21/01/2014 Spotlight

rain from the east. That's all from the BBC News At Six.

Under the closest scrutiny, the Royal Cornwall Hospital's trust is

subjected to one of the most inspectors `` rigorous inspections

ever. Good evening welcome to Spotlight. Health care across three

hospitals will be examined by a total of 27 inspectors. This is all

about putting the patient is at the centre, their experience, safety,

care and whether the trust is responsive, effective and lead well.

Fossil hunters are warned that further landslips could pose a

danger to their safety. And caught on camera ` the unusual

visitor who's set up home on the River Otter.

Inspectors have arrived at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust to start

what's claimed to be the most rigorous ever review. The Care

Quality Commission will scrutinise services at the Trust's three

hospitals as part of a new national inspection regime, set up in the

wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal. The RCHT will be assessed

on eight areas, including how quickly it deals with patients in

Accident and Emergency ` an area where the trust has fallen short of

national targets. From Truro, Spotlight's health correspondent,

Sally Mountjoy, reports. For Rene Merrick a visit to the

emergency department is also a chance to tell a hospital inspector

what she thinks of her care, here and as a cancer patient. They are

marvellous and I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. Mrs Merrick's

whole journey through the hospital will be followed. ?? CYAN We will

leave her for a while to go off to her x`ray. Later in the day, we will

catch up with her and find out whether the treatment that she has

received all the way through the hospital has been excellent, as she

says so far. 27 inspectors, including doctors, nurses and

so`called expert patients, have descended on the Royal Cornwall's

three hospitals in Truro, Hale and Penzance to scrutinise services. It

is part of a new and rigorous national inspection regime

introduced in the wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal, where

substandard care led to the deaths of hundreds of patients. This is all

about putting the patients at the centre, their experience, their

safety, the care... Is the Trust responsive? Is it effective? Is it

well`led? So we have got a lot of work to do in two days but we are

very pleased to be doing this. The emergency department is an important

focus for the inspectors but the latest weekly figures show fewer

than 78% of patients here were seen within four hours, significantly

lower than the national target of 95%. One reason for problems in A

is delayed discharges elsewhere in the hospital, where patients ready

to leave are blocking beds because ongoing care isn't available. The

Trust hopes CQC inspectors will highlight the issue in their report.

Our partners in health and social care are aware of the issues. There

has been some work over the last 18 months, and longer, on these issues

but I think as a hospital, we are really wanting to see a breakthrough

in this issue, particularly for our patients. As well as talking to

hospital staff and patients today and tomorrow, the inspection team

will be gathering views from the public tonight and will be making

some unannounced hospital visits in the coming days. The report is due

to be published in about six weeks. Sally has been with the inspectors

at Treliske today and joins us from the hospital now. Sally, why is this

inspection so important? In the first place, it is significant

because this new style of in`depth assessment will provide a far more

comprehensive review of hospital services than ever before. It is

extremely important to the trust for another reason also. This was chosen

as one of the first to undergo this kind of scrutiny because it has

applied to become a foundation trust. That status is only granted

to top performing hospitals. It is absolutely critical that it gets a

good report after this inspection because otherwise it sped to be a

foundation trust is going to be in jeopardy.

Why does being a foundation trust matter? The status means that

hospitals have a lot more managerial and financial freedom. That

independence would give the trust the chance to make far more local

decisions about the kind of care and the way it is delivered for the

people of Cornwall. And it's not just patients in

hospital who can tell inspectors what they think of their hospitals,

is it? A short time ago, some so`called listening events got

underway in Penzance. Members of the public have been invited to share

their views of hospital services with the CQC on those views will

inform you report that eventually comes out. Also, inspectors can take

some of those things that are raised tonight back to hospital managers

tomorrow. Thank you very much.

You can find the latest Accident and Emergency data about the Royal

Cornwall Hospitals Trust on our website, where there's also

information about all the region's other hospitals.

More homes have been flooded in Somerset, as water Levels on the

moorlands continue to rise. In one village the drainage system has been

overwhelmed by the floodwater and temporary toilets have had to be

brought in. Our Somerset correspondent Clinton Rogers

reports. These new aerial pictures show the

scale of the problem, a problem that is getting worse. We were only here

a couple of days ago and there was no water like this on the road,

then. So this is the reality of everyday life in Moorland 2014.

Drains are blocked, toilets are not working. Some people are having to

manually dispose of their waste. Or walk to the village hall to use the

temporary toilets that have been brought in. The water we have here

is almost from a week ago. More homes have been flooded as water

from high ground reaches levels. Life, for some here, is becoming

intolerable. You know, I am not a stressful person. I can deal with

most things but... This is my life. This is the sorry state we are in at

the moment. Some have already moved out and with more rain forecast,

others may soon follow. When did your daughter move out? Yesterday

morning. Because, you know, things had gotten so bad. I mean, she could

not use the kitchen. The drains are full up. Finding any dry land here

is becoming increasingly difficult. Bryony was moving her chickens from

their flooded coop this morning. This, she says, is worse than last

year. But for farmers like James, moving livestock is not an option.

Even though 90% of his farm is now under water. I was awake half the

night worrying about it last night. We will just have to see. People

have been very kind. They have offered space for 50 or 60 cattle

but we have 550 cattle and if they are spread all over the county, how

do I get food to them? I think we are going to have to, if it comes to

it, sell them. That'll be it. Moorland is not quite an island yet

but some roads are impassable and those who believe the floodwaters

are receding are counting the cost of their mistake.

Steam with weather`related problems, fossil hunters are being warned to

stay away from the cliffs in Dorset after a series of landslips. There's

renewed interest in the Jurassic coast, with some recent fossil

discoveries thought to be worth thousands of pounds. But, as Hamish

Marshall reports, there's concern that it's attracting people who

maybe putting themselves at risk. The Jurassic Coast is the gift that

keeps on giving to fossil hunters. With every poll comes the

possibility of a big find. That is why people like Harry come out on a

January day. He has been spurred on by his friend's fossil collection

and does not think they mean the moist cliffs is dangerous. Finding

something exciting, getting outdoors. It is better than sitting

inside watching television. The headlines:

Doesn't feel dangerous? Not really. It feels soft. Do you think you

could get stuck? I do not think so. You could lose a shoe! Fossil

hunting is basically a big game of finders keepers. You are asked to

report anything major you discover but if you decide to sell it on, the

proceeds are all yours. The vertebrae continue... The discovery

of a complete dinosaur skillet or `` skeleton last year, month gained

publicity as it was reputed to be worth thousands of pounds. There

seem to be coming from all over the country on day trips or weekend just

to come and have a look. We saw one family up there chiselling away at a

block and after about two hours, they came along and show does a

handful of vertebrae and they had destroyed the thing but it happens.

Not much you can do about it. This latest fall was close to the scene

of a death of a woman in 2012. They can happen quickly and with little

warning. The National Trust owns much of the beach. It is a fantastic

place to look for fossils but there are dangers. The cliffs are on

stable. We urge people to stay away from the cliffs and if they're going

to come and look for fossils, concentrate on the beach where the

best fossils are to be found anywhere. One thing is certain,

there will be more cliffs hold and more danger. `` cliffs falling.

A hotel in Cornwall was evacuated after fire broke out in part of the

building. 50 guests and staff had to leave the Alverton Hotel in Truro

this morning. Firefighters say the hotel's Great Hall suffered

significant damage but the rest of the building remains open for

business. Spotlights David George reports.

Firefighters breaking down the recently refurbished walls of the

Hotel's great Hall, checking for fire behind the partitions. A

conference was about to start in this room when staff smelt smoke.

Reopened the doors and could see the flames and smoke so shut the doors,

set the alarm off and got everybody out as quickly as possible. The

shouted to say that it was a genuine fire and we had to evacuate the

building and then there was massive plumes of black smoke coming out

from the end of the great Hall. Then one after another fire engines

arrived. More than 50 firefighters, six fire appliances and to Israel

ladder platforms and the command unit came from fire stations across

Cornwall. `` and command platforms. It involves curtain material and

bread vertically through the room, threatening the roof but early

intervention, we managed to extinguish the fire. We are checking

to see if there are any hidden fires behind panels. Begins and staff are

fine. All of the staff have been fired trade and the sooner staff

discover the fire we evacuated and called the Fire Brigade. Some guests

were looked after at a hotel next door. The management say that

although some functions will be moved to other motels, it remains

open for business. `` other who tells. Fire investigators are now in

the great Hall tried to work out how this fire started, which may have

been in an electrical lighting fitting. Cornwall Fire and Rescue

Service say they do not believe it is suspicious.

The sale of cheap and super strength alcohol is being targeted by Devon

and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg. He's written

a letter to supermarket managers, inviting them to join him in a

campaign to look at the sale of certain alcoholic drinks. Figures

show the region is one of the ten worst areas in the country for

violent crime, with alcohol related offences costing nearly ?370 million

a year. The British Retail Consortium said it was working with

the Government and communities to reduce alcohol problems.

Stay with us for rare and extraordinary footage of a beaver in

the wild in Devon. Plus a thumbs up from the new Bishop of Exeter. We'll

find out what his priorities are. And how cricket is helping give

youngsters a confidence boost thanks to Sports Relief.

The only military hospital in the South West that treated First World

War troops suffering with shell shock is trying to trace the

descendants of patients and staff as part of the centenary commemorations

for the Great War. Just over 300 men were treated at the Seale`Hayne

Argiculture College near Newton Abbot. For 15 months from 1918, the

college was handed over to the War Office. Spotlight's John Henderson

has more. Trench warfare. Of those who survived the battlefields of the

Great War, many were badly damaged physically and mentally. Some of the

worst cases came to be treated just outside Newton Abbot. For 15 months,

from April 1918, Seale`Hayne Agricultural College became a

specialist military hospital. It was absolutely ideal because of the

beautiful surroundings, the rural surroundings. And just the ethos of

the place. And this rare footage shows the

extreme conditions of some of the patients. This man couldn't control

himself when hearing the word bombs. It drove him to hide under a bed. He

was on the Western front and there was a very severe shell attack and

he was blown up and rendered unconscious. Like so many of the 300

or so patients, he was, though, helped by the innovative techniques

of the distinguished neurologist and physician Sir Arthur Hurst. It was

done by re`education and persuasion. One particular feature

is the amount of encouragement and praise they gave these men as they

were being treated. It was very much... "Excellent." That's the

first step. "You did that very well." And the next step, "Splendid.

That's the stuff." And all that sort of thing which is the sort of thing

that is done now. It was quite different from the normal, "Pull

yourself together, man. You are a military man." I first noticed that

Pathe film in 19... Ray was a student at Seale`Hayne in the

1950s, when it reverted back to an agricultural college. It is now run

by the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust and works with people with

disabilities. And to mark the contribution Seale`Hayne made to the

First World War effort, the trust and Ray wanted to learn more about

the men treated at the military hospital from 1918. We want to trace

the descendant families. And with their permission, gather some

accounts of what happened after the war to those men. How it goes on and

how it affected the families. Because while it might seem a

relatively small contribution a long time ago, it is one that made a

difference and resonates at Seale`Hayne even today. Care and

social consciousness and education is buried in the mortar of this

place. Even the Chief Executive of Hannahs said this place wrapped arms

around you. And that's what I feel about the place and what it did for

those chaps. Ray Bartlett ending that report by

John Henderson. Next month, there is a special series on BBC Spotlight,

BBC Local radio and online looking at the stories of World War I at

home, here in the South West. I have been off filming for that series and

there are some fascinating stories emerging, as you will see next

month. The 70th Bishop of Exeter has been

announced today. The Right Reverend Robert Atwell is currently the

Bishop of Stockport but will take up his new post in Exeter in the

Summer. Today he's been touring Devon, meeting parishioners and

church organisations. He told Spotlight's Emma Ruminski he's keen

for the Church to provide support for isolated farming communities,

tackle poverty and help those affected by flooding.

The right Reverend Robert Atwell got a warm welcome from the children of

St Budeaux Foundation School this morning. But one pupil accidentally

added years to the new bishop before he had even started the job. Are you

70? Am I 70? No, I am sorry. I know I look 70! Today's tour of Devon was

his first opportunity to meet local people and learn about challenges

facing him as the next Bishop of Exeter. ?? CYAN The picture postcard

image that many people will have of Devon is only half the story. There

are many communities here racing real hardship. Long`term

unemployment or poverty or it could be as a result of the recent

flooding, which I know has devastated and affected parts of the

farming community. And I have been really moved this morning, hearing

from people from churches and individuals where they have got

stuck in and are trying to help people. He hopes to continue the

work of the right Reverend Michael Languish, who championed countryside

issues like foot and mouth and rural broadband during his 13 years in the

post. But the region loses Bishop Michael's seat in the House of

Lords. You don't automatically get a seat, I believe. No. It is an order

of priority. Whereabouts are you in that list? Do you know, I don't

know, I am afraid. I am more at the moment concerned about trying to

move to Devon and become the Bishop of Exeter. I haven't got as far as

thinking about where I am in the pecking order to move into the House

of Lords. But it will be his job to appoint the next Bishop of Plymouth.

He says he looks forward to women becoming ordained as bishops but he

does not feel the appropriate legislation would be in place in

time. A Devon man has filmed pictures of a

wild beaver living in East Devon on the River Otter. Last year there was

a reported sighting near Otterton but now new images have revealed a

further sighting just south of Ottery St Mary.

The images show the animal going about its business in an area where

otters normally steal the limelight. Our environment correspondent Adrian

Campbell has been investigating. There is some debate about whether

it is a male or female but everyone seems to agree on one thing, it is a

beaver. It has been captured on emotion centres of camera not very

far from the river water. I was walking down by the river and

noticed that some of the trees had been gnawed at the bottom of the

trunk. I thought that was unusual but that it could not be beaver. So

we decided to put out a camera and put out a camera where I had seen

the gnawed trees and yes, it was a beaver! Could not believe it! For

those of you that still might doubt this video, let's take a look at

this tree trunk and you can see where the beaver has not away, very

clearly. There is more evidence as well. Track marks. This tree feller

has been quite busy and if you look carefully at the same spot by day,

when this dog goes by, and then again at night, you can tell this

beaver is a large animal. We have seen one beaver. Why have we got one

here, why is he is doing what he is doing? He is either trying to set up

home for something or has escaped from somewhere or is a loan beaver.

We do not know. John is providing a secure habitat for two Beavers at a

nearby park. He says neither has escaped but if pleased to hear of

the apparent success about this one that has been filmed and see they

are good for the environment. The beaver will be not killing the

trees. Baby should straightaway and over period of years, they would

revisit and keep the vegetation at a sensible height. It also lets the

light in to the rest of the river and increases the pond and river

growth of weeds. He or she is definitely out there. And according

to the experts, not doing any harm at all.

Sport Relief is back and is aiming to be bigger than ever. The charity

is hoping to encourage as many people as possible to get involved

in sport and raise money for good causes.

Last time around, the South West raised almost ?700,000, which helped

support a 150 projects across the region. Spotlight's North Devon

reporter, Andrea Ormsby, has been finding out more at this year's fund

raising launch. Cricket, the life changing way. This

project is run by a charity called Wings. Its aim is simple, to give

young people a future and a home. Why cricket? Cricket is a great team

's board. It is relatively popular in the region but not necessarily

that popular with young people. It is a level playing field for young

people to start with. It teaches various skills, team working,

discipline and a lot of them are starting from scratch but can see

the results quickly. It seems to work for the young, unemployed

people come. You meet other people on the course and it is people you

would not normally interact with so it is a lot better than just walking

around, doing nothing, sitting at home all day playing computer games.

It gives your motivation to get up in the morning, come here and help

you get through things. The charity has been given money from Comic

Relief, the charity behind it, backed I didn't's X factor

contestant Luke Friend. Get up and help people. I think charities are a

great thing and I know I do gigs for charities. It is a really good thing

and I think what these things do `` these guys do is really lovely and

it makes people happy as well. I thought I had him! It is from the

21st of March to the 23rd and is the first part where you can take part

in three challenges. It looks like Luke has that cricket covered.

And you'll be delighted to know Andrea's

Luke has that cricket covered. And you'll be camera survived the

experience! Dude, we might need it again at some

point. Let's have a look at the weather. I

drove back this morning in horrendous rain on the A38.

Hopefully it has moved away. It has moved away but is still

giving heavy rain. Tomorrow is drier. It is certainly a lot

brighter and we should be some sunshine. There will be showers but

I think we are in a pattern at the moment. Get a couple of days that

are brighter and drier with a few showers but then another lump of

rain heading our way. That really is how the week will progress. Some

showers tomorrow, on Thursday and more persistent rain on Friday. Low

pressure is in charge. There is no sign of any high pressure coming

anywhere near as at the moment, sadly. Another vigorous area of low

pressure could drop of Scotland, throwing cloud and rain across. It

is slow`moving at the moment through Dorset and Somerset but will

eventually peter out as it moves eastwards overnight. What replaces

it is that more straightforward. A mix of sunny spells and scattered

showers, although the showers may well formed lines. One early in the

day and another around lunchtime. Play some drier weather later. A

similar picture on Thursday. Let's look but the rain in the last few

hours because it has been quite heavy in a few places. Particularly

across parts of East Devon into Somerset and Dorset. It is you're

that it will continue to rain until well after midnight, before it

finally clears out of the way. What we are left with is a lot of

moisture on the ground, lighter winds, clearing skies. Mister is

possible and fog as possible. Briefly also a touch of frost with a

view showers reappearing towards dawn. Those are our overnight lows.

For tomorrow, we will get some sunny spells but equally, some showers.

Fulls showers will be early in the day. Around the middle of the day,

perhaps a scattering, but drier in the afternoon. Quite a lot of cloud

around but drier than to do. The winds are brisk and cold. That is

the forecast for the Isles of Scilly. Some sunshine but also the

risk of a few showers. The waves are likely to be quite big

but not necessarily usable. The best of the surf will be along the south

coast. Conditions improving in the afternoon. There is a coastal waters

forecast. Here is the outlook. Yes, there is

some dry weather but it is only fleeting. On Thursday, we will see

quite a lot of road. A few showers dotted around every now and again.

Friday, some more persistent rain and it becomes more persistent in

the afternoon. Another quite wet day on Friday and windy also. The

strength of wind continues into the weekend. On Saturday, sunny spells

and scattered showers. Sunday, a new band of wet weather comes in. Some

uncertainty on the timing but we will firm up on that tomorrow. That

is all from me. Had a good evening. Thank you very much. That is the

news from us. We will give you hourly regional updates on the

radio. Have a good night. Good night.