NHS Volunteers Help Ease Maternity Pressure

By Isabel Webster, West of England Correspondent

Volunteers are being used by the NHS at the Royal Gwent Hospital in South Wales to ease pressure on overstretched maternity wards.

Twenty so-called "maternity buddies" handle babies at the request of new mums while they sleep or shower, sit and chat to keep them company, help with meals, or even change water in flower vases.

The unpaid helpers are given basic training in confidentiality and infection control but are not permitted to carry out any clinical duties including bathing or changing newborns' nappies.

The buddy scheme was piloted at the hospital over a six-month period and has now gone live due to its success.

Linda Hall, a mother of four and grandmother of two, finds time around her full-time job at a nursery to pop into the postnatal ward whenever she can.

"The midwives are so busy that sometimes the new mums are anxious about buzzing and asking for help," she said.

"So we just come along and get them some milk or some drinks - all the things the midwives struggle to fit into their busy days."

The scheme is intended to free up the midwives so they can focus on clinical care.

The NHS is looking to increase volunteers at hospitals

The Royal College of Midwives believes there is a shortfall of around 5,000 midwives in England and Wales as a result of the birth rate exceeding the rate of midwives joining the profession by around 6%.

But the Aneurin Bevan Health Board in Gwent maintains the buddy scheme is not about plugging a staffing gap.

Suzanna Hardacre, the senior midwifery manager at the Royal Gwent Hospital, said: "We're not short-staffed. We don't have any shortages of health care support workers or with midwives. There are sufficient clinical staff to be able to give that care.

"Our volunteers are purely there to enhance the patient and the woman's experience while she is in hospital with us."

A recruitment drive is now under way to bolster the number of volunteers in NHS hospitals across the UK.

Many hospitals already enlist them to help patients eat their meals and the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust says their volunteers sometimes help to make the beds.

But Beverley Lawrence Beech, from the Association For The Improvement of Maternity Services, warns that unskilled helpers are no substitute for trained health professionals.

"If they really want to enhance patient experiences what they should be providing is community based midwifery. But this is the first step towards removing yet more midwives," she said.

"Frilly hand-holding is no substitute for proper trained midwives who know to look out for things like postnatal depression or infections."

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Wiggins Thanks Well-Wishers After Collision

Bradley Wiggins has said he is "looking forward to getting back on the bike" after he was injured in a collision, as it emerged a van driver may face prosecution.

The 32-year-old Olympic champion cyclist spent a night in hospital after suffering a bruised hand and ribs after he and a van collided in Lancashire on Wednesday. He is now recuperating at home.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and messages over the last 48 hours, and of course all the staff at the Royal Preston Hospital who looked after me so well," Wiggins said on www.teamsky.com last night.

"Although I'm still a little bit sore I will now be spending time at home with my family and concentrating on making a full recovery.

"I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike soon and continuing my preparations for the 2013 season."

After a formal interview, the van driver, Cath Burrows, 44, was summonsed by Lancashire Police over driving without due care and attention.

In a statement, a police spokesman said: "Following a voluntary attendance for interview with Lancashire Police, a 44-year-old woman from West Lancashire has been reported for summons for driving without due care and attention.

"However an investigation into the full circumstances of the incident is still under way."

Wiggins was reportedly riding a mountain bike to meet a group of local cyclists near to his home in Eccleston when the collision happened in Wrightington, shortly after 6pm.

Wiggins, who became the Tour's first British winner in July before winning Olympic time-trial gold at Hampton Court on August 1, also issued an apology for a one-fingered gesture to photographers as he travelled home on Thursday.

He said yesterday: "I would also like to apologise for the gesture that I made when I arrived home yesterday afternoon.

"I was tired, in a lot of pain, and just wanted to get inside, but I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry for that."

In a separate road accident, British cycling head coach Shane Sutton was also admitted to hospital on Thursday with a fractured cheek bone and bleeding on the brain.

The 55-year-old was riding along the A6 Stockport Road in Levenshulme when he was involved in a collision with a blue Peugeot 206 driven by a 61-year-old man.

Sutton was part of the management team which has helped Wiggins to many successes including the world's toughest bike race and this year's time trial gold medal at the London Olympics.

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Hertfordshire Crash Leaves Three Men Dead

Three men have been killed in a collision between a car and a lorry on the A10 in Hertfordshire.

The men - the driver of the car and two passengers, thought to be in their late teens and early 20s - died at the scene.

They were travelling in a Vauxhall Corsa on the northbound carriageway near Turnford, at 2.15pm on Friday, when the collision with a Mercedes lorry happened.

A fourth person in the car suffered serious injuries and was taken by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel for treatment.

The driver of the lorry was not injured.

Sergeant Colin Jenkinson, of Hertfordshire Police, said: "We are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the collision and are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to get in contact as soon as possible.

"Perhaps you saw the vehicle just before the collision took place or maybe you saw something immediately after. Any information you provide could be crucial to our investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.

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Olympic Stadium: Dismay Over Delayed Future

By Enda Brady, Sky News Correspondent

Olympic and Paralympic champions have voiced their dismay at news that the stadium may not open fully until the summer of 2016.

Four bids are still being considered as full-time tenants at the Stratford venue, but each bid will require significant and time-consuming modifications.

Dennis Hone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Committee, revealed this week that it will not re-open until August 2015 at the earliest and probably not before August 2016.

Olympic champion Jessica Ennis told Sky News it was important the stadium was opened to the public without delay.

She said: "I've some amazing memories of the stadium, like a lot of other athletes.

"I'd love to see it opened to the public as soon as possible."

Leyton Orient FC are among four bidders to use the stadium in Stratford

Paralympic double gold medallist Hannah Cockroft said it was vital to speed up the process so that the goodwill generated by the success of London 2012 could be tapped into.

"The danger is that if it's not opened fully to the public for four years then that interest will wane," she said.

"It's an amazing venue and people want to see it, they want to be a part of it. I really hope they sort this out, they have to."

A transformation project costing nearly £300m is currently under way at the site and is expected to last up to 18 months.

The park itself will be opened to the public on July 27 next year, one year to the day the Games opened in London.

Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, told Sky News: "The stadium is vital for the legacy of the Games, but the important thing is to get the right tenant in."

The four bidders are West Ham United FC, Leyton Orient FC, a Formula One venture and the University College of Football Business - an academic institution owned and run by Burnley FC.

A final decision is expected in the first half of 2013, or possibly sooner.

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BBC Boss 'Was Unaware' Of Child Abuse Slur

Lord McAlpine: Full Statement

Updated: 10:45am UK, Friday 09 November 2012

Tory peer Lord McAlpine today described reports linking him to the North Wales child abuse allegations as "wholly false and seriously defamatory". Here is his full statement.

"Over the last several days it has become apparent to me that a number of ill-or uninformed commentators have been using blogs and other internet media outlets to accuse me of being the senior Conservative Party figure from the days of Margaret Thatcher's leadership who is guilty of sexually abusing young residents of a children's home in Wrexham, North Wales in the 1970's and 1980's.

"It has additionally become apparent to me that a number of broadcasters and newspapers have, without expressly naming me, also been alleging that a senior Conservative Party figure from that time was guilty of or suspected of being guilty of the sexual abuse of residents of this children's home.

"It is obvious that there must be a substantial number of people who saw that I had been identified in the internet publications as this guilty man and who subsequently saw or heard the broadcasts or read the newspapers in question and reasonably inferred that the allegation of guilt in those broadcasts and newspapers attached to me.

"Even though these allegations made of me by implication in the broadcast and print media, and made directly about me on the internet, are wholly false and seriously defamatory I can no longer expect the broadcast and print media to maintain their policy of defaming me only by innuendo.

"There is a media frenzy and I have to expect that an editor will soon come under pressure to risk naming me. My name and the allegations are for all practical purposes linked and in the public domain and I cannot rewind the clock.

"I therefore have decided that in order to mitigate, if only to some small extent, the damage to my reputation I must publicly tackle these slurs and set the record straight. In doing so I am by no means giving up my right to sue those who have defamed me in the recent past or who may do so in the future and I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests.

"On Tuesday, 6 November the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about the historic allegations of child abuse in the North Wales police force area.

"She explained that in 1991, North Wales Police conducted an investigation into allegations that, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, children in homes that were managed and supervised by Clwyd County Council were sexually and physically abused.

"The result of the police investigation was eight prosecutions and seven convictions of former care workers. Despite the investigation and convictions, it was widely believed, she said, that the abuse was in fact on a far greater scale, but a report produced by Clwyd Council's own inquiry was never published, because so much of its content was considered by lawyers to be defamatory.

"In 1996, the Rt Hon William Hague MP, the then Secretary of State for Wales, invited Sir Ronald Waterhouse to lead an inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the Gwynedd and Clwyd Council areas. Mrs May told the House of Commons that the Waterhouse inquiry sat for 203 days and heard evidence from more than 650 people.

"Statements made to the inquiry named more than 80 people as child abusers, many of whom were care workers or teachers. In 2000, the inquiry's report 'Lost in Care' made 72 recommendations for changes to the way in which children in care were protected by councils, social services and the police.

"Following the report's publications, 140 compensation claims were settled on behalf of the victims.

"Mrs May further said that the report found no evidence of a paedophile ring beyond the care system, which was the basis of the rumours that followed the original police investigation and, indeed, one of the allegations made in the past week.

"Last Friday, a victim of sexual abuse at one of the homes named in the report - Mr Steve Messham - alleged that the inquiry did not look at abuse outside care homes, and he renewed allegations against the police and several individuals.

"I am, as is now well known to readers of the internet and to journalists working for the print and broadcast media, one of the individuals implicated by Mr Messham.

"I have every sympathy for Mr Messham and for the many other young people who were sexually abused when they were residents of the children's home in Wrexham.

"Any abuse of children is abhorrent but the sexual abuse to which these vulnerable children were subjected in the 1970's and 1980's is particularly abhorrent.

"They had every right to expect to be protected and cared for by those who were responsible for them and it is abundantly clear that they were horribly violated. I have absolutely no sympathy for the adults who committed these crimes.

"Those who have been convicted were deservedly punished and those who have not yet been brought to justice should be as soon as possible.

"The facts are, however, that I have been to Wrexham only once. I visited the local Constituency Conservative Association in my capacity as Deputy Chairman.

"I was accompanied on this trip, at all times, by Stuart Newman, a Central Office Agent. We visited Mary Bell, a distant relative of mine and close friend of Stuart Newman.

"We did not stay the night in Wrexham. I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature.

"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear after-shave, all of which have been alleged.

"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham. Stuart Newman is now dead but my solicitors are endeavouring to locate a senior secretary who worked at Central Office at the time to see if she can remember the precise date I visited that Association.

"I fully support the decision (announced by the Home Secretary in the House of Commons on Tuesday) of the Chief Constable of North Wales, Mr Mark Polin, to invite Mr Keith Bristow, the Director General of the National Crime Agency, to assess the allegations recently received, to review the historic police investigations and to investigate any fresh allegations reported to the police into the alleged historic abuse in north Wales care homes.

"Although I live in Italy and have done so for many years and although I am in poor health, I am entirely willing to meet Mr Polin and Mr Bristow in London as soon as can be arranged so that they can eliminate me from their inquiries and so that any unwarranted suspicion can be removed from me.

"I wish to make it clear that I do not suggest that Mr Messham is malicious in making the allegations of sexual abuse about me. He is referring to a terrible period of his life in the 1970's or 1980's and what happened to him will have affected him ever since. If he does think I am the man who abused him all those years ago I can only suggest that he is mistaken and that he has identified the wrong person.

"I conclude by reminding those who have defamed me or who intend to do so that in making this statement I am by no means giving up my right to seek redress at law and repeat that I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests."

McAlpine of West Green

8 November 2012

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Ex-Oil Exec Archbishop Faces Big Challenges

The Bishop of Durham has been officially unveiled as the new Archbishop of Canterbury - in what is seen as a meteoric rise in the clergyman's career.

The Rt Rev Justin Welby, 56, was in his current job for only one year and will now become the spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion.

Eton-educated Bishop Welby is a former oil executive with 11 years in the industry who turned to the church in the early 1980s.

The clergyman, who is a member of the House of Lords, is on the parliamentary committee looking at banking ethics in the wake of the Libor-rigging scandal.

The bishop is reportedly set to keep his place on the committee despite his new appointment.

Bishop Welby is keen to increase Church congregations

He is apparently known for his outspoken criticism of corporate excess and is likely to be a champion of banking reform and a key figure in discussions of business ethics.

Bishop Welby will have his work cut out in his new role as Archbishop as he takes over the leadership of an institution battered in recent years by rows over women bishops and gay priests.

He will take up the mantle from Dr Rowan Williams, whose tenure has been marked by a bruising war between liberals and traditionalists in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion over the issue of homosexuality.

The new appointment also comes as the Church of England stands poised to give final approval later this year for the introduction of women bishops following several years of tortuous negotiations and the departure of some Anglican bishops to the Catholic Church.

The long-running war within the Anglican Communion over gay people will be a very difficult issue for him.

But Bishop Welby's skills in conflict resolution and peace building will stand him in good stead in dealing with the warring factions in the run-up to the next worldwide meeting of Anglican bishops, the Lambeth Conference, due in 2018.

Dr Rowan Williams is stepping down as Archbishop of Canterbury

Bishop Welby, who is himself opposed to gay marriage, is also well travelled, particularly in Nigeria.

And he understands the viewpoints of both conservative Nigerian Anglicans and those of the liberal US Episcopalian Church which is strongly divided on the issue.

The new Archbishop, who was first ordained as a deacon in 1992, will also have to face declining Church congregations.

Bishop Welby is clearly keen to turn this around, and in his first sermon after becoming Bishop of Durham last November, he reportedly called on churchgoers to rekindle Christian faith in the North East and "reconvert" the region.

While Dean of Liverpool before this, he instigated a five-year plan to double congregation figures, and saw them rise considerably during his leadership.

Being the public face of the Church of England in the 21st century also means being able to deal with the demands of the media and 24-hour news.

Bishop Welby has already shown that he embraces social media with an account on Twitter, and the 2,500 followers that he currently has are set to rise dramatically now he has been named as the new archbishop.

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New Archbishop Of Canterbury 'Astonished'

The Bishop of Durham has been officially confirmed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, in an appointment that was widely expected.

The Rt Rev Justin Welby succeeds Dr Rowan Williams as the spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion.

The former oil industry executive becomes the 105th holder of the post.

As he addressed the media, he began by saying a prayer and then joked that his appointment was "the best kept secret since the last Cabinet reshuffle".

He went on: "To be nominated to this post is both astonishing and exciting", and it was something "he never expected".

The clergyman, who has been Bishop of Durham for only a year, admitted that the last few weeks "have been a rather strange experience".

The Bishop said he was astonished and excited to be nominated

He added: "We are at one of these rare points where the tide of events is turning and the Church nationally, including the Church of England, has great opportunities to match its very great but often hidden strengths.

"I feel a massive sense of privilege at being one of those responsible for the leadership of the Church in a time of spiritual hunger when our network of parishes and schools, and above all people, means we are facing the toughest issues in the toughest places."

He told reporters that one of the biggest challenges was taking over from Dr Williams, who he claimed "will be recognised as one of the greatest Archbishops of Canterbury".

Bishop Welby also said he was "utterly optimistic about the future of the Church".

He added: "We'll certainly get things wrong, I certainly will. But the grace of God is greater than our biggest failures. We will also certainly get much right and do so already."

Bishop Welby succeeds Dr Rowan Williams

Bishop Welby takes over the leadership of an institution battered in recent years by rows over women bishops and gay priests.

Dr Williams' tenure has been marked by a bruising war between liberals and traditionalists in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion over the issue of homosexuality.

The new appointment also comes as the Church of England stands poised to give final approval later this year for the introduction of women bishops following several years of tortuous negotiations and the departure of some Anglican bishops to the Catholic Church.

The new archbishop, who was first ordained as a deacon in 1992, will also have to face declining Church congregations.

The Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner, welcomed his appointment, saying he would bring "many gifts and a rich experience of life to this calling".

But he warned: "He faces a daunting task, but the priority he attaches to a spiritual life of prayer, to reflection on the Bible and dependence upon the holy spirit will sustain him, as will the love and support of his family and friends.

"To that support I add my own and my prayers for his future ministry."

Prime Minister David Cameron also welcomed Bishop Welby's appointment and he "wished him success in his new role".

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Ash Dieback: New Trees To Be Destroyed

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

The Government has admitted eradicating ash dieback disease will now be impossible as it revealed some British trees have been infected for two years.

The admission came as the Department for the Environment unveiled a new action plan to tackle the outbreak, which is threatening the UK's native ash trees.

Some 129 sites are now confirmed be infected - 15 of which are in nurseries, 50 in recently planted sites and 64 in the wider countryside.

Under the latest measures, affected new and young trees will be destroyed immediately and the search for the fungus will widen to include towns and cities.

However, burning contaminated mature trees has been ruled out because of fears about the damage to wildlife.

They also take longer to die and it is thought they could help experts learn more about genetic strains that could be resistant to the disease.

An ash sapling infected with the disease

As part of the strategy, the public, along with foresters, land managers and environmental groups, will be told how to spot ash dieback and what to do if they find it.

The proposals to tackle the crisis, which threatens millions of the UK's native ash trees, were finalised by ministers at a Cobra crisis meeting on Friday.

Defra officials have worked with the Forestry Commission and other agencies to find the best way to contain the spread of Chalara fungus, known as ash dieback disease.

The importation of ash trees has already been banned and the planting of new ones halted.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson admits it is impossible to wipe it out now that it has been found in mature trees but insists the British ash can still be saved.

"If we can slow its spread and minimise its impact, we will gain time to find those trees with genetic resistance to the disease and to restructure our woodlands to make them more resilient," he said.

"We now have a window of opportunity for action because the disease only spreads in the summer."

Ash dieback, which causes leaves to turn black and drop off before the whole tree eventually dies, is thought to have arrived in Britain on wind-borne spores blown in from mainland Europe.

Cases have been reported in Sussex, Berkshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Essex.

Other countries including France and Belgium have already been hit hard by the disease but Denmark has been the worst affected - losing 90% of its ash population.

There are fears the infection could have the same impact in Britain as the infamous Dutch Elm epidemic of the 1970s, which wiped out most of the country's elm trees.

Some of these ash saplings in Suffolk are infected with the disease

There are an estimated 80 million ash trees in Britain - one-third of the entire tree population.

Several National Trust sites, including Ashridge in Hertfordshire, have put up signs as an extra precaution to prevent the disease spreading.

Ashridge Estate, a site popular with walkers that has been used in several films including Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, has hundreds of ash trees in its 5,000 acres of woodland.

Estate manager Graeme Cannon told Sky News: "It's potentially very dangerous. Ashridge is here because ash trees feature very prominently in its background and they have done for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

''With ash dieback in the country we'll end up in a situation where we will be losing a lot of our trees and they are an important feature of the British landscape and woodland.

"So far we have not had any confirmed cases in Ashridge but if we do then the impact would be catastrophic.''

Infected saplings are being burned but visitors to woods are also being asked to do their bit by keeping to marked paths to help reduce the spread of infected leaves.

They are also being advised to clean footwear and bike and car tyres of mud and earth when they get home.

Although the Government claims it has acted as swiftly as it could, there has been some criticism that the response has not been quick enough.

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Driver Seriously Hurt In M1 Pile-Up

A motorist has been airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a motorway crash involving seven vehicles.

The crash happened on the northbound carriageway of the M1 shortly after 8.30am.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said six cars and a lorry collided close to the exit slip road at junction 14 near Milton Keynes.

The most seriously injured driver has been flown to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, while three others who suffered minor injuries have been taken to Milton Keynes General Hospital.

The crash closed part of the M1. Picture from Twitter: Thames Valley Police

No details about the injured drivers have yet been released.

The M1 is closed northbound between junctions 13 and 14 while accident investigators examine the scene.

There are long tailbacks in the area and drivers are being urged to use alternative routes.

It is not yet known when the road will re-open.

More follows...

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Jessie J Gig Death: Man Jailed For Murder

A graphic designer has been jailed for a minimum of 14 years for killing a telephone executive with a broken bottle after a Jessie J gig.

Ashley Charles, 26, was found guilty of murdering Phillip Sherriff, 37, and jailed for life at the Old Bailey.

Mr Sherriff died in April four days after being attacked at Pulse nightclub in central London, shortly after the singer had performed.

Charles, of Nevanthon Road, Leicester, denied the charge, claiming he acted in self-defence.

But Judge Paul Worsley said Charles killed Mr Sherriff, of Preston, Lancs, because he was annoyed.

Judge Worsley told Charles: "This is a tragic case. Mr Sherriff may have pushed you in a crowded bar and made inoffensive remarks to a girl talking to you.

Jessie J was performing at a BlackBerry party before the murder

"You clearly became annoyed at what you perceived was the conduct of Mr Sherriff and lost your temper when he may have pushed against you at the bar."

Charles took a beer bottle from Mr Sherriff's hand and swung it behind him, where it broke, and then plunged it into Mr Sherriff's neck.

"It was a lethal weapon. He was a decent man," added the judge.

He said Charles had done something "which was truly out of character".

Judge Worsley told him: "You did not deliberately smash the bottle you used. I am satisfied you did not intend to kill Mr Sherriff and you were immediately remorseful."

Andrew Hall QC, for Charles, said he acted "in a split second of madness".

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