:00:14. > :00:17.What next for Cornwall's out`of`hours GP service? Serco is
:00:18. > :00:21.giving up the contract more than a year early.
:00:22. > :00:24.Good evening. The company has been severely criticised for the way it
:00:25. > :00:34.runs the service. There are now calls for a complete rethink. In my
:00:35. > :00:37.view, patients should be put before profit and this system of
:00:38. > :00:42.contracting out important services will never work.
:00:43. > :00:45.Also tonight: Grounded. Dorset and Somerset's Air Ambulance is taken
:00:46. > :00:48.out of service for safety reasons. Flights were suspended after a
:00:49. > :00:53.technical fault was found on the aircraft.
:00:54. > :00:56.And not allowed home for Christmas. Three arrested Devon Greenpeace
:00:57. > :01:02.workers are told they must stay in Russia.
:01:03. > :01:05.The controversial private company which runs the out`of`hours GP
:01:06. > :01:08.service in Cornwall has announced it's handing back the contract more
:01:09. > :01:11.than a year earlier than planned. Serco has faced severe criticism for
:01:12. > :01:14.the way it's operated the service. The firm was accused of manipulating
:01:15. > :01:17.performance figures. Whistle`blowers raised concerns about staffing
:01:18. > :01:19.levels and the chairman of a parliamentary committee lambasted
:01:20. > :01:21.the company for "falling unacceptably short of essential
:01:22. > :01:24.standards of quality and safety". As Spotlight's Eleanor Parkinson
:01:25. > :01:41.reports, Serco will no longer run the service after May 2015.
:01:42. > :01:47.Over the seven Years Circle have run the out of hours service, the
:01:48. > :01:52.complaints have poured in. An investigation found performance data
:01:53. > :02:00.had been manipulated. They took on extra staff and circa are now
:02:01. > :02:05.providing a good service, but despite this, the contract is being
:02:06. > :02:11.terminated 17 months ahead of schedule. I think it's fair to say
:02:12. > :02:14.that they have historical difficulties in delivering this
:02:15. > :02:22.contract, however, they have been recently performing very well. But
:02:23. > :02:29.we have been looking for a way to bring the contract end date sooner
:02:30. > :02:32.and we are able to do that. Any future out of our service wants to
:02:33. > :02:59.be more integrated. Health campaigners have welcomed the news.
:03:00. > :03:08.Andrew George says ending the contract is right. I don't think
:03:09. > :03:12.that the NHS is best served by companies who put profits before
:03:13. > :03:16.patients and when it comes to important services like the out of
:03:17. > :03:20.hours GP contract, it is far better if we use the opportunity to
:03:21. > :03:26.reintegrate the NHS rather than salami slicer at and put it out to
:03:27. > :03:32.tender to private contractors. They said that running an out of hours GP
:03:33. > :03:35.service no longer fitted in with their health care strategy. In the
:03:36. > :03:38.past they have admitted they were running the servers at a loss but
:03:39. > :03:41.said they were committed to delivering a high level of service
:03:42. > :03:45.for the remainder of this contract in Cornwall.
:03:46. > :03:51.I'm joined by our political editor, Martyn Oates. This isn't the first
:03:52. > :03:58.problem Serco has faced, is it? No, and just yesterday, they lost
:03:59. > :04:03.another big public sector contract to provide electronic tags for
:04:04. > :04:07.criminals following revelations the company have overcharged the
:04:08. > :04:24.government. They are being investigated by the serious fraud
:04:25. > :04:28.office. The chairman apologised. But also, he also revealed the company
:04:29. > :04:35.had lost a third of its total value as a result of this episode. It's a
:04:36. > :04:40.diverse company. Absolutely. It's got contracts with the Ministry of
:04:41. > :04:47.Defence, Ministry of transport and even runs these borrowers bikes.
:04:48. > :04:53.During this hearing, Austin Mitchell asked whether a company which runs
:04:54. > :04:58.everything is essentially too big for its own good. Despite today's
:04:59. > :05:07.announcement, it's not retreating entirely from health care. Quite the
:05:08. > :05:13.opposite. At the same time, it says health care is a global growth
:05:14. > :05:16.area, and apparently, it has a recent contracts in the UK, the
:05:17. > :05:19.United States, the Middle East and Australia.
:05:20. > :05:21.The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance remains grounded tonight
:05:22. > :05:34.amid safety fears. The Eurocopter EC135 has been giving false readings
:05:35. > :05:38.on its fuel gauge. Grounded and not flying anywhere for
:05:39. > :05:43.a second successive day. A port with the fuel gauge has been diagnosed.
:05:44. > :05:48.Engineers have been preparing the machine to allow new parts, flown in
:05:49. > :05:52.from Germany, to be fitted. The fort was originally found on an air
:05:53. > :06:02.ambulance in the North of England. While helicopters were checked. Many
:06:03. > :06:08.didn't have the fold but don't. Late this afternoon, a solution was found
:06:09. > :06:17.and it is hoped all of the fleet will be airborne again by Sunday. I
:06:18. > :06:24.am hopeful of ours will be flying tomorrow. Aircraft has been stripped
:06:25. > :06:29.down. Although there is no known direct link with the crash of a
:06:30. > :06:39.police helicopter in Glasgow two weeks ago, that was also the same
:06:40. > :06:43.feed. Dorset and Somerset air ambulance flight 700 missions each
:06:44. > :06:50.ear and covers a large geared `` large geographical area. Land
:06:51. > :06:56.ambulances covered the jobs instead. If in a craft had been needed,
:06:57. > :07:04.emergency helicopter services could have been called in. Safety has to
:07:05. > :07:09.be your first concern. If you have a patient on broad, no one benefits.
:07:10. > :07:14.Help from other emergency services will remain available until a
:07:15. > :07:16.helicopter is back the F. The Russian authorities have today
:07:17. > :07:20.told three Greenpeace workers from Devon that they are not allowed to
:07:21. > :07:23.leave Russia. Alex Harris, Kieron Bryan and Iain Rogers were arrested
:07:24. > :07:36.during a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic more than two
:07:37. > :07:41.months ago. Released from prison with hopes they
:07:42. > :07:46.would be home for Christmas. Now, three weeks after being granted
:07:47. > :07:49.bail, Russian authorities have told the activists and journalists they
:07:50. > :07:55.cannot leave the country. I was heartbroken. I was trying to
:07:56. > :07:59.concentrate on different speakers yesterday, but at the back of my
:08:00. > :08:05.mind, I was waiting for a phone call and communication. But nothing
:08:06. > :08:11.happened. I was told it was a rumour and they might not be on the list
:08:12. > :08:19.and it has turned out to be true. Kieron, even an Alex were amongst a
:08:20. > :08:25.group of 30 arrested two months ago after the Russian authorities
:08:26. > :08:29.boarded their vessel during a protest. They had hoped to be
:08:30. > :08:34.allowed home after an international court ordered Russia to let them
:08:35. > :08:38.leave the country immediately. But Greenpeace claims Russia has now
:08:39. > :08:42.breached this ruling and should be held to account. A couple of weeks
:08:43. > :08:50.ago, a tribunal ruled that Russia must immediately release the Arctic
:08:51. > :08:54.30, but the Russian authorities have disregarded that ruling. Greenpeace
:08:55. > :08:59.believe the UK government should be at a very high level, stressing to
:09:00. > :09:04.Russia that they had to comply with this court ruling and release these
:09:05. > :09:09.people, who are guilty than nothing other than wishing to protect the
:09:10. > :09:12.Arctic. Families fear it could be as late as next spring is how they see
:09:13. > :09:16.their loved ones. Firefighters in the South West are
:09:17. > :09:19.out on strike tonight in a national dispute over pensions. Members of
:09:20. > :09:23.the Fire Brigades Union walked out at 6pm and will stay out until 10pm.
:09:24. > :09:25.There will be another strike at the same time tomorrow.
:09:26. > :09:29.Meanwhile, fire and rescue services in Wiltshire and Dorset could merge
:09:30. > :09:32.under plans outlined by the two fire authorities. It's in response to a
:09:33. > :09:38.cut in government funding. The merger could happen by 2016.
:09:39. > :09:41.Two lifeboat crews faced difficult conditions last night as they worked
:09:42. > :09:45.to rescue a Newlyn`based fishing boat after she broke down 33 miles
:09:46. > :09:49.off Lizard Point. The Joy of Ladram had suffered gear box failure and
:09:50. > :09:54.was assisted by the Lizard crew and then towed in by the Penlee
:09:55. > :09:57.lifeboat. A man who attempted to murder his
:09:58. > :10:00.former wife's new partner has had his minimum prison term increased.
:10:01. > :10:04.Raibeart Browne, who's 70 and from Penzance, was sentenced to serve at
:10:05. > :10:11.least seven years but the Court of Appeal has ruled that was unduly
:10:12. > :10:15.lenient and increased it to ten. Devon and Cornwall Police are urging
:10:16. > :10:17.people not to misuse the 101 and 999 numbers. Inappropriate calls are
:10:18. > :10:21.wasting vital police time. Officers say some callers have wanted to know
:10:22. > :10:36.how to cook a frozen turkey and others have asked which shops are
:10:37. > :10:48.open on Christmas Day. I have run out of toilet roll.
:10:49. > :10:52.Sorry, wrong number. Prank calls like bees come through to the polls
:10:53. > :10:57.enquiry Centre in Plymouth. Operators have to deal with drunk
:10:58. > :11:02.and abusive callers. It's not uncommon to have people calling to
:11:03. > :11:07.ask for a taxi or expecting the police because they have not been
:11:08. > :11:15.able to get home. Devon and Cornwall police receives over 1 million calls
:11:16. > :11:21.a year, and of that, 200,000 +909 calls. Only appropriate vocals must
:11:22. > :11:28.come in. Last New Year's Eve, Devon and Cornwall police received more
:11:29. > :11:35.than 500 909 course. On New Year's Day, the number of calls more than
:11:36. > :11:39.doubled and almost 1500 calls were received. Officers say the number of
:11:40. > :11:44.inappropriate calls may rise as a result of phones being given as
:11:45. > :11:49.presents. If you are buying a phone or tablet for your child, that's
:11:50. > :11:56.great. But what do you know about the gift you are giving them? Have
:11:57. > :12:00.you spoken about barring? Devon and Cornwall police are urging people to
:12:01. > :12:05.think before they cool, but it is a real emergency, to call 909.
:12:06. > :12:08.The region's biggest hospital is now treating cancer patients on time.
:12:09. > :12:12.Derriford had been failing to treat patients within 62 days of referral
:12:13. > :12:16.but the hospital has now hit the target for the last three months.
:12:17. > :12:19.The George House dental practice in Bodmin has closed and is filing for
:12:20. > :12:22.bankruptcy. More than 2,000 patients are affected. The NHS says those
:12:23. > :12:33.with appointments over the next three weeks will be contacted at the
:12:34. > :12:39.weekend. Many of us moved here because it was an NHS dentist and
:12:40. > :12:44.they were extremely good to us. I am gobsmacked. It's a resource we
:12:45. > :13:02.cannot afford to lose. There is only one other. It will be impossible to
:13:03. > :13:05.get into the other dentist. Researchers have discovered new
:13:06. > :13:08.information about the habits of one of our largest sharks. Basking
:13:09. > :13:11.sharks are often sighted around our coastline. Now a team at the
:13:12. > :13:15.University of Exeter have tracked them using satellite technology.
:13:16. > :13:19.Basking sharks fascinate holiday`makers and locals alike when
:13:20. > :13:23.they are spotted. But until recently, we knew very little about
:13:24. > :13:28.where they travelled and what they did. These were filmed of Scotland
:13:29. > :13:34.and thanks to researchers at Exeter University, we are starting to
:13:35. > :13:40.understand much more about what they get up to. Some are stay at home
:13:41. > :13:43.creatures, they don't go very far, they might pop out of the North
:13:44. > :13:49.Atlantic for the winter, but ultimately, they will come back into
:13:50. > :13:52.Scottish waters of Cornish waters. Satellite tracking and cameras have
:13:53. > :13:57.transformed the amount of information which can be gathered
:13:58. > :14:01.about the habits of basking sharks. Electronic tags are attached to the
:14:02. > :14:05.sharks and researchers wait for them to fall off the animal before
:14:06. > :14:09.floating ashore so they can retrieve the information they need. These are
:14:10. > :14:16.short trips out from this very dense area. They eat for a few days and
:14:17. > :14:21.then head back into the main area. The Scottish government is funding
:14:22. > :14:26.research to decide the best locations for new marine protected
:14:27. > :14:37.areas. Banking `` basking sharks seek out plankton to eat. Knowledge
:14:38. > :14:40.could prove useful here because the south`west will soon have its own
:14:41. > :14:43.wind and wave farms. There were emotional scenes in
:14:44. > :14:46.Plymouth today as HMS Bulwark arrived home from a four`month
:14:47. > :14:48.deployment in time for Christmas. The Devonport`based warship had
:14:49. > :14:51.sailed over 12,000 miles and visited 14 countries. Spotlight's Johnny
:14:52. > :15:02.Rutherford was onboard as she made her way into port.
:15:03. > :15:11.It was a mass exodus as the ship's crew rushed to their loved ones. It
:15:12. > :15:17.had been a long wait as early in the day the Royal Navy's fleet flagship
:15:18. > :15:22.tried to get the timing right. We joined them on the last few hours of
:15:23. > :15:29.what had been a very busy for months. We have been the flagship
:15:30. > :15:32.for the task force, which has taken us through the Mediterranean into
:15:33. > :15:38.the Middle East and as far as Pakistan. We have delivered maritime
:15:39. > :15:46.security, supported government objectives and worked with some of
:15:47. > :15:50.our key allies. The ship 's company of 350 visited 14 countries but with
:15:51. > :15:57.Christmas only 12 days away, home was the only place they wanted to
:15:58. > :16:01.be. Whilst on deployment, I had my second child. She is nearly four
:16:02. > :16:05.months old now, so I can't wait to get home and see how much she has
:16:06. > :16:09.changed. For one sailor, who flew his girlfriend out for a couple of
:16:10. > :16:14.days to getting gauged, the final journey seemed to take for ever.
:16:15. > :16:22.Can't wait to see her again and see our little girl who was born on the
:16:23. > :16:34.1st of August. I am swapping these duties straight for daddy duties!
:16:35. > :16:40.It's a little lame that my dad used to call me when I was younger.
:16:41. > :16:48.Finally, the waiting was over. If it feels like I waited ages. Amazing.
:16:49. > :16:59.So glad to be home. A motion. Lovely. The company now have 2`3
:17:00. > :17:03.weeks leave. Time for the sport and tonight, we
:17:04. > :17:06.reveal who's won the top BBC South West Sports Awards. Before that,
:17:07. > :17:09.Dave has the rest of the weekend action.
:17:10. > :17:12.If Exeter Chiefs fail to beat the European rugby champions tomorrow,
:17:13. > :17:17.they face an early exit from the competition. Captain Dean Mumm leads
:17:18. > :17:20.them to Toulon on the Cote D'Azur, knowing they came within five points
:17:21. > :17:25.of the powerful French team who are top of pool two. The Chiefs are
:17:26. > :17:31.third and desperately need a win there. BBC Radio Devon has full
:17:32. > :17:34.coverage from 1:35pm on Saturday. Yeovil Town go for a fourth
:17:35. > :17:38.Championship game without defeat when they visit bottom side
:17:39. > :17:42.Barnsley. After two wins and a draw, the Glovers are resurgent and a win
:17:43. > :17:45.at Oakwell could lift them out of the bottom three. Exeter City,
:17:46. > :17:48.who've dropped to mid`table in League Two, look for their first win
:17:49. > :17:51.in eight going to Accrington Stanley. Plymouth Argyle defender
:17:52. > :17:55.Neal Trotman and manager John Sheridan will be eager to do well at
:17:56. > :17:59.their former club Chesterfield, who are second in the standings. At
:18:00. > :18:03.Plainmoor, rock bottom Torquay United bid to beat the team who lie
:18:04. > :18:09.third in the table, Southend, who are managed by one`time Premier
:18:10. > :18:12.League boss Phil Brown. Time now to conclude the BBC South
:18:13. > :18:15.West Sports Awards. We've been showing different categories all
:18:16. > :18:20.this week and the culmination is the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the
:18:21. > :18:23.Year. Natalie and I had the honour of presenting the trophies, first to
:18:24. > :18:34.a familiar face who's had a wonderful 12 months.
:18:35. > :18:37.Whilst winning the World Championship for the first time this
:18:38. > :18:44.year and retaining the World Cup, Helen Glover has remained unbeaten
:18:45. > :18:50.throughout 2013. So, it is appropriate if you can pass me a
:18:51. > :18:56.rather good`looking Trophy here. For the third year running, you are the
:18:57. > :19:07.BBC south`west sportswoman of the year. Round of applause for you. We
:19:08. > :19:20.have always presented this at the Redgrave pence at Lake. Not bad, is
:19:21. > :19:25.it? It does mean a lot to me. Nobody anticipates or expects a year like I
:19:26. > :19:35.had. We have had some amazing sport from the whole team. How often do
:19:36. > :19:40.you manage to get to Penzance? Only a couple of times a year, but when I
:19:41. > :19:47.do, it's really special. Will you be spending Christmas and new year
:19:48. > :19:53.there? Yes. Another place on the mantelpiece bans to be found for
:19:54. > :20:01.this. Well done again. Completing a hat`trick. Who knows what will
:20:02. > :20:06.happen next year? And then I was off to Sandy Park to
:20:07. > :20:09.see the Exeter Chiefs to present one of them with our highest accolade.
:20:10. > :20:13.Our winner this year has has an amazing year and has been described
:20:14. > :20:18.as one of the most inspiring players of his generation. Let's see who it
:20:19. > :20:26.is. It is likely to be with you today.
:20:27. > :20:30.As you know, this week we have been presenting our sports award and a
:20:31. > :20:39.big wad of the week is the sports man of the year. This batsman of the
:20:40. > :20:45.year is amongst you lot. He's got a very distinctive hairstyle. He's
:20:46. > :20:49.quite young. He may have achieved quite marvellous things with England
:20:50. > :20:56.when they won the World Cup this year. And he's a Cornish boy. Our
:20:57. > :21:06.sports man of the year is Jack and all. Congratulations. It's a gold
:21:07. > :21:13.award. Sorry to spring this on you. A great honour. I am surrounded by a
:21:14. > :21:21.great bunch of boys. It's all down to this team that I have got this.
:21:22. > :21:25.An incredible year for you. I have been out in France and stuff them
:21:26. > :21:29.come back. I had a bit of time for the start of the season to get
:21:30. > :21:37.arrested up. What do you have the rest of the season? Just to keep
:21:38. > :21:51.playing as I have been playing. Chaps, our BBC south`west sports man
:21:52. > :21:54.of the year. Finally, Somerset bowler Jamie
:21:55. > :22:08.Overton has been included in the England Lions cricket tour of Sri
:22:09. > :22:11.Lanka in February and March. Now it seems an instrument which
:22:12. > :22:15.became very popular is the 1930s and 40s is experiencing something of a
:22:16. > :22:18.resurgence. It was a favourite of George Formby's but it seems to have
:22:19. > :22:22.found a growing following among a new generation of music lovers. Jo
:22:23. > :22:26.Irving has been to meet some of the people who have taken up the
:22:27. > :22:28.instrument to find out why it is becoming so popular again.
:22:29. > :22:33.Brass bands and choirs across the county are all churning up the
:22:34. > :22:44.Christmas, but here, a diverse group of musicians are strumming their
:22:45. > :22:47.stuff. In just a few months, Plymouth's ukelele players have
:22:48. > :22:53.grown in numbers. And they have gone from strength to strength. It's a
:22:54. > :22:59.chance for youngsters like Joseph to get to grips with a musical
:23:00. > :23:04.instrument. It's a really fun instrument to play and really easy
:23:05. > :23:10.to learn and not that much strings so you can remaster it quickly.
:23:11. > :23:17.Ukelele is for all ages, especially the young at heart. Seeing as I have
:23:18. > :23:24.arthritis, I thought the best thing to do was play a ukelele and keep my
:23:25. > :23:36.fingers moving. Harry is the main player behind this group. I have
:23:37. > :23:47.tried the guitar. Couldn't do it. Gave up. I have got a new guitar. I
:23:48. > :23:51.didn't even know ukelele was. But the guy said, it's only got four
:23:52. > :24:02.strings. I have been playing a sense! If you want to hit the right
:24:03. > :24:13.note this Christmas, you could always give this a try!
:24:14. > :24:42.So they say it's very easy. So we're going to give it a go.
:24:43. > :25:04.It is easy! I quite enjoyed that. Good evening. Let's have a look at
:25:05. > :25:08.the forecast for the weekend. Whatever you're doing, playing the
:25:09. > :25:15.ukelele or just enjoying a good view the stars. It's windy, mild and we
:25:16. > :25:20.will have reasonable mornings, but the afternoons look rather cloudy.
:25:21. > :25:29.We are between weather systems to night. Another big lump of cloud out
:25:30. > :25:35.here. Between those two, a strike of clearer skies arriving through the
:25:36. > :25:39.night. Settled weather for a time tonight but short lived because a
:25:40. > :25:44.new area of low pressure and another line of wet weather heading our way.
:25:45. > :25:49.Another quite windy afternoon tomorrow. Looking at the details on
:25:50. > :25:52.Sunday, the same weather system comes back across us. We will
:25:53. > :25:58.probably see a fine morning on Sunday. As that rain banter is
:25:59. > :26:07.cleared, it has cleared the skies, which is pretty good news. A last
:26:08. > :26:11.night. The breeze eases a little bit but enough to stir the air so not
:26:12. > :26:15.too much in the way of frost and enough clear sky to give us a good
:26:16. > :26:21.view of the peak of the meteor showers which happens to night. NASA
:26:22. > :26:32.predicts over 120 shooting stars per hour. Temperatures 3`4 degrees the
:26:33. > :26:39.lowest we are likely to see. Tomorrow, and I started the day with
:26:40. > :26:46.sunshine. Chile at first. The day and so does the cloud. By the end of
:26:47. > :26:54.the afternoon, quite wet. Despite temperatures similar to today, 12,
:26:55. > :27:04.13 degrees, but a windy day. That's the forecast for the Isles of
:27:05. > :27:08.Scilly. Times of high water here. Compared to earlier in the week, the
:27:09. > :27:19.surf is pretty messy tomorrow and big waves, too. Those of the coastal
:27:20. > :27:24.waters forecast. The outlook is a damp day on Sunday. Still some
:27:25. > :27:31.outbreaks of rain on Monday. Tuesday is a little bit drier and colder.
:27:32. > :27:34.Have a good evening. Go on, then. Play us out.
:27:35. > :27:38.Shall we play the spotlight theme tune? Let's give it a go. Only of
:27:39. > :27:43.David dancers, though.