20/01/2017 Spotlight

Tonight - the four hospitals facing closure.

It's been recommended that Ashburton, Bovey Tracey,

Dartmouth and Paignton hospitals should be shut.

I just cannot understand, with the pressure on

Torbay Hospital, why they're closing Paignton beds.

Also on the programme tonight, when did you last use the library?

The question being posed in a consultation over

whether to close 10 out of 17 in Plymouth.

Preparing for the world of work - the new approach to help youngsters

And chaos on the East Devon coast - the lessons learned from the Napoli

First tonight a story which has been hotly debated on BBC radio Devon

this week, and firmly defended by the council.

Libraries - a place for people to borrow books,

get online and seek advice, but a public consultation will start

on Monday on whether to close 10 of Plymouth's 17 libraries.

The local authority says it wants to expand its online services

and invest in fewer, but better library buildings.

Some critics have described the plans as short-sighted.

Tracey Ullman pokes fun at the demise of the library due

But there's no singing and dance here.

Efford Library is one of ten which might close under new plans

unveiled this week by Plymouth City Council.

It's just down the road from High View primary School,

where some of the pupils have decided to take action.

Keen supporters of their local library, they've started

I'm hoping that it's going to work because I know that lots of people

really like that library, because it's not so

The books really help to exercise your mind.

When they see that we really like this library

then they will say, "Let's not close this down.

Let's keep it for the people who like this library."

Award-winning children's author and illustrator

He believes libraries are valuable places which shouldn't be lost.

If we lose them, I think will be closing our horizons for children.

Closing down possibilities for older people to have something

The council argues smaller library buildings,

like this one, can't offer the range of services it wants to provide.

Our customers tell us they want help with IT skills.

They want an opportunity to seek jobs.

They want to be able to access council services,

You simply can't do that if you haven't got

There are places where people can meet and interact.

They're the heart of every community in Plymouth,

and when you take the library away you rip out the heart

Plymouth City Council says it wants fewer but

better equipped buildings - like its new Central Library.

A public consultation starts on Monday.

And you can see more on Libraries and other stories on this week's

NHS bosses have recommended the closure of four cottage

The decision came this afternoon after 12 weeks of consultation over

the plans to shut Dartmouth, Paignton, Ashburton

Hamish Marshall is at Paignton Hospital for us now.

These plans were controversial when they were first raised. Now as we

near a final decision. It was here in Paignton the public meetings were

so busy that even the local MP could not get into them as people queued

to try and save the hospitals. In short, Bovey Tracey, Paignton,

Dartford and Ashford hospitals are too close. In total, that would mean

around 60 beds affected. The body that will make that decision says

people will still get a good level of care.

There's a significant number of people currently

in hospital who actually, if there were services again

available in their community at home, would be able to get

So the idea is that these proposals, by putting in the investment

in services that will help those people, will enable those people

to stay out of hospital and also to get home much quicker -

which is what they've told us they want.

Here in Paignton, x-rays and the minor injuries unit as well as the

beds are going to go. The people here tonight he told me they're

absolutely distraught at what looks as if it's not going to have to

happen in this case. They're concerned that any plans put in will

not work. And they talk about community care,

but it's very poor at the moment. And district nurses particularly

are really struggling, because they can't recruit

and their caseloads A final decision on this is due to

take place next Thursday. What we were told today were the

recommendations ahead the CCG meeting. Already campaigners are

trying to have one final protest - one of those will take place in

Ashburton tomorrow. Hamish, thank you. E-mails of anger are already

coming into us tomorrow here on Spotlight.

All this week we've been reporting from inside our hospitals, as senior

figures in the NHS try to deal with rising demand for services.

Derriford began the year on the highest state of alert,

meaning there were no more beds available and operations

To round off our week of coverage Inside Our NHS,

our reporter Kirk England has been given exclusive access behind

the scenes as he followed the man who has to make the difficult

decisions about who gets a bed and who doesn't.

...Seven, eight, we've got nine patients in the emergency

A lot of the pressure on the NHS comes down to one thing - numbers.

And this is the man who's got to make it all add up.

So in terms of capacity currently, how are we looking?

Greg Dix has to make sure there are enough beds to treat

So we've got a few extra trolleys today with nobody on them,

It's just before nine o'clock and, after the busiest few weeks

the hospital has ever had, today is beginning well.

Even the football hasn't added to the pressure.

Certainly this week appears to be a better week.

We've had a relatively low attendances coming

But, equally, the patients that are coming in are sicker patients.

So they have been going into general beds within the hospital.

Whilst it's quieter in the emergency department, the pressure

is on in a ward down the corridor, where some patients are moved onto.

This ward has 20 beds, and we have 20 patients here currently.

So there will be ward rounds several times today,

and there patient will be discharged to enable some capacity

We've been allowed to film behind the scenes at the daily meetings,

where key decisions about managing staff and

We've got no capacity at the moment on an MAU.

Bed availability within the cumulative there is one.

We are awaiting two HSGs who are medically

On a day-to-day basis we have four site meetings within the hospital

on a minute by minute, hour by hour basis.

Understanding which patients are coming in electively

and non-electectively before surgery or emergency admissions.

We have to balance that around beds that are available at any

one time, and that's a really difficult decision.

And sometimes a difficult decision can mean cancelling

operations when services are stretched to capacity.

The first two weeks after Christmas, from my experience,

But I think we coped very well in terms of keeping patients safe.

Today it feels much calmer, and patients are hopefully getting

a much better experience of care when the hospital's back to normal.

Greg Dix from Derriford Hospital ending that report by Kirk England.

On to other news from around the region.

Protestors in Cornwall trying to halt a new super quarry

on the Lizard returned to the High Court today.

They say there's been no assessment on the environmental impact

of reopening Dean Quarry near St Keverne.

Time's running out to register interest in becoming a firefighter

A recruitment drive has been taking place for the first

Young people in Cornwall are being failed when it

comes to preparing them for the world of work.

Schools took on responsibility for offering their own careers

guidance in recent years, but that's been rated as the worst

in the country at providing links with businesses.

But now Cornwall's education and business worlds have come up

with an idea to improve what's on offer.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

For teenagers these days, it might not always be used it forward.

-- it might not always be straightforward.

Research suggests that today's youngsters will have six careers

and 17 jobs in the course of a lifetime.

Have you guys got any idea yet on how you need

These 14- and 15-year-olds at a Truro secondary school

are preparing presentations under the watchful eye of Paul

from Cornish cream company, Rodda's - the school's link

Why is it important to learn about business?

The idea is for the students to talk to a conference of business people

and get more companies signed up to work in schools.

Unless you choose business studies for GCSE, it's

So you don't understand how you need to be in interviews

and what you need to write on a CV, and things like that.

It's not actually part of the national curriculum,

So I think it is important to have opportunities

like this, for children to learn about business.

The more access they can have to people that are in business,

and the more knowledge they can get from those people,

the easier it is for them going into the workplace,

Having someone like Paul partnered with the school is just part

of a much wider push to improve the quality of careers

As government-backed analysis reveals, it's the worst

in the country at linking schools with local businesses.

40% of employers and 16-18 -year-olds were poorly

or very poorly prepared for the world of work.

But only 30% of employers offered work experience.

A teacher can stand at the front of the class and say it's really

important to get a C, it's really important to get an A.

But unless they've got the motivation or aspirations,

it's very hard to get through to some students who aren't

So having businesses available so all teachers can embed it

The hope is by making sure there's a proper career

strategy across Cornwall, more aspirations come true.

Two women from Plymouth who managed to land ?50,000

from the TV programme Dragons' Den say their business is booming.

Rachel Day and Merry Whitaker appeared on the BBC Two programme

on New Year's Day, asking for investment for their

Johnny Rutherford went to see how the Dragons have helped them out.

Hello. We run Love Keep Create. We're here today to ask you for

?50,000 in return for a 10% equity share in our business.

After a gruelling quiz of questions from the Dragons, the two Dragons

managed to tempt Deborah Meade in. I'm going to make you an offer and

following those words would be rude of me not to make you an offer on

the basis that you've asked. I felt numb. I couldn't quite

believe it. I felt like I want the next 20 minutes to go by really

quickly just so we could say, yes, thank you, goodbye!

The girls were mad business increments -- they run their

business in Plymouth and turn old clothes into keepsake of toys and

blankets. It's this big. I've brought my children's old clothes

here. The day what they can make with ease. The business started

after Rachel made a keep fit for her husband crafted from Bassong's baby

grand when he was serving in Afghanistan -- crafted from their

son noes baby grows. Now with the Dragon on board, businesses

flourishing. Debra has been down here for a

business meeting. She has met one of our team and the businesses

flourishing. She has the great contacts are we which have helped us

move on to the next part of the plan, if that makes sense.

Being on the Dragons' Den, that helps us to plan and moving forward,

knowing that we can take more people on permanent contracts.

We have our dragon, and here is one for you.

Fantastic! Plastic, brilliant. Thank you ever so much.

Tens years ago, a major maritime disaster was unfolding.

Later in the programme we'll look back at the grounding

of the Napoli, and asking what lessons were learned.

And memories from the man sent down on a helicopter

Jay O'Donnell will be here to describe how all 26 people

Jack Nowell and Henry Slade have both been included in England's

34-man training squad for the upcoming

Six Nations Championship, but hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie misses out.

Nowell has been in fine form since his return from injury

and stands a good chance of playing against France in two weeks' time.

The Cornishman is being rested for this weekend's trip

to Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup.

The Chiefs must win and hope other results go their way to stand

any chance of making it through to the last eight.

If we go there and don't perform well than qualification,

if it's even possible, it doesn't really matter.

The important thing is we focus on our level of performance.

That will drive us forward and give us an opportunity to qualify,

or potentially make us a better team just by going out there and really

Wins for the Cornish Pirates and Jersey in the British and

Irish Cup tomorrow will most likely see them both through

Meanwhile, Plymouth Albion are in National One league action

The glamour of Premier League opposition in front of a packed

house will be a distant memory for Plymouth Argyle when they return

to League Two action against Cheltenham Town tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Exeter City will be looking to extend their unbeaten run

to nine games when they welcome Colchester to St James Park.

Yeovil travel to Blackpool and in the National League,

It's hard to believe this was ten years ago,

but a decade on from the beaching of the MSC Napoli, authorities say

the disaster was a "turning point" in how stricken

You may remember the scenes where people searched

through the many containers filled with cargo, which washed up

Here's a reminder of the astounding sequence of events of a decade ago.

But as every member of the crew was rescued,

the nightmare of the MSC Napoli was only just beginning.

With cracks in its hull, the ship had been listing badly

since it got into difficulty 46 miles from the Cornish coast.

The decision to turn to Portland was abandoned amid fears it

would break up in the channel, threatening the world renowned

Faced with limited choice, the vessel was beached

in the relative calm of Lyme Bay, off Branscombe.

The Devon shoreline never busier in January.

Mile after mile littered the ship's containers and their cargo.

Treasure hunters carried away what they could.

Top of the range motorbikes, nappies and pet food

As the biggest accident at sea at the time unfolded,

Hundreds of people descend on this stretch of East Devon coastline

to ponder the washed-up cargo of the Napoli.

There was concern that thousands of tonnes of oil would leak out.

The MSC Napoli was broken up in the end with explosives.

It took 2.5 years before every scrap was recovered from the shoreline.

Authorities both here and in France now work much more closely

It may be the first and last time we see a bonanza on the beach.

Adrian Campbell has been hearing from some of the people who helped

Ten years on and John Hughes, a local fisherman, remembers

all the flotsam and jetsam that washed ashore.

Well, Branscombe will never, I hope not, see anything like that again.

It put Branscombe on the map, without a shadow of a doubt.

People from all over the world were ringing up saying,

The Napoli and its cargo came ashore around the same time

Now at schools, they're learning all about the ship

I think people shouldn't have taken the items on the beach

because some of them were other people's belongings.

Other people might have wanted them back.

Some got really sad because they saw their stuff being taken away

Some people didn't want to take things because they found out

that there was a toxic waste that might have spilt on everything.

As well as concerns about chemicals, an oil spill killed birds

It was only when it got a little bit darker that the atmosphere changed.

There was quite a lot of characters starting to go down there.

By the time we got back to the car park at the village hall,

It's all so lovely to hear the children that were babies

at the time reliving what their parents have told them,

and it comes to life or them really as well.

So with a good few days remembering it.

The removal of the Napoli was a remarkable achievement.

But it's a small detail that really stand out.

Then there was the container full of Bibles.

That was the only thing that was left on the beach at one time!

I think they were in Swahili or something.

Ten years ago, the 62,000-tonne Napoli ran aground

Now ten years on all that remains here is the anchor -

all 13.5 tonnes of it, a permanent reminder

I remember standing on that beach as if it were yesterday.

The ship got into trouble a couple of days before running aground.

All 26 crew were winched from the decks in an operation

involving two Seakings from RNAS Culdose.

Royal Naval Airman Jay O'Donnell saw them all in safely and joins us now.

Of course, we remember the beach pictures, as we've just seen. But

you must remember that they are incredibly clearly. What was that

rescue like in terms of what you've done? Well, it was really funny

because I was due to go home. I finished my shift and we were all

talking about the weather that was becoming a bit of an issue. We were

going to train and we were talking, randomly, about Jackie in the sick

bay with her lover daffodils. Then off we went. The other went and they

said there was 26 people in the water 45 miles away. -- the other

went. There was a surge of manpower. The first aircraft got ready. I went

into the second aircraft with the diving kit and off we went with a

bit of trepidation, but adrenaline is not white what scene greeted you

-- what scene greeted you when you finally got to the location? It was

fantastic and also quite awesome in the fact that the waves were just

gigantic. I'd never seen the sea so angry. Amongst all the missions we

had done, I couldn't believe it. 70 knots of wind and 40-50 foot waves.

You got all the men off safely. There must have been some pretty

hairy moments during that time? There were a few full of the hardest

part was getting on the lifeboat. Securing it, I didn't have any

communication. The guys didn't need any English so that hampered things.

I carried on and what I knew I had to do, probably the main problem

that I had I reflected on was that at one point as the lifeboat got

pulled up the wave, before it flipped over the top, the winch

wire, my lifeline as well, got caught around the metal guard rails.

I had to climb up on top to release it. At that moment I really had to

stop and think for a couple of seconds and just remember thinking,

somebody's here, helping me, as it came off. I remember you talking

about this previously when there was one more to take off, a large chap

who wanted to do all of his belongings with him. How did that

situation unfold? It was typical. As we got rid of most of the guys on

the first aircraft, then the second aircraft, the lifeboat became

unstable and was spinning as well as flipping over the waves. Typically,

the largest man in the bed, who was six foot five and large, had his

whole worldly belongings. He didn't speak English and really didn't want

to let them go. I forcibly made him drop his bag and try to usher him

out. He was really difficult. I think you are suffering quite a bit

and he ended up going overboard in the rescue harness. I had to pull

him back on the ship. And you're still in the well maybe, we can see.

Love it, still flying in Merlin Mark two now daily. I'm testing in my job

and it's fantastic. We are really busy. We will never forget it. Jay,

good to see you after all these years. Thank you for coming in.

You may remember a few weeks ago we met Danny Claricoates,

who was part of a team taking part in a charity challenge to scale

Well, the good news is that Danny and his fell

The two former Commandos, who both served in Afghanistan,

reached the sumit of Mount Vinson with their team mates

The boys are now in Chile awaiting a flight home.

Well done to them. We can remember clearly what the weather was like

ten years ago. Not quite so called this weekend, I hope?

Very different. It with a howling westerly gale on the day of the

accident. It looks like we will continue to see this dry but cold

weather. There are some subtle changes coming this weekend, a bit

more in the way of cloud developing as we move through Saturday and into

Sunday. You've been taking some fantastic pictures. It's been great

for sunrises and sunsets, this one taken upon Exmoor. Thank you for

those and keep them coming. The weekend is rather more cloudy, I

think, for all of us. Still cold and mostly dry, but before the rest you

are the higher the risk of perhaps the a few showers. Still high

pressure in charge across us at the moment. That doesn't change a busy

weekend ahead. The high pressure is beginning to weaken somewhat and

everything weather front which may just come a little bit closer. With

the weak affair by the time we get to the end of the day tomorrow and

tomorrow night into Sunday. But what fun it is very limited, there might

just be a few showers for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

keeping into the lower half of Cornwall by Sunday morning.

Thereafter it begins to move away again. This is the beautiful Sunday

and by Monday the high pressure comes back. For many of us today,

we've had glorious, unbroken sunshine. Earlier today myself and

our cameraman where guests on board HMS Sutherland. The captain and

weekly made us very welcome. We were filming for something we will be

looking at next week, but the sky across Plymouth and in Devonport was

completely clear of cloud, although there was a keen easterly wind. It's

that easterly wind that has been a feature of the weather for the lusty

microdata. The headlands on South Coast has felt pretty raw over the

last few days. -- feature of the weather for the last few days. A

widespread frost overnight with perhaps a bit more of a breeze and

more cloud across the far west of Cornwall. Elsewhere, defrost becomes

well established by the morning when looking at temperatures starting at

minus three, possibly even minus four. The lowest will across parts

of Dorset and Somerset. Tomorrow is a different day with more cloud,

still plenty of sunshine across the East. The West, the cloud is they

can might produce a few showers across the western parts of

Cornwall. Temperatures struggling. Rabbit starts of cold and frosty the

cloud. The sunshine. -- starting -- where it starts cold and frosty, the

cloud will stop the sunshine. Here your of high water. -- your times of

high water. There is a wave for our surface, but it's not very big. The

wings are lighted tomorrow and into the rest of the weekend. The risk of

showers in the West, otherwise there and generally pretty good

visibility. More fine weather on Sunday and in fact next week,

similar temperatures. We continue with the risk of overnight frost.

Have a nice weekend. Spieth Rebecca Wills will be

bringing you the late news just after 10:30 this evening with any

news updates. From all of us have a lovely weekend.

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