Millions 'Should Not Be In A&E' - Exclusive

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Up to 6.5 million patients every year should avoid going to A&E and be treated by GPs, paramedics and even chemists instead, the doctor leading the review of NHS emergency services claims today.

Around one third of all people who visit A&E each year could be diverted away from hospital under plans to be unveiled shortly by NHS chiefs.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the doctor in charge of re-shaping emergency services in England said family doctors, ambulance staff and pharmacists could treat them instead to relieve the pressure on A&E.

Indicating for the first time how he hopes to radically reform A&E, Professor Keith Willett, the national director for Acute Episodes of Care, said: "We know that 15% to 30% of people who turn up to be treated at A&E could have been treated in general practice.

"They did not know that because the system did not obviously make itself available to them."

He said patients with routine medical problems are going to A&E because they cannot get a quick enough appointment with their GP. Others are frustrated by out-of-hours services.

Prof Willett says a long-term solution is needed

"We can look at the way primary care is available to people," he said.

"By changing the way we deliver services we can start to address the demand. We can do the same thing in terms of the ambulance services and how much, how many patients they treat, at the scene, rather than transfer and that's about them having the right information.

"We would look to the public to understand the issues and when the situation does get difficult, to take the advice that I've suggested about phoning first, to get the right advice, to go to the right place, to think of using your general practitioner or indeed your pharmacist, (who) give a lot of advice for minor ailments."

Professor Willett and the medical director for NHS England, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, will publish their plan for reforming emergency services later this autumn. It is expected to be implemented two years from now.

The plan will acknowledge that demand for care will continue to rise with an ageing population. But it will set out a series of measures for reducing pressure on A&E departments.

They are expected to include:

:: A&E units will have to ensure a consultant is available seven days a week

:: Other senior doctors, such as elderly care specialists, will be expected to help assess and treat patients arriving at A&E

:: Paramedics will treat more patients at home or by the roadside so they don't need hospital care

:: Patients will be encouraged to 'ring first', using the NHS111 helpline to be directed towards appropriate care.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants GPs to be more proactive

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has also said GPs must take on a bigger role. Next week he will call on GPs to do more to prevent patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, from suffering emergency complications.

In an interview for State Of Emergency, Sky News' 24 hours of live coverage from Nottingham's Queen Medical Centre which begins today at 5pm, Mr Hunt said: "The role of GPs in caring for older people needs to be proactive - checking up on people, finding out how they are, heading off problems before they happen - rather than reactive.

"GPs are busy, so to make that happen we have to find ways of getting more capacity in the system and that is a big challenge.

"But we have to address that. In the end, if the NHS is to be sustainable, it has to be about prevention as much as cure."

But GPs say they are already doing what they can.

Professor Mike Pringle, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "They are overwhelmed by the workload they are expected to deliver.

"We have got to start to build general practice, not blame it, not victimise it.

"We have to invest in it if we are going to solve these problems. And I am sure the Secretary of State recognises that."

England's A&E departments were under severe pressure last winter.

Waiting times reached their worst in nine years between January and March 2013, with more than 300,000 patients waiting more than four hours for treatment.

The Government has given the NHS an extra £500m over two years to find short-term solutions to the likely rise in demand for emergency care in the winter months.

Hospitals could bring GPs into A&E departments to see patients with more minor problems and more locum A&E doctors are likely to be employed to fill vacancies.

Only half the training posts for emergency medicine have been filled in the last two years, and more than a third of hospital trusts have vacancies for A&E consultants.

Professor Willett said a long-term solution is required.

"We do have to address the emergency medicine workforce," he said.

"But that will not produce new consultants for several years. So we have to manage the situation and take away from emergency medicine teams those patients who could be managed by other parts of the system.

"Defaulting to seeing an emergency medicine consultant is not necessary for many of those patients and it is frustrating to wait."

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Buckingham Palace Break-In: Two Arrested

Security Scares For Royal Family

Updated: 6:27am UK, Saturday 07 September 2013

The break-in at Buckingham Palace is the latest in a series of security scares involving the Royal Family.

:: In March 2011, a car carrying the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall was mobbed by demonstrators who had split from a protest against higher university tuition fees.

Camilla was visibly distressed after being poked in the ribs with a stick through an open window in the distinctive Rolls-Royce Phantom VI as she and Charles travelled to the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.

:: In 2003, comedian Aaron Barschak managed to get into Prince William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle.

The self-styled "comedy-terrorist" set off a series of alarms and was caught on CCTV before he joined 300 guests at the bash and was removed.

:: In 1994, student David Kang charged at Charles while firing a starting pistol during a ceremony in Sydney, Australia.

Kang was wrestled to the ground by New South Wales premier John Fahey and another man, while Charles was praised for his calm reaction.

:: In 1981, six blank shots were fired from the crowd while the Queen rode during the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

The Queen's horse was startled but she managed bring it back under control while police rushed to grab the shooter.

:: In 1974, Princess Anne was the target of an apparent kidnap attempt in The Mall near Buckingham Palace.

Four people, including her bodyguard, Jim Beaton, were injured after shots were fired when their car was forced to halt by another vehicle which blocked their route.

A police officer chased the driver, Ian Ball, and brought him to the ground before arresting him.

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Winter Wonderland: 'Unbelievable' Hail Storm

A freak hail storm left part of a Cornish town looking like a winter wonderland.

After the hottest summer in the county for seven years, residents in Boslowick, Falmouth could have been left wondering if it was already nearing Christmas with the scenes in their streets.

Hail and flash flooding in Falmouth (Pic: Pirate FM)

Resident Tommy Matthews filmed the snowy-like conditions on Friday morning.

He said they were "the likes of which I don't think I've ever seen before".

Mr Matthews added: "You can see the hail just mounting up everywhere and there are rivers of water just pouring down between it.

"It's absolutely unbelievable".

The hail then thawed and coupled with torrential downpours brought flash flooding to the town on Friday night.

Fire crews were scrambled to help pump water away as roads turned to rivers.

Heavy rain and cooler temperatures have led to a major change from summer heat to autumnal weather across much of the UK.

Sky's weather forecaster Isobel Lang said: "Last week's mini heatwave came to an abrupt halt on Friday with heavy, thundery downpours.

"Durham recorded 63mm in just 24 hours which lead to the Environment Agency issuing two flood warnings on the River Esk.

"Parts of Falmouth in Cornwall were transformed into a winter scene after a thunderstorm left a blanket of hail which proceeded to thaw bringing local flooding.

"Storms of this nature are not unusual at any time of the year, although after the week's sunshine and heat, it was a bit of a shock."

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Bill Walker: Law Change Could Make Him Quit

By Jane Chilton, Scotland Correspondent

The Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore has called on the Westminster and Scottish governments to work together to change parliamentary law - which could force disgraced MP Bill Walker to resign.

The 71-year-old Independent MSP for Dunfermline was found guilty of domestic abuse charges involving his three ex-wives and step-daughter spanning 28 years between 1967 and 1995.

He denied any wrongdoing throughout a two-week trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, and is currently awaiting sentence.

Walker has insisted he will not step down from his position as an elected MSP and, under parliamentary law, little can be done to force him out of office.

He faces a maximum of 12 months in prison, but parliamentarians are automatically expelled only if they are jailed for more than a year.

The rules are laid down by Westminster and cannot be changed by Holyrood.

Michael Moore says Bill Walker should have resigned

Mr Moore has called for a meeting of the Westminster Government and the Scottish Government to jointly work together to change the law.

Mr Moore told Sky News: "It is wrong for someone convicted of domestic abuse to continue to serve as an MSP.

"The right course of action would have been for Bill Walker to resign.

"There is currently no sign of that that is to happen and I am writing to the Presiding Officer and Scotland's party leaders with a view to finding the right outcome to deal with all the relevant issues that this case raises."

Options that could be considered include devolving further powers to Holyrood to enable the Parliament to remove MSPs from their seats in such cases.

On Thursday, Scotland's presiding officer, Tricia Marwick, instructed officials to examine whether Walker's salary could be stopped if he is sentenced to prison, as Holyrood may be able to make decisions on MSP pay provision without having to refer to Westminster.

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'Devoted' Mum Killed In Holiday Boat Tragedy

A British mother has been killed in a boating accident during a dream holiday with her family in Brazil.

Gillian Metcalf, of Tenterden, Kent, was travelling with her husband and two daughters when their boat was struck at high speed by another vessel.

The 50-year-old died instantly from head injuries during the collision on the Rio Negro river on September 5.

It is believed the other boat did not stop to help.

It was "an accident that should never have happened", her husband Charlie told the Daily Mail.

Daughter Alice, 18, added "she died happy, painlessly and with her family around her".

Friend and colleague Richard Locke said he was "devastated" by the death and paid tribute to Mrs Metcalf, saying "we have all lost a very special person".

Mrs Metcalf was a partner at the affordable housing law firm Sharratts, which she helped set up in 1999.

In a statement on the firm's website, he said: "As you will imagine this news has hit us all very hard.

"Gill was a marvellous lawyer, a generous friend and most of all a loving wife and devoted mother to her two girls."

Mrs Metcalf counted skiing, golf, cinema and reading among her hobbies.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Manaus on September 5.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

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Only 20% Of Rapes Reported, Says Charity

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Correspondent

Thousands of women who have been sexually assaulted may have too little faith in the legal system to report the crimes, says a victim support charity.

Rape Crisis carried out a survey of 1,000 women with Reveal Magazine. The results suggest that 16% of women in the UK have been raped, but that only a fifth of those report it to police.

A quarter of those who did not report the crimes said it was because they did not think there was a strong chance of prosecution, and a fifth said they did not think there was enough support from the legal system to help them get through it.

One woman who did find the strength to go to the police was Zoe Priestley from Somerset.

She was raped hundreds of times by her stepfather between the ages of nine and 15.

He has since been jailed for 12 years for assaulting her, and two other young girls.

Ms Priestly has waived her right to anonymity as a rape victim to tell Sky News about the help and support that is available through Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, or ISVAs.

She said: "It means so much to a victim to have them around.

"They are your rock, providing emotional and psychological support. I'd never even heard of an ISVA, or the role they do, but mine was invaluable to me.

Zoe Priestley said the support she received helped her after she was raped

"I feel in a very good place now. I feel great at the moment, everything's out in the open, I've got no secrets. I feel fantastic."

Home Office figures suggest that there are around 95,000 rapes every year, with only 1% resulting in a conviction.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes which ruin lives.

"It is vital victims have the confidence to come forward knowing they will be supported, taken seriously and that offenders will be brought to justice. 

"This is why we have ring-fenced nearly £40m to tackle violence against women and girls, including funding to rape support centres and other services for victims."

Fiona Elvins, operations co-ordinator for Rape Crisis South London, which commissioned the survey, said: "What we do know about rape is that a lot of women won't even talk about it, so they won't disclose that they have been raped.

"From the British crime survey we've got an estimated 95,000 women in the UK every year experience rape.

"Of those you've got about 10,000 maybe that go through to thinking about reporting it and the conviction rate after that is about 1,000 so it just trickles down and down.

"There is a huge social stigma attached to speaking out about sexual violence, so that in itself is enough to stop someone talking to families, friends, partners about their experience."

Ms Priestly has turned her life around since suffering at the hands of her abuser.

After finishing university, she starts work next week as a mental health carer, and hopes one day to become an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor herself.

She supports the call for the funding of more ISVAs and hopes that if there is help available, more victims will come forward and more men like her stepfather will be brought to justice.

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DJ Dave Lee Travis Faces Trial Next Year

By Tom Parmenter, Sky Correspondent

Broadcaster Dave Lee Travis will face trial next year over 12 alleged sexual offences.

The 68-year-old is charged under his real name of David Patrick Griffin and faces 11 indecent assault charges and one of sexual assault.

At the Old Bailey in Central London the DJ sat in the dock to hear that he will be expected to enter a plea at another hearing on October 21.

The DJ has consistently denied any wrongdoing since he was first arrested at his home near Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in November 2012.

His defence team argued that he would like to see the matter "resolved as quickly as possible".

A trial date was provisionally fixed for March 4.

The charges span from 1977 to 2007, the youngest alleged victim was 15 years old.

During a long career in broadcasting Travis hosted Top of the Pops and presented the BBC Radio One breakfast show between 1978 and 1980.

Recently he had been working for the Magic Network of radio stations but has been taken off air pending the outcome of the court case.

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Guide Dogs: Study Finds Shops Bar Users

A new study by the charity Guide Dogs has shown that blind people are being illegally turned away from restaurants and shops because of their canine companions.

Sky News has obtained undercover footage from the charity of examples of this taking place, despite legislation being passed three years ago aimed at ensuring disabled people have the same right to services as everyone else.

In the footage, Dave Kent and his guide dog Winston can be seen being refused entry to shops and restaurants.

Despite telling store security guards or staff that Winston is a guide dog, he is told it is against store policy or that the shop is for customers not dogs.

Rob Harris, engagement manager at Guide Dogs, said the problem was a lack of awareness.

He told Sky News: "The Equality Act 2010 states that each service must provide reasonable adjustment to make sure that disabled people can access it, whether that be buying their food, or buying their shopping or their clothes, so there really is no excuse."

The Equality Act 2010 provides disabled people with the same rights to services in shops, banks, taxis and restaurants.

Under the act a store or restaurant could have to pay damages if it discriminated against a blind person because they had a guide dog with them.

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Dale Cregan: Cop Killer In Secure Hospital

Convicted police killer Dale Cregan has been sent to maximum-security Ashworth Hospital because of his behaviour, sources say.

One-eyed Cregan, 30, is now in the secure mental hospital - where Moors Murderer Ian Brady is serving his sentence - after being moved from Strangeways jail in Manchester.

He was jailed for life at Preston Crown Court in June for the murders of two unarmed policewomen and a father and son.

The gangster, who had served only minimal time in jail before, was told he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Ashworth Hospital on Merseyside where Dale Cregan has been admitted

While in HMP Manchester, Cregan has been kept segregated from other prisoners for fear of reprisals. Reports suggested there is an underworld bounty of £20,000 on his remaining eye.

In protest, Cregan is said to have have started refusing food. He was put in the hospital wing at the jail before his transfer to Ashworth.

A police source said: "His head has gone.

"He can't take it any more, he's not cocky any more, what a difference in attitude.

Moors Murderer Ian Brady is held at the same maximum-security hospital

"He had not been eating and was in healthcare in prison. He was just lying on his bed 24/7, doesn't talk to staff.

"He's not eaten for four weeks, he's gone in the head."

Ashworth Hospital, near Maghull on Merseyside, houses prisoners deemed to be criminally insane.

Cregan lured Pcs Nicola Hughes, 23, and Fiona Bone, 32, to their deaths in a gun and grenade attack last September.

He also killed father and son David and Mark Short in twin attacks earlier in 2012.

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Michael Le Vell: Child Rapes 'Didn't Happen'

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has repeatedly denied abusing and raping a child under cross-examination at Manchester Crown Court.

On the fifth day of his trial for 12 charges of child sex abuse, Eleanor Laws QC, prosecuting, put it to the 48-year-old that he "pushed the limits" with the youngster before "it became a little bit more sinister".

Ms Laws said: "Not that you were not ashamed about this but you could not stop it."

Le Vell, who has starred in the ITV1 soap for 30 years, replied: "It never happened."

Ms Laws continued: "You started to say things to her? Talk to her, say things like 'It's OK'. This was grooming.

"It became a little bit more sinister after a while."

Le Vell replied: "No."

Ms Laws said: "Rubbing up her leg?"

Le Vell replied: "Definitely not."

Ms Laws went on: "Rubbing her, 'I'm just getting rid of the evil'."

Le Vell: "No."

Ms Laws said: "And it moved on to you making her touch your penis?"

"No, not at all," replied Le Vell.

Ms Laws said: "Then it moved on to touching her intimately?"

Le Vell replied: "No."

Ms Laws said: "You started to rape her?"

Le Vell said: "No."

Ms Laws: "She just lay there, didn't she?"

Le Vell: "No, because it didn't happen."

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims Le Vell repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped her, once while she was clutching a teddy bear.

The alleged offences relate to one complainant and are said to have taken place between September 2002 and September 2010.

Later the prosecutor said: "The problem was she was not doing anything. She was not resisting. There was nothing to stop you, except yourself."

Le Vell said: "It didn't start to stop anything."

As he continued to give his version of events, Ms Laws said: "Are you making this up as you go along?"

He said: "No, this is fact."

Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, denies five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Earlier he told the jury that the "little dark secrets" he had discussed with someone last year were a reference to a number of one-night stands and an affair rather than the allegations.

Closing arguments will take place in the trial on Monday.

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