12/04/2017 Spotlight

Good evening. On Spotlight tonight:

why GPs are prescribing themselves a different vocation.

Citing a 'toxic' combination of long hours and stress,

we look at why the south west is facing a severe shortfall

A decision's due on whether Devon and Cornwall's Police

and Crime Commissioner will be charged with false accounting.

The introduction of new deer at Dartington to fallow

in the footstep of medieval tradition.

the Somerset swimmer on course to fulfill a lifelong ambition.

I know it's possible, I know it's entirely

possible so the only bit of luck

that comes into it is to do with the weather.

There's been a stark warning that we're facing a "severe shortfall"

in the number of family doctors in the region.

Around 40% of GPs in the Southwest are planning to quit their jobs

in the next five years according to research by the University

Reasons include overwork and long hours leading

The report's author blames underfunding -

General Practice accounts for just over 7% of

NHS England says it is working to support GPs and is trying

But critics say "sticking plaster" solutions won't be

RGB is often the most familiar face in the NHS and accounts for 90% of

contact with health services. But within a few years overboard by the

University of Exeter medical school ones there may be a shortfall in

family doctors, making existing problems worse. People are already

having to wait quite substantially for routine appointments and I think

the pressure on those routine appointments can be worse. There

needs to be a fundamental change in the approach of governments towards

health care in the UK. The system at the minute is just underfunded. The

problem of GP retention is particularly acute in Plymouth, and

has been affecting patients at this surgery for 18 months. I'm going

away on a trip for a month and I had to wait a few weeks still for my

jabs and even then they still have two spread it out a little bit and

it is cutting it fine. Things are no better since a survey carried out

almost a year ago. We have lost our senior partner does he retired it a

striker as he retired, and other partners have decided to step aside,

so we needed a national effort and local advert for vacancies and

haven't succeeded. You are sharing stories, this is BBC Radio Devon.

Why are so many GPs in Devon quitting, and why you one of them?

-- are you one of them? John says they are paid enough so they should

stop whingeing. They should try collecting rubbish for a living.

Just get on with it! This former GP has had her say to. There is a real

challenge with the workforce and there is the problem that more

doctors are going into hospitals than primary care, and a lot of

doctors are coming up to retirement age and leaving and so we have a

real this you with retention, in addition to recruitment. Energising

and says it is working to support existing GPs can attract new people,

and retain those. We are looking at primary care with a range of perfect

of those -- professionals, but we need to support that with other

professions such as pharmaceutical and nurses. There are plans to

change another few thousand GPs by 2020, but will this change the

number dropping out? It could be the case that doctors won't see you now,

but at some time in the future. Prosecutors will be asked to decide

whether Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner,

Alison Hernandez, should be charged with false accounting

in the 2015 general election. At the time Ms Hernandez

was the Conservative The Police And Crime Commisioner's

office today said this development would not prevent her doing her job

and that people were "innocent With the details here's our Home

Affairs Correspondent Simon Hall. The expenses controversy has dogged

Alison Hernandez since her election Now the issue is being

referred to the Crown Prosecution Service,

to decide whether to charge Miss She wouldn't be

interviewed today but the chief executive of her office

told me that the development She's had this

investigation for a year already, and she's done,

had a very good first year and she's done, had a very good

first year so she's had a comprehensive police

and crime plan published. In February she provided

the Chief Constable with a budget that's going to enable him

to recruit 100 additional police officers, more criminal

investigation, lots of other investment so she's doing

everything, this isn't impacting on The allegations focus

on the Conservatives' use Expenses for activists brought

into Torbay to campaign were declared nationally,

when critics say they should have As Conservative agent

in Torbay, Alison Hernandez was responsible

for spending there. I really would urge

you to seriously consider standing aside to enable somebody else

to take on the role... On a Sunday Politics programme

before the referral to prosecutors, Alison Hernandez

insisted the ongoing investigation Interestingly, the bit that's been

a positive about it is the publicity I can walk down

Newquay High Street and I'll get stopped by

people who need my help. In a statement, the

Independent Police Complaints Alison Hernandez has always denied

any wrongdoing in submitting Simon Hall is at the headquarters

of Devon and Cornwall police and office of the Police

and Crime Commisioner. What happens next

for Alison Hernandez? Well it is unclear how long it will

take prosecutors to decide whether to bring charges. We have had almost

a year of police time going to this point so it isn't moving quickly,

this investigation but in fairness we are in uncharted waters here.

There's never been an investigation like this before. The law has never

been tested in court and that tells you it is unlikely to be a decision

coming out on this one any time soon. Her Majesty 's Inspectorate of

Constabulary publishing reports on every force today, not a great day

for Devon. The performance of the force has declined since last year

and one area particularly concerning two communities is about

neighbourhood policing, Saint Devon and Cornwall were consistent in

their approach to neighbourhood policing meaning officers didn't

understand all the seas most concerning communities. What is the

response to that report? Della mac wrote the report does say there are

many areas of good practice where they are doing well and they are

addressing the issues of concern, and the force pointed out to me

particularly a paragraph in the executive summary of the report

Saint inspectors were regularly in contact with the head offices.

The only residential care home on the Isles of Scilly has been

Last month the council announced that Park House

in St Marys would shut in June because of problems

Now it says the publicity surrounding the closure has led

to a rise in the number of people applying for jobs, and it's agreed

to pay care workers a supplement on top of their wages to make

The SouthWest has one of the highest proportions

of households in fuel poverty in England, with more than 12 %

Well, now inventors and social housing providers are working

together in Dorset and North Devon with the aim of turning

the situation around thanks to some special roof planks.

She's a single mum of three, the sole carer of her eldest child

who is disabled, and she's trying

to make ends meet, but something's changed.

Facing the bills now isn't a worrying task.

It is a massive, massive relief, being in credit,

not being scared to open my bills, not being scared the debt

collector's coming to your house or anything like that.

I can sleep at night, you know, I don't have

I haven't turned rich overnight, don't we get me wrong, but there's

silly little things, like, oh, yeah, we can do that.

And yeah, we can have that ice cream or we can...

She says her bill for heating and electricity has

gone from ?40 a week to ?40 a month. But how?

It's this technology that is being put on social housing in

the south-west that seems to be making the difference.

These are aluminium planks, and you can see

They've got water circulating in them, water with antifreeze.

And these slot together to form the roof.

And the roof effectively harvests heat and

we use that heat to heat the building, and so

on a day like today where the

temeperature is about 6 degrees outside, we're

harvesting heat at six Celsius and using the heat pump to boost

that temperature to go into a store from

The aim of the project in Dorset and North Devon

is to remove fuel poverty from social housing by design,

to save the public purse and put extra cash

in the pockets of those who are struggling.

We don't pay the energy bills, the resident does.

But the more we can help them with paying

their energy bill, the more they can help us with looking

after the property, and therefore

And as long as the costs of the system we are putting

in is cost neutral by the end of the length of the project,

And now other projects are being proposed with other

south-west social housing providers in the coming months.

Prince Andrew has attended a passing out ceremony

at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth today.

The Duke of York took the salute as more than 150

officer cadets completed their first phase of training.

The Duke himself was a former cadet at the college when he joined

the Royal Navy in 1979, as John Danks reports.

A youthful Prince Andrew starting at Britannia Royal Naval College.

his mother, the Queen, inspected the officer cadets.

If the young officers were excited,

they managed to keep a calm exterior.

They arrived here only 30 weeks ago,

fresh off the streets from a wonderful variety

of backgrounds, and they've been through

a really punishing training programme, and they've absolutely

made the grade, and pass out today as Royal Naval officers.

The occasion was marked with a fly past

by a Royal Navy Hawk jet and Merlin helicopter.

I have to say it is an enormous pleasure to be here today

to see that the traditions and the values that I undertook

when I was here are still being inculcated into you.

Those traditions included the salute,

and the ceremony came to an end

with a slow march into the Naval College.

As we go through the main door and the door slams we are

instructed to carry an, it's our first order

as naval officers, and that commences our life in the Navy.

Very proud father, very proud mother over there, and all the family,

A Naval Godfather! Yes, indeed.

It was amazing, I've got my friends and family

here, just the whole occasion's been very

emotional, very proud, and

yeah, the sun came out, so couldn't have asked it go any better.

Still to come in tonight's programme ...

The Bishop of St Germans finishes his Easter walk

And while this little chap is thriving here in the glasshouse

at Buckfastleigh we find out about his

friends in the wild here in the UK that aren't doing so well.

A ?1 million project to bring a medieval deer park back to life

has taken a huge step forward with the arrival of 17 fallow deer.

It's all part of a new attraction at Dartington Hall in South Devon,

where visitors will be able to enjoy the historic site and have access

to the surrounding parkland. Here's John Ayres.

It was a short trip down the A38 from Powderham, near Exeter.

These fallow deer were keen to see their new home.

There has been deer here at Dartington for years but it's never

been that easy for members of the public to see them.

We have deer on the estate, and they're roe deer, so

they're wild and so they come and go as they please,

because the deer park wall is no longer stock proof,

but what I decided was that we'd had so many people coming

along and saying "well, where are the dear, then?"

That I actually thought wouldn't it be

lovely if we could get some fallow deer, which are the traditional deer

for deer parks, here, so that the public could see them.

Repair work is being carried out to the wall

The park itself is medieval, the wall came later.

It's being made more accessible to the public so they can

enjoy it, and as you can see the deer didn't want

to hang around for my picture.

So how will they adjust to their new surroundings?

As you know, we have quite a lot of outside events

and these deer will have certainly seen Coldplay and Mumford and Sons

so anything they've got going on here will be fine.

It will be a new experience for tenant farmer John Perkin

I've never looked after deer directly,

certainly not in a sort of managed farm scenario, so yeah,

so this will be new and slightly interesting,

very, very different from what we are used

to, but they are wild, they are

not under the same stresses that a farm animal comes under

so hopefully we won't have too many issues.

It's believed 16 of these deer are pregnant does

It is hoped they'll have new arrivals by June.

John Ayres, BBC Spotlight, Dartington.

The ancient tradition of pilgrimage is undergoing a revival in Cornwall

as people look for different ways to celebrate their faith.

The Bishop of St Germans Dr Chris Goldsmith is the latest to undertake

such a journey and it's taken him right across the county.

and the Bishop of Saint Germans' on the last leg of his pilgrimage

He's followed two ancient routes that have been by pilgrims

What's it been like, walking for two weeks,

Well, it's been fascinating because I've deliberately...

Apart from the route I've really not planned too much at all so

every day's a surprise and I've met some extraordinary people,

I've enjoyed incredible hospitality, and I've been

to parts of the diocese I haven't visited before, found

all sorts of interesting stories, fascinating people, and I have

to say I always knew the people that were able to walk with me

realised is the people who welcome us also would feel like they're

In true pilgrimage spirit, the Bishop relied on the bounty

He did carry a sleeping bag, but never needed it,

and the welcome was just as warm at Ludgvan.

Really good to see you all, really good.

I've been promising them pasty for the last few miles.

LAUGHTER Please don't let me down!

And after a well earned pasty break the party set off again

for the last few miles, joined by the rector of Ludgvan

Many people are searching for a new way of

spirituality and a new way of relating to God, and in the

beautiful land of Cornwall, of course, you are aware of the

fantastic landscape, all around you, and that

creation speaks to us about

God and the beauty of God and his creation and all that he gives us,

And the pilgrimage ends here, with a boat crossing

to St Michael's Mount, the final destination for thousands

of pilgrims who have travelled this very path over the centuries.

Now it is a challenge yet to be achieved by anyone -

swimming seven ocean channels around the world in the space of one year.

But Beth French, from Somerset, is on track to achieve

We spoke to her last September just before she set off and now Beth -

who suffered from the illness ME as a child - has already

completed three swims - the Catalina Channel in California,

The Molokai in Hawaii, and most recently the Cook Strait

Just four to go then - first Gibraltar, then Japan,

followed by Northern Ireland to Scotland a finally

Right now, she's back home training hard and Clinton Rogers

An early-morning pool swim for Beth French is no quick dip.

My early morning swims might start at seven,

but they might finish at four o'clock in the afternoon.

But then when you're training for seven oceans

in 12 months, stamina is everything.

Beth mixes pool training with sea swimming,

getting her used to tides and cooler waters.

I was towing my son in a dinghy, as per usual,

so there's a lot of resistance work that I do, and it's getting used to

conditions and what that feels like, so so I swam through the winter.

We went down to about 5.5, 6 bdegrees, so that by the time it

We went down to about 5.5, 6 degrees, so that by the time it

Her toughest challenge to date was swimming the Cook Strait

She had to abandon one swim, but refused to give up

and completed it on the second attempt.

Though when she got to the shoreline, she was plainly

Back in the pool, she's preparing for the next leg of the challenge,

the Strait of Gibraltar in a couple of weeks.

And then I have four channels in four months

to complete the challenge.

You have no doubts, do you? No, none whatsoever.

I know it's possible, I know it's entirely possible

so the only bit of luck that comes into it is to do with the weather,

we have to get the weather on time.

Butterflies in the UK last year suffered their fourth

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme found 40 out of 57 species showed

Scientists are blaming a mild winter and cool spring.

Well, Clare Woodling is at the Butterfly Farm

in Buckfastleigh this evening where it's quite

it is indeed. It is a rainforest. That's what's been created here and

tropical butterflies living here are thriving here in this glasshouse.

The sort of conditions you might get in Costa Rica... About 90% humidity,

but unlike the butterflies that are thriving here are butterflies in the

wild in the UK are struggling in a changing environment. David Field is

the owner of the butterfly farm here at Buckfastleigh. Why the decline?

We have known for that butterflies in the wild are in trouble as a

result of result of loss of habitat. We are losing areas of open natural

grassland, wild, unspoiled areas, hedgerows as well. Areas that

contain plants and flowers, that butterflies need to complete life

cycles. Climate change is a factor? Yes... It is a cause of a problem,

and if... It can disrupt butterfly life cycles and breeding patterns.

What do you have that especial here? Butterflies have everything they

need here. They're fit cabbage and humidity can all the food they need

so they really thrive. Visitors can see the whole life-cycle from X to

caterpillars is jumping on Leeds, to butterflies emerging from a

chrysalis at the end of the life cycle itself. Thank you very much

indeed David. It is certainly extremely steamy in here it is to be

set, so conditions suited to the tropics they wear they belong, there

is a pond over there which looks rather inviting.

We'll have a full weather round up in just a moment but first,

Or cloud than we would like perhaps this weekend, but things are staying

rather dry and bright. Tomorrow, a few showers around them at times

cloudy, some sunshine coming through in the afternoon. Similar to today,

actually. High pressure still close by but needs to be somewhat closer.

This weather front gave us the few showers we saw earlier today, and

that is moving out of the way but the high pressure is weaker and has

moved out into the Atlantic so this is the middle of the day tomorrow,

and ploughed around to generate showers in the morning, brighter in

the afternoon. The day that could be damp is going to be Good Friday

because to weather systems coming in, bringing with them some cloud

and outbreaks of rain off and on to the date but should be gone by the

time we get into the weekend. This is Saturday with a bridge of high

pressure, the worst of the weather to the south of us. By Easter date

the high pressure is there and just about stays there, beginning to

weaken on Easter Monday. These two weather systems coming in on Easter

Monday might be a bit slower than indicated, so perhaps half the day

on Easter Monday should be fine and dry. The satellite picture from

earlier today, shows there is some good holes in the cloud now, I bit

more cloud coming in from the north-west later on this evening but

this was Teignmouth this evening where there was some glorious

sunshine. The sun came through, it is being pleasant, pleasant but on

the cool side though with the wind. Hasn't stopped it being a fine day

to enjoy for everybody out on their holidays and enjoying the seaside.

See temperatures at the moment around about 10 degrees, 50

Fahrenheit. Overnight the night, skies, but later coming down from

the north is more cloud. It might produce a few showers do the night

but I have to say the rainfall will be very small for those that see it.

That wind will ease, overnight lows down to around six or 7 degrees for

most of us. Tomorrow, a cloudy and great start to the day, but things

improve, and by lunchtime or just after the skies opened up allowing

sunshine through here and there, second half of the day looking

promising and similar to today infect, temperatures responding 13,

14 along the south coast. 55 Fahrenheit. Lighter winds today than

today. -- than today. Cloudy at first for the Isles of Scilly, then

sunny spells. The Heinz of high water, pens and is 649, Plymouth 's

745. For the service, the clean is served on the south coast, choppy on

the north coast was nothing more than three or four feet at best.

There's the waters forecast, a few showers around, but generally good

visibility. Heading to the Easter weekend demo Good Friday a cloudy

day as I said, spots of rain through the afternoon. By the time he gets

to Saturday it is bright, dry, a bit of shower at some point on Saturday

morning but otherwise dry, and uneasily itself fine and dry. Could

do with being a bit water but we can't have everything! Have a nice

evening. We are back later with news of a

humpback whale just seen of Falmouth this evening. Goodbye!