:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to BBC South Today, I'm Laura Trant.
:00:07. > :00:08.The top stories this evening: Struggling to cope.
:00:09. > :00:12.Hundreds of operations are cancelled at two of our hospitals.
:00:13. > :00:16.Rail commuters bracing themselves for more disruption tomorrow
:00:17. > :00:34.Training for the first all-female unsupported trek across Antarctica.
:00:35. > :00:36.Two Hampshire hospitals have announced they're cancelling 100
:00:37. > :00:39.operations to help relieve the workload on their
:00:40. > :00:44.Hip, knee and other orthopaedic surgery in Basingstoke
:00:45. > :00:48.Unprecedented pressure has been blamed.
:00:49. > :00:52.In a moment, we'll hear the latest from our health correspondent,
:00:53. > :00:56.David Fenton, but first what can be done to improve the situation?
:00:57. > :00:59.Steve Humphrey reports on how NHS shake-up plans have
:01:00. > :01:11.It's a campaign that's quickly gained momentum.
:01:12. > :01:13.People here in Shaftesbury in North Dorset are fighting
:01:14. > :01:18.to save 15 beds at the town's Westminster Memorial Hospital.
:01:19. > :01:21.It's an issue that's got the whole town talking.
:01:22. > :01:32.This little hospital must keep going at any cost.
:01:33. > :01:35.We do need a little hospital round here.
:01:36. > :01:41.Along with many other parts of the NHS, Dorset's Clinical
:01:42. > :01:44.Commissioning Group is proposing changes to everything
:01:45. > :01:48.from the county's big three acute hospitals
:01:49. > :01:53.The proposal is to keep beds at the community hospitals
:01:54. > :02:01.but to close all 15 beds here at the hospital in Shaftesbury.
:02:02. > :02:05.But a range of medical services would still be provided in the town.
:02:06. > :02:08.I think they really should think again and really take on board
:02:09. > :02:15.The Clinical Commissioning Group argues changes have got to be made
:02:16. > :02:19.because of a rising population, increasing demand and growing
:02:20. > :02:24.Change is always very difficult, especially in the local
:02:25. > :02:28.community, and I absolutely understand people's fears.
:02:29. > :02:31.I can only reassure them that we are trying to do the best
:02:32. > :02:35.for the widest population in North Dorset.
:02:36. > :02:38.It's not about cutting beds but providing that care
:02:39. > :02:42.in a different manner and keeping people at home.
:02:43. > :02:45.In their campaign HQ in the high street, these people
:02:46. > :02:53.So far, around 1,500 people have filled in the consultation document.
:02:54. > :02:56.Final decisions will be made later this year.
:02:57. > :03:01.Steve Humphrey, BBC South Today, Shaftesbury.
:03:02. > :03:03.Our health correspondent, David Fenton, has been assessing how
:03:04. > :03:07.much pressure local hospitals are under and sent us this report
:03:08. > :03:11.from the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
:03:12. > :03:14.Today, yesterday, all of last week, operations were being cancelled
:03:15. > :03:20.There's a two-week stoppage on almost all orthopaedic surgery
:03:21. > :03:24.to allow more emergency patients to be treated.
:03:25. > :03:28.The hospital trust says it's faced unprecedented pressures over
:03:29. > :03:32.the last two weeks and has had to make hard choices
:03:33. > :03:36.so they are using surgical beds for these emergency patients,
:03:37. > :03:40.Many hospitals do it and, as a result, they have
:03:41. > :03:45.Three procedures cancelled in Poole over the last few weeks,
:03:46. > :03:48.ten in Southampton, 11 in Bournemouth.
:03:49. > :03:53.There are never enough beds to go around, it seems.
:03:54. > :03:57.But the NHS is planning to cut more hospital beds over the next few
:03:58. > :04:02.years and treat more people and care for them closer to home.
:04:03. > :04:05.That's the big idea but it is causing some concern
:04:06. > :04:07.for many local groups, as we heard Steve
:04:08. > :04:17.Southern Rail passengers in West Sussex, Surrey and parts
:04:18. > :04:20.of Hampshire are bracing themselves for more disruption as members
:04:21. > :04:23.of the RMT union will go on strike tomorrow.
:04:24. > :04:27.It'll be the 29th day of strike action in the union's long-running
:04:28. > :04:30.dispute over changes to the role of guards.
:04:31. > :04:32.Tom Hepworth's live at Southampton Central
:04:33. > :04:36.A few weeks, ago it looked like there was a light
:04:37. > :04:43.Yes, here we go again, but the impact of tomorrow's strike
:04:44. > :04:47.isn't likely to be as far-reaching as when drivers in the Aslef
:04:48. > :04:53.When that happened, the railway ground to a halt.
:04:54. > :04:54.Southern's parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway,
:04:55. > :04:59.says it expects to run three quarters of its trains,
:05:00. > :05:02.which means there will be some services from here in Southampton
:05:03. > :05:06.and Portsmouth to Brighton, but there's likely to be disruption,
:05:07. > :05:08.cancellations and shorter trains on many routes.
:05:09. > :05:10.The dispute is about making drivers responsible for safety
:05:11. > :05:13.rather than guards - getting them to operate the train
:05:14. > :05:18.doors and changing the role of guards into onboard supervisors.
:05:19. > :05:20.Drivers in Aslef rejected the agreement between
:05:21. > :05:26.Aslef and GTR have been in more talks today.
:05:27. > :05:43.GTR's already imposed the changes on guards.
:05:44. > :05:47.Last week, it sent staff a letter, warning them that taking strike
:05:48. > :05:50.action may be a breach of contract and the company could apply
:05:51. > :05:56.It urges employees to think very carefully about
:05:57. > :06:07.The RMT says this amounts to bullying and intimidation.
:06:08. > :06:10.Meanwhile, a separate strike by Aslef and the RMT will affect parts
:06:11. > :06:14.There'll be no service on the Waterloo and City line
:06:15. > :06:17.and a limited service on the Central line.
:06:18. > :06:22.Surfers in Bournemouth say they fear a nasty accident after jet skis
:06:23. > :06:25.were filmed passing within a few feet of people in the sea.
:06:26. > :06:27.This incident was filmed at the weekend.
:06:28. > :06:30.Bylaws limiting the use of jet skis near the beach only apply
:06:31. > :06:35.Coastguards say behaviour like this puts swimmers and other
:06:36. > :06:41.A team of British soldiers is hoping to become the first all-female group
:06:42. > :06:48.During a three-month expedition, they'll face temperatures of -40
:06:49. > :06:53.degrees and they'll be walking in that for up to nine hours a day.
:06:54. > :06:56.A trainee GP based in Portsmouth and a troop commander based
:06:57. > :07:00.at Larkhill in Salisbury are part of the seven-member team.
:07:01. > :07:04.Phil Mackie joined them during training in Norway.
:07:05. > :07:07.In September, these soldiers will begin the historic journey,
:07:08. > :07:12.hoping they'll succeed and inspire a generation of women.
:07:13. > :07:14.It's not just about five women crossing Antarctica.
:07:15. > :07:17.It's about encouraging women from across the military,
:07:18. > :07:20.but also in civilian life, just to get out there and give
:07:21. > :07:22.things a go and realise that there is no ceiling,
:07:23. > :07:26.I think, if we can inspire some women to get out
:07:27. > :07:29.there and be physically active, it doesn't have to be Antarctica,
:07:30. > :07:33.Home for the next few weeks and for the 80 days
:07:34. > :07:35.of the expedition will be a small tent.
:07:36. > :07:39.It will be the bedroom, living room and kitchen.
:07:40. > :07:45.There are doctors, a former teacher and an electrical
:07:46. > :07:50.They will leave their families and partners behind to spend nearly
:07:51. > :07:59.There's important research being done, too.
:08:00. > :08:02.No one really knows what it'll take to sustain an all-female team
:08:03. > :08:05.It's not just about calories, it's about the actual
:08:06. > :08:07.composition of the rations, so making sure there
:08:08. > :08:09.is the right amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein.
:08:10. > :08:12.So it's trying to figure out how we can manipulate that, I suppose.
:08:13. > :08:14.And also for a group of women whose nutritional requirements
:08:15. > :08:18.And there's been very, very little research done,
:08:19. > :08:20.and certainly not published, so I haven't really got
:08:21. > :08:24.And one of the hardest things will be maintaining morale as each
:08:25. > :08:29.They've just been out for a two-hour march.
:08:30. > :08:32.They are going to have to do up to nine hours a day once
:08:33. > :08:34.they are in the Antarctic, carrying everything
:08:35. > :08:40.It's going to be very, very tough, which is why they need to practise
:08:41. > :08:50.Two will be reserves as only five can cross the Antarctic
:08:51. > :08:52.where they hope to break the ice ceiling, putting them
:08:53. > :08:56.in the history books alongside explorers like Scott,
:08:57. > :09:04.Football now, and Reading missed the chance to leapfrog
:09:05. > :09:06.their opponents into third place in the Championship
:09:07. > :09:08.tonight after losing 1-0 away at Huddersfield.
:09:09. > :09:10.The result leaves the Royals four points behind their
:09:11. > :09:23.BBC Radio Berkshire's Tim Dellor watched all the action.
:09:24. > :09:33.Huddersfield are heard tonight though Reading stay fourth. Brady
:09:34. > :09:37.will feel aggrieved not to have been awarded the penalty themselves. A
:09:38. > :09:42.chaotic goal with ten minutes remaining settled the contest and it
:09:43. > :09:49.does not get any easier, Reading play Brighton.
:09:50. > :09:55.A lot of cloud overnight tonight with outbreaks of rain but with the
:09:56. > :10:01.increasing breeze, that should keep mist and fog at bay. The rain will
:10:02. > :10:07.come ago so it will not be completely showers overnight. A mild
:10:08. > :10:14.night, temperatures barely differing from the town badges. Tomorrow, a
:10:15. > :10:16.good deal of cloud. A strengthening west to south-westerly wind
:10:17. > :10:21.especially along the coast of the Isle of Wight. Elsewhere, outbreaks
:10:22. > :10:25.of rain, dry interludes, heavy bursts of rain at times and
:10:26. > :10:29.temperatures will reach a high of 11-12 C. The winds will continue to
:10:30. > :10:34.strengthen tomorrow night in the first day and the Met Office had
:10:35. > :10:40.issued the wind warning to all parts of oxygen in Buckinghamshire. Rain
:10:41. > :10:45.on Thursday will play eastwards snowstorm Doris will affect air is
:10:46. > :10:50.not of the Midlands. A wind warning in force through Oxfordshire. Wind
:10:51. > :10:57.gusts there are 50-60 mph. Elsewhere, wind gusts of 50-55 mph.
:10:58. > :10:59.Outbreaks of rain over the next few days, light and patchy tomorrow,
:11:00. > :11:04.heavy burst of rain on Thursday the day, particularly up towards the
:11:05. > :11:06.evening rush hour. It calms down on the Outlook toward the end of the
:11:07. > :11:08.week and then milder again from the wheel them. More on storm Doris now
:11:09. > :11:11.with Matt Taylor.