for hospital appointments,
:01:50. > :01:52.angry staff not being paid, angry hospitals picking up the pidces
:01:53. > :01:58.angry MPs and angry union mdmbers. At one point in the first
:01:59. > :02:01.five weeks only 1 in 5 Michael is a former army officer
:02:02. > :02:11.who needs dialysis four timds a week - but never knew
:02:12. > :02:23.if the ambulance would turn up. It is annoying enough to have to go
:02:24. > :02:28.in for dialysis. Then to waht for transport you know could be
:02:29. > :02:32.organised better is annoying. Your thoughts on the fact the colpany
:02:33. > :02:36.will no longer have the contract? I was going to say I am delhghted,
:02:37. > :02:37.because they are not capabld of running it.
:02:38. > :02:39.So were Coperforma pushed or did they jump?
:02:40. > :02:44.By the summer Coperforma has begun to meet its targets but it lay have
:02:45. > :02:46.struggled to make any money out of the service.
:02:47. > :02:48.And much of this saga boils down to finances.
:02:49. > :02:51.Up until 2014 South East Coast Ambulance Service -
:02:52. > :02:53.Secam - were running Patient Transport Services
:02:54. > :02:56.in Sussex but said it didn't want to to continue operating under
:02:57. > :03:03.When the service went out to tender Coperforma were the only bidders.
:03:04. > :03:06.One other company - called @rriva - had expressed interest
:03:07. > :03:08.but withdrew because - like Secam - it didn't think
:03:09. > :03:10.the contract could be delivdred at the price being offered.
:03:11. > :03:16.Coperforma were providing the service through a booking hub
:03:17. > :03:27.but employing transport providers to sub-contract the drivers.
:03:28. > :03:29.And clearly there were lots of teething problems with that model.
:03:30. > :03:33.Coperforma haven't spoken today but the NHS body which appohnted
:03:34. > :03:38.Coperforma says it was a mutual decision.
:03:39. > :03:44.We receive communication from the company that whilst perform`nce had
:03:45. > :03:46.improved, the contract is not economical. We have an exit
:03:47. > :03:48.arrangement for them. Well patients, MPs and the tnions
:03:49. > :03:52.have been queuing up to say how pleased they are that the contract
:03:53. > :03:55.has been handed back. Transport will again be
:03:56. > :03:57.provided by the NHS via the South Central Ambulance Service
:03:58. > :04:00.who already run the service But remember Coperforma werd due
:04:01. > :04:07.to run the service for 6 ye`rs so there will have be
:04:08. > :04:14.another tender process. South Central Ambulance
:04:15. > :04:17.will have to get to grips It already runs patient
:04:18. > :04:28.transport in four counties , it's taking charge in Surrex too
:04:29. > :04:31.next April and now has to oversee all of Sussex where there h`ve
:04:32. > :04:33.been on-going problems. So earlier, I asked Deputy Chief
:04:34. > :04:47.Executive James Underhay how Our aim is clearly to utilise as
:04:48. > :04:53.many of our own staff and vdhicles as possible, clearly the tile frame
:04:54. > :04:57.for mobilising the contract is going to be shorter than we would normally
:04:58. > :05:06.the patients and their families we the patients and their families we
:05:07. > :05:09.want to have the right people with the right skills and right
:05:10. > :05:14.equipment, to deliver a safd and competent service. Southeast
:05:15. > :05:18.ambulances are stopped runnhng the service because they said they were
:05:19. > :05:30.not being paid enough. Our south-central being paid more than?
:05:31. > :05:32.Or is at the same value? It would be inappropriate to have that
:05:33. > :05:40.conversation at the moment those are still ongoing discussions bdtween
:05:41. > :05:44.ourselves and the CCG. Is there a risk of overstretching oursdlves?
:05:45. > :05:47.Like I say we will put in place proper infrastructure, propdr
:05:48. > :05:53.management, proper resources to run the contract in the same wax we run
:05:54. > :05:56.other contract we currently hold. You can guarantee that Sussdx
:05:57. > :06:02.patients, who have had a difficult six months, we'll get the sdrvice
:06:03. > :06:05.they deserve and need? Absolutely, our priority is ensuring th`t those
:06:06. > :06:11.patients and their families receive the service they should rightly
:06:12. > :06:12.expect. Thank you for your time this evening.
:06:13. > :06:15.Potentially it houses the fhfth largest onshore oil field in the UK
:06:16. > :06:17.and could be worth millions of pounds - but drilling
:06:18. > :06:20.into the Surrey Hills to extract it, is highly controversial.
:06:21. > :06:21.Campaigners are concerned about the possible environmdntal
:06:22. > :06:25.But the company involved has sought to reassure local people.
:06:26. > :06:33.It is a popular part of leafy Surrey for walkers, cyclists, and horse
:06:34. > :06:44.But now the area has become the site of a battle between the Europa oil
:06:45. > :06:46.and gas company, and environmental campaigners.
:06:47. > :06:51.Last Friday the campaigners began setting up this
:06:52. > :06:54.protest camp, complete with tree houses.
:06:55. > :06:56.Central government has completely overridden the wishes of
:06:57. > :06:59.the people in this area, they have been made
:07:00. > :07:01.completely clear, it could
:07:02. > :07:04.not be more obvious that this is not wanted.
:07:05. > :07:06.Today the Green party MEP for the south-east visited the site
:07:07. > :07:12.There are enough people saying, hang on, this
:07:13. > :07:14.is a beautiful neck of the
:07:15. > :07:17.woods, literally, why on earth would we want to disrupt it?
:07:18. > :07:19.The south already has a serhes of onshore oil
:07:20. > :07:26.This site would allow the operator access to reserves
:07:27. > :07:29.estimates that around 5 million barrels.
:07:30. > :07:30.The site was approved by
:07:31. > :07:32.the planning Inspectorate following a seven-year battle
:07:33. > :07:35.but there are outstanding issues including an
:07:36. > :07:38.application for new securitx fencing around the site.
:07:39. > :07:41.It is over one hectare of l`nd that they are
:07:42. > :07:44.It will be visible from the road, never in
:07:45. > :07:49.Nobody from Europa oil and gas was available for
:07:50. > :07:52.interview today but in a radio interview last Friday the company
:07:53. > :07:58.stressed they will not use controversial fracking techniques.
:07:59. > :07:59.It is a conventional exploration well.
:08:00. > :08:08.So it predates the invention of fracking in the UK.
:08:09. > :08:11.The oil industry says it has a good track record when
:08:12. > :08:13.it comes to protecting the environment.
:08:14. > :08:16.In the UK, and in particular, the area where this site
:08:17. > :08:20.exists, we have already drilled about 250 wells.
:08:21. > :08:23.It is essentially nothing dhfferent to what we have
:08:24. > :08:32.Europa gas and oil does need a series of final
:08:33. > :08:34.approvals before it can start work on this site.
:08:35. > :08:37.The company is hoping to st`rt drilling here at some stage
:08:38. > :08:45.Students from a secondary school near Chichester which burned down
:08:46. > :08:47.in the summer have moved into their new temporary
:08:48. > :08:50.It's been made from portabld buildings constructed on pl`ying
:08:51. > :08:53.fields at The Academy Selsex for students and their families
:08:54. > :09:09.I am kind of excited, now wd don't have to get on a bus every day. We
:09:10. > :09:14.are just here and we know the place where we will learn everythhng.
:09:15. > :09:18.It is amazing, really impressive. I cannot get over it, how quick they
:09:19. > :09:20.have done it. It is great, better than the old school.
:09:21. > :09:22.Champion jockey Jim Crowley has been released from hospital
:09:23. > :09:25.Crowley, from Pulbrough in West Sussex, came away
:09:26. > :09:27.from a horrific looking crash with only a broken nose.
:09:28. > :09:30.Fellow jockey Freddy Tylitski remains in a stable condition
:09:31. > :09:37.That's all from the South Today news team this evening.
:09:38. > :09:40.We're back tomorrow with bulletins in BBC Breakfast and there's more
:09:41. > :09:47.Here with our regional weather forecast is Alexis.
:09:48. > :09:55.It is going to be very chilly overnight. Temperatures could fall
:09:56. > :09:59.to around freezing, or just above, there's a chance of patchy frost in
:10:00. > :10:04.the countryside, with the clearing sky. Still cloud around movhng
:10:05. > :10:09.southward, clear skies will allow Frost to form, and there will be
:10:10. > :10:14.fairly light northerly winds. A chilly start tomorrow, it is a
:10:15. > :10:18.lovely day with lots of sunshine, one spells of sunshine throtgh the
:10:19. > :10:23.afternoon, patchy cloud herd and there, temperatures a littld lower
:10:24. > :10:28.today, reaching 12 Celsius with a light northerly breeze. Tomorrow
:10:29. > :10:32.night, a widespread frost, high pressure starts to pull awax, with
:10:33. > :10:36.clear skies it will be a chhlly start to Thursday, a bright and
:10:37. > :10:41.sunny start but clouding ovdr with this weather front moving e`stwards
:10:42. > :10:45.across the region during thd day. We expect patchy rain on Thursday night
:10:46. > :10:49.into the early hours of Friday morning and also through Frhday Low
:10:50. > :10:55.pressure takes charge through Thursday night into Friday, for the
:10:56. > :11:01.weekend it will be quite chhlly Tomorrow, a frosty start, a high of
:11:02. > :11:01.11 Celsius, and on Thursday the Frost
:11:02. > :11:11.couple of days, frosty mornings before turning unsettled. Good You
:11:12. > :11:17.know what, in evening. the last few days, much
:11:18. > :11:18.more following the calendar. A warm end to October, 1st