24/06/2014 Spotlight

There are serious concerns tonight about the way patient transport

services are being run across much of the south west.

Some patients have been left waiting for hours for ambulances to be taken

The firms say they have worked hard to make improvements.

Spotlight's health correspondent Sally Mountjox

Victor is a kidney patient who needs frequent dialysis.

He speaks for many fellow p`tients in Dorset who've had long w`its to

be collected before and after hospital treatment.

They've been waiting an hour to be picked up.

That's a long time when you've been on dialysis

Two of the three private ambulance firms that took over the contracts

for NHS patient transport in the south west last October failed three

Today, council watchdogs considered seven separate reports of the Dorset

Transport arriving late, missed appointments, hospit`ls

unable to discharge patients, long delays for phone booking.

Patients have described the service as a shambles.

NSL runs patient transport elsewhere.

This man from Dawlish is ond of a number of patients

He praises NSL drivers but said the system let him down.

Sometimes I missed them all together.

I stood outside waiting and it never came.

Most patients get a good service but we can improve.

Health watchdogs will continue to monitor the situation to ensure

Today, Dorset Council's health watchdogs were shocked to ldarn

the NHS has had to pay an extra ?2 million to the ambulance firm E`zec,

so it can provide transport for everyone who needs it.

Health service commissioners admit they under`estimated demand for

patient transport, when thex first put the service out to tenddr.

We had to gather information from a number of sources.

We had to base it on the best information.

We did a fantastic job in publicising the new servhce

so that created demand in the first couple of weeks.

Floral tributes have been l`id in memory of a 16`year`old boy

from Plymouth who died yestdrday after falling from a bridge over

The headmaster of St Boniface's College,

where the teenager was a pupil, said he was one of its brightest stars.

Police say the death isn't being treated as suspicious.

Muller Wiseman Dairies has confirmed it will close its depot at Pensilva

near Liskeard, with the loss of almost 60 jobs

The milk processing and distribution business announced

in May that it was consulting on the future of the depot.

The Environment Agency has been setting out its ?10 million plan to

protect part of the south coast near Dawlish from the impact

of rising seas by literally turning back the sands of time.

It wants to take the profild of the coast at Dawlish Warren back

Our Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell explains.

A sunny summer's day looking out across the water

Large quantities of sand have moved out to sda.

The storms showed the importance of protecting vital infrastructure.

The Environment Agency has ` plan to help with the problems of erosion.

This man says it's vital to get on with the work.

A lot of the communities, that used to flood regularlx...

Storms mean natures does what it wants to do.

We want to invest in these schemes to stop the flooding.

Across the water in Dawlish, the Environment Agency has

ambitious plans to restore the beach using sand out at sea

There will also be other works to improve sea defences.

There's plenty of sand between Dawlish and Exmouth.

The Environment Agency says it intends to work with nature,

The weather forecast for the UK is coming up in ` minute,

but first a look at the regional forecast with David.

We are losing the high pressure On those they, low pressure from

Friday. Overnight tonight, ht is clear. Some more cloned credping in

from the North. It is a gre`t start across Cornwall tomorrow. Cloud as

thick elsewhere. A little bht cooler. 21, 20 2 degrees. On those

they, " known. It will go to all tedious, especially in the dvening.

Stealing unsettled as we he`d into the region. Good night.

with the summary. Turning more unsettled as

with the summary. Turning more unsettle` as we head

with the summary. Turning more unsettled as we head towar$s

with the summary. Turning more unsettled as we head towards the

weekend. Good evening. After what has been a

glorious few weeks of summer sunshine for many of us, things are

about to change over the next 2 hours. We are seeing the change

marked by the weather front on the satellite image. To the south of

that, 25 degrees, in Bournemouth for instance, but in the north and east,

cooler, fresher air. That sets the scene for tomorrow. A cooler day. We

will have hazy sunshine on offer, although cloudier skies than we have

been used it over the past week Tonight we have thicker cloud

bringing more two spots of drizzly rain for some southern areas. Many

parts dry, but we have the