Babak Belurs

Selasa, 20 Desember 2022

Avoid contact sports during ambulance strikes, says minister - BBC

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A health minister has suggested people should avoid contact sport and unnecessary car journeys during ambulance strikes on Wednesday.

Will Quince said people should take "extra care" due to disruption, and he wouldn't go running on icy roads due to the additional risk.

Around 750 armed forces staff are being drafted in to cover the walkouts in England and Wales.

Mr Quince said ambulances should still respond to the most serious calls.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast earlier, he said people should avoid "risky activity" during the strikes, without specifying what he was referring to.

Labour MP Chris Bryant called the comments "an admission of government failure".

Pressed on his earlier comments in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Mr Quince said: "If there is activity that people are undertaking tomorrow, whether it's - for example - contact sport, they may want to review that".

Asked if people should go running, he said this was not "hugely risky", but added: "Would I go running tomorrow if it was still icy? No I wouldn't, because that would encompass additional risk".

But Downing Street would not be drawn on a definition of "risky activity", with the PM's spokesman telling reporters "I'm not going to get into a list".

He added: "We would never recommend anyone put themselves in harm's way on any given day."

Earlier, Mr Quince said ministers wanted ambulances to respond to category 1 and 2 situations, including cardiac arrests and strokes, during the strikes. Health Secretary Stephen Barclay will meet unions later to discuss service levels.

Mr Quince said military staff would not be able to drive ambulances under blue lights, go through red lights or break the speed limit - but would help ambulance staff to get people to A&E more quickly.

Health chiefs have warned of "extensive disruption," and urged hospitals to free up beds by safely discharging patients ahead of industrial action.

Measures should also be put in place to make sure ambulance patient handovers are kept to no more than 15 minutes, they advise.

Taxi bookings

Mr Quince added that for less serious categories, NHS trusts would be block-booking taxis to take people to hospital, and "encouraging people wherever possible" to find treatment by making journeys themselves.

Dr John Martin, president of the College of Paramedics, told MPs on Tuesday that using taxis could prove "far less safe" than ambulances for some patients.

Speaking at the Commons health committee, he said pain relief would not be available, and without an on-site medical assessment some people might be sent to hospital unnecessarily.

Ambulance availability during the strikes will depend on local agreements between unions and NHS trusts.

Rachel Harrison, national secretary at the GMB, one of the striking unions, told the committee most of these deals have now been signed off.

She added that "life and limb" cover would be provided across the board, but warned services would vary by area.

Along with the GMB, Wednesday's action will also involve members of the Unison and Unite unions. GMB members are also due to on strike again on 28 December.

Unions representing NHS staff in England and Wales are pushing for higher pay after being offered a below-inflation average 4.7% rise this year.

Unison has said troops are "no substitute for trained ambulance staff" - and a rethink on NHS wages from the government could have averted action.

The strike will follow strikes from nurses on Tuesday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who are taking their second day of action this month over pay.

Have you been affected by the strike? Are you an ambulance worker? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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2022-12-20 14:58:24Z
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Woman, 44, charged with murdering two young boys in Dagenham - BBC

A 44-year-old woman has been charged with murdering two young boys who were found dead at a home in east London.

Kara Alexander, of Dagenham, is accused of killing the boys, aged two and five, whose bodies were found at a property in Cornwallis Road, Dagenham, on Friday.

She is set to appear at Barkingside Magistrates' Court later.

Post-mortem examinations and formal identification will take place in due course, the Metropolitan Police said.

Family members have been informed of the deaths and continue to be supported by specialist officers, the force said in a statement.

A man was also arrested but later released.

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2022-12-20 10:07:06Z
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Nurses to strike as ambulance crews plan walkouts - BBC

By Michelle Roberts

Digital health editor

About 10,000 NHS nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are to strike for the second time in less than a week in protest over their pay.

Wednesday will see ambulance staff in England and Wales walk out too, unless a meeting later with the health secretary can avert it.

Steve Barclay has invited three unions representing paramedics to talks.

It follows warnings of extensive disruption to services at a very challenging time of year for the NHS.

The joint letter was sent out by health chiefs to NHS trusts and integrated care boards in England, urging hospitals to free-up beds by safely discharging patients ahead of industrial action by ambulance crews.

Measures should also be put in place to make sure ambulance patient handovers are kept to no more than 15 minutes, it advises.

The health secretary will meet with ambulance unions later today, but will be discussing staffing measures rather than the issue of pay.

There is no sign that ministers will adjust their stance over pay, the BBC's Nick Eardley said. The prime minister has told the Daily Mail he will keep making same argument that the current offer is fair and reasonable.

"I really urge the unions to consider the impact these strikes are having on people's lives and their health and to consider whether that's really appropriate," he said.

Nurses staged their biggest ever strike in the history of the NHS last week.

Nearly 10,000 staff were absent on Thursday and 16,000 appointments and surgeries had to be rescheduled in England alone.

Tuesday's 12-hour walkout, which starts at 08:00 GMT, could cause similar disruption, although services such as urgent cancer care, will continue.

The strike involves nurses in about a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all health boards in Northern Ireland and all but one health board in Wales. Nurses are not striking in Scotland.

Protected services include chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care, along with some areas of mental health and learning disability and autism services.

Why are the strikes happening?

The walkout is mostly about pay.

In England and Wales, most NHS staff have already received a pay rise of roughly £1,400 this year - worth about 4%, on average, for nurses.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union wants a 19% pay rise- 5% above the RPI inflation rate which currently stands at 14% - saying its members have received years of below-inflation pay increases.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the pay offer to nurses is appropriate and fair, despite pressure from health leaders and some former Conservative ministers to rethink.

But RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said he should ask himself why nurses are about to strike for the second time in their history.

Calling for talks with Mr Sunak, Ms Cullen said: "Let's get this wrapped up by Christmas.

"I will negotiate with him at any point to stop nursing staff and patients going into the New Year facing such uncertainty."

If there was no deal there would be more strikes next year, with more staff and further hospitals included, she warned on Radio 4's Today.

Ms Cullen said she was "truly sorry" for every patient whose care had been disrupted because of the nursing strikes.

However, she added that any disruption to a health service "that's as fragile as ours" is something that this government "really needs to take a long, hard look at".

The government maintains the nurses' demands are unaffordable and the recommendation of an independent pay review body in setting wages have been followed.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said it was "disappointing" union members were striking despite the impact on patients.

"The RCN's demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from frontline services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic," he said.

He added that he was "open to engaging with the unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work".

Nurses are not going to "turn off care" despite union members facing "a desperate situation" and "living in poverty", the RCN's Estephanie Dunn told BBC Breakfast.

Stephen Barclay needs to meet with unions and negotiate - with pay being the "burning issue" for members, she said.

The RCN has threatened to escalate strike action if ministers do not join talks within 48 hours of Tuesday's walkout.

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The action by nurses will be followed on Wednesday by a strike by ambulance staff, when Unison, GMB and Unite members take action. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.

Around 1,200 members of the military are being drafted in to cover the striking ambulance workers in a move unions call a "desperate measure". It is expected they will be handling less serious calls.

All of the most life-threatening calls, like cardiac arrest, will be responded too, but people who suffer trips, falls and other non-life threatening injuries may not be sent an ambulance.

North East Ambulance Service said it would not be able to respond to all calls of a serious nature and some patients would have to make their own way to hospital.

Stephen Segasby, from the service, said: "Ambulances will still be able to respond during the strike, but this will only be where there is an immediate risk to life.

"This means that less serious calls will not receive a response and some patients might be asked to make their own way to hospital, where it is safe for them to do so."

London Ambulance Service also warned that patients with conditions that were not life-threatening were unlikely to get an ambulance on strike days.

The strikes in the health service are part of widespread industrial action across a number of public sectors.

The main union representing Border Force staff is set to walk out for eight days between 23 and 31 December.

Postal strikes will take place on 23 and 24 December - some of the busiest days for pre-Christmas deliveries. The RMT rail workers' union is also set to stage strike action between Christmas Eve and 27 December.

Graphic showing the pay scales for NHS staff in England in different roles - from cleaners earning £20,270 to £21,318 a year to directors earning £95,135 to £109,475

How will patients be affected?

People who are seriously ill or injured, and whose life is at risk, should call 999 as usual, or call 111 for non-urgent care
Other services, such as some cancer treatments, mental health services or urgent testing, may be partially staffed
Routine care is likely to be badly affected, including planned operations such as knee and hip replacements, community nursing services and health visits
Official advice is that those with an appointment which hasn't already been rearranged should turn up at their allotted time
GPs, community pharmacies and dentists will not be affected

Watch Make Sense of Strikes on iPlayer and find out more about why people are striking and whether industrial action works.

Around the BBC

Are nurses striking in your area?

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2022-12-20 07:56:23Z
1707475855

Senin, 19 Desember 2022

Brixton Academy: Security worker dies after Asake gig crush - BBC

Still of Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, in a fluorescent jacket

A second woman has died after being injured in a crush at a gig at London's Brixton O2 Academy.

Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, who was working as a security contractor that night, died in hospital in the early hours of Monday.

The concert, by Afro-pop singer Asake, was cut short on Thursday after a "large number of people" tried to force their way inside, the Met Police said.

Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died on Saturday.

A 21-year-old woman remains in a critical condition in hospital following the crush at Asake's third sold-out show at the south London venue last week.

The Met said: "At this time we have established that the three women who were critically injured, including Rebecca Ikumelo and Gabrielle Hutchinson who have tragically died, were all in the foyer of the building."

It added detectives were "working hard to establish exactly what happened on Thursday night", and described the investigation as "large and complex".

Police are reviewing CCTV, phone footage, speaking to witnesses and conducting forensic examinations.

The first officers were reported to be on the scene at 21:11 GMT, seven minutes after they were called.

Videos on social media showed the crowd stretching from the road outside to the venue's doors, one of which was smashed.

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Ch Supt Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: "It is devastating news that a second person has lost their life following the events on Thursday.

"I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to Gabrielle's family at this unimaginably difficult time."

Florence Eshalomi, the MP for Vauxhall whose constituency includes Brixton, said she felt "utterly heartbroken" by the deaths of the two women.

I am utterly heartbroken to hear this 🙁🙁 2 young lives have now been lost in horrific circumstances, Gabrielle's whilst she was at work. My condolences to all her loved ones after this awful news
I met families on earlier & pray for the woman who remains critical in hospital https://t.co/bjZvByDpy4
— Florence Eshalomi MP (@FloEshalomi) December 19, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

London's mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "devastated".

He said: "Gabrielle, like Rebecca Ikumelo, had her whole life ahead of her and had every right to come home safe and well after her shift, working at Brixton Academy."

Ms Ikumelo was a nursing graduate who had been attending the concert.

Her cousin Babatunde Oyejide told the BBC she was a "true, special person" and encouraged people to send prayers to Ms Ikumelo's partner and children.

He said: "She was a very loved person in the neighbourhood and a very caring person, family orientated. She is going to be truly missed and we love her forever."

Asake, who had urged fans without tickets not to turn up at the venue before his first Brixton concert, released a statement following Ms Ikumelo's death in which he said he was "devastated".

"I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening," he wrote.

Academy Music Group, which owns and runs the venue, previously said its "thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news at this extremely difficult time".

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UK's controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda ruled lawful by court - CNN

London CNN —

The UK’s controversial policy to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda was deemed lawful by the country’s High Court on Monday.

A group of NGOs, asylum seekers and a civil service trade union had questioned the legality of the scheme, which would see asylum seekers deemed to have entered the UK illegally sent to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed.

The court deemed the government is able to make those arrangements. But it also criticized Home Secretary Suella Braverman for failing to properly assess the circumstances surrounding individual people set to be moved under the scheme.

Braverman “must decide if there is anything about each person’s particular circumstances which means that his asylum claim should be determined in the United Kingdom or whether there are other reasons why he should not be relocated to Rwanda,” Lord Justice Lewis said in his ruling.

She “has not properly considered the circumstances of the eight individual claimants whose cases we have considered,” the judge continued. Those eight cases will be sent back to the Home Office for Braverman to reassess, he said.

The UK government’s partnership with the East African country has been the subject of fierce criticism since it was announced by former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in April.

It has been backed by ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his successor Liz Truss and current leader Rishi Sunak, along with most of the ruling Conservative party.

But it has a host of critics, including dozens of refugee rights groups, international agencies, British lawmakers on both sides of the House of Commons, the head of the Anglican church and some Rwandan opposition politicians.

The first flight to Rwanda was set to take off on June 14, but the European Court of Human Rights stepped in at the eleventh hour, and months of legal challenges have stalled the program in the months since.

The UK says it will pay Rwanda £120 million ($145 million) over the next five years to finance the scheme.

Braverman welcomed the Monday verdict, saying in a statement that she is “committed to making this partnership work.

“My focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge,” she said.

But the ruling was met with disappointment from campaigners, who have long contended that the plan is unethical and ineffective.

“We are very disappointed in the outcome of this case. If the Government moves ahead with these harmful plans, it would damage the UK’s reputation as a country that values human rights and undermine our commitment to provide safety to those fleeing conflict and oppression, as enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention,” Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said in a statement.

“Treating people who are in search of safety like human cargo and shipping them off to another country is a cruel policy that will cause great human suffering,” Solomon added. “The scheme is wrong in principle and unworkable in practice.”

The number of people making dangerous journeys across the English Channel in small boats has spiked in recent years, with 2022 once again seeing record highs despite the government insisting that the Rwanda policy would work as a deterrent.

It remains to be seen whether the policy will now operate effectively; the prospect of individual claims on behalf of migrants still threatens to scupper Sunak’s plans to get the policy off the ground.

But the ruling will be welcomed by the government, which has sunk in popularity and lost the faith of most voters on a number of issues, according to opinion polls.

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2022-12-19 17:26:00Z
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Brixton Academy: Security worker dies after Asake gig crush - BBC

A second woman has died after being injured in a crush at a gig at London's Brixton O2 Academy.

Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, who was working as a security contractor that night, died in hospital early on Monday.

The concert, by Afro-pop singer Asake, was cut short on Thursday after a "large number of people" tried to force their way inside, the Met Police said.

Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died on Saturday.

A 21-year-old woman remains in a critical condition in hospital following the crush at Asake's third sold-out show at the south London venue last week.

It added detectives were "working hard to establish exactly what happened on Thursday night", and described the investigation as "large and complex".

Police are reviewing CCTV, phone footage, speaking to witnesses and conducting forensic examinations.

The first officers were reported to be on the scene at 21:11 GMT, seven minutes after they were called.

Videos on social media showed the crowd stretching from the road outside to the venue's doors, one of which was smashed.

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Ch Supt Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: "It is devastating news that a second person has lost their life following the events on Thursday.

"I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to Gabrielle's family at this unimaginably difficult time."

Florence Eshalomi, the MP for Vauxhall whose constituency includes Brixton, said she felt "utterly heartbroken" by the deaths of the two women.

I am utterly heartbroken to hear this 🙁🙁 2 young lives have now been lost in horrific circumstances, Gabrielle's whilst she was at work. My condolences to all her loved ones after this awful news
I met families on earlier & pray for the woman who remains critical in hospital https://t.co/bjZvByDpy4
— Florence Eshalomi MP (@FloEshalomi) December 19, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

London's mayor said he was "devastated".

Sadiq Khan said: "Gabrielle, like Rebecca Ikumelo, had her whole life ahead of her and had every right to come home safe and well after her shift, working at Brixton Academy."

Asake, who had urged fans without tickets not to turn up at the venue before his first Brixton concert, released a statement following Ms Ikumelo's death in which he said he was "devastated".

"I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening," he wrote.

Academy Music Group, which owns and runs the venue, previously said its "thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news at this extremely difficult time".

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