A&E Visits: Third Of GPs Back £10 Charge

By David Crabtree, Sky News Correspondent

A third of GPs are in favour of making people pay if they make unnecessary visits to hard-pressed accident and emergency departments.

A new survey asked GPs whether people should pay £5 or £10 for each visit, with the money being refunded if their attendance was found to be justified.

The poll was carried out by the Press Association for Doctors.net.uk, an online network for doctors, and involved canvassing 800 GPs across England.

One in three (32%) family doctors said introducing patient fees for some visits would be the most cost effective way of cutting unnecessary A&E attendance.

Four in 10 (39%) said placing a GP surgery, with extended opening hours, adjacent to every emergency department would help reduce the numbers seeking A&E help and cut spiralling hospital admissions.

Another 11% thought more NHS walk-in centres would help ease the strain, while 8% believed that an improved 111 phone service - set up to replace NHS Direct - could provide the answer.

People using the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham were sceptical about paying for A&E.

George Price said: "It might stop people going because of the cost and others might think that paying a tenner was a good deal to be seen by an A&E doctor, it sounds like a bad idea to me."

Carole Bailey, who was visiting a relative, had reservations about how it would work.

She said: "Who is going to say someone is wasting their time?

"Most people who go must think they are really ill and where do you draw the line?"

Dr Tim Ringrose, chief executive of Doctors.net.uk, said: "It may be a clear departure from the traditional NHS vision, but many doctors are now saying that radical action has to be taken to reverse the 'free at the point of abuse' culture that is a key contributor to the current emergency care crisis in some areas."

Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "Charging patients for the use of emergency departments would put us on the slippery slope towards the Americanisation of healthcare - where only those who can afford it get the care and attention they need.

"Doctors have a duty to provide healthcare to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

"Patients seek healthcare when they are at their most vulnerable and if they attend A&E, it is usually because they don't know where else to turn.

"Emergency departments are really struggling but the way to solve the crisis is to adequately fund general practice, so that family doctors can provide more care for patients in the community.

"GPs conduct 90% of the NHS contacts for just 8.39% of the NHS budget.

"If general practice was better funded many people who are seen in emergency departments could be seen by a local GP."

The survey revealed the overwhelming majority believed changes announced by the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in November regarding GP contracts would do little to ease the pressure on A&E units.

It also found that three quarters of GPs (74%) disagreed that giving older people a named GP would cut the numbers ending up in A&E.

Just one in 10 doctors agreed this would help alleviate pressures on the system.

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Stormy Weather: 21 Severe Flood Warnings

Hundreds of flood alerts have been issued for today covering almost the whole of the UK - with the South West expected to bear the brunt of the storms.

Twenty one severe flood warnings, which indicate a risk to life, are in place as heavy rain and winds gusting up to 60mph are due to hit western areas this morning.

The latest violent storm to sweep in from the Atlantic, combined with exceptionally high tides, is prompting fears of major flooding and travel chaos.

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Fourteen of the severe warnings are around the Cornwall, Devon and Dorset coastline.

Three are in Gloucestershire - around the River Severn and its estuary, near Cheltenham. Four others are in Wales - including Barmouth, on the north-west coast.

In south Devon, areas include Plymouth, and stretches from Exmouth to Lyme Regis, and Start Point to Dawlish Warren. In the north of the county, areas around Ilfracombe and Barnstaple are under threat.

Flood warnings and severe flood warnings are in place across the UK

On Cornwall's Atlantic Coast, areas around Newquay, Wadebridge and Bude also have severe flood warnings. And there is another at Preston Beach In Weymouth, Dorset.

More than 400 weather warnings and alerts are also in place, affecting every region of England and Wales.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency is warning of a risk of flooding in Belfast, and says Larne, Newry, Newtownards and Clough are also at risk.

Democratic Unionist Party politician Gavin Robinson tweeted people had been stealing sandbags in the city ahead of the storm.

The South West is at heightened risk

He wrote: "At a time when people are stretching themselves to help others, reports of sandbags being stolen and sold are disturbing and depressing."

Police are advising residents in the Sydenham and Victoria Park areas of Belfast to pack a bag and prepare for evacuation, if necessary.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has also issued 17 flood warnings.

The flood risk extends along the UK coastline from north west England, through Wales, the South West and southern England.

The Environment Agency has three severe warnings along the River Severn

Areas at particular risk include the Isles of Scilly, the north and south coasts of Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, the tidal reaches of the River Severn, and the coastline of Wales and Cumbria.

The Thames Barrier in London has been closed to protect people and property along the river.

Communities in parts of the South East are braced for further deluges, with a risk of more flooding in Little Venice, Yalding, Kent.

In Sussex, police said coastal winds of up to 65mph, combined with high tides and low pressure, are likely to create storm surges.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson chaired an emergency meeting earlier in response to the flooding threat.

"We had a range of ministers from right across government attending, who will be working very closely with local councils, power companies, utilities and transport companies, making sure that all those organisations are absolutely prepared for the bad weather that is coming," he said.

There are flood warnings all across the UK

"I would appeal to everyone to keep in very close touch with the warnings that are being put out on a regular basis by the Environment Agency, to pay heed to them, as these floods and the coast will be dangerous."

A search for a 27-year-old man who was swept out to sea while celebrating the new year on the beach with friends near Porthleven, in Cornwall, was called off on Thursday after a body was found.

That came after a woman, thought to be on holiday with her family, died in the surf in north Devon.

The coastguard is also searching for a man who is believed to have fallen into the River Stour, near Iford Bridge in Christchurch, Dorset.

High tide at Portreath in Cornwall. Pic: Adam Sprague

And emergency services across the country are searching for several people who have not been seen since New Year's Eve.

Meanwhile, in Liphook, Hampshire, 300 homes lost power after lines were brought down in the stormy weather.

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Weather: More Rain And Strong Wind On The Way

Further rain and strong winds are set to strike Britain today - just as engineers restored power to homes hit by poor weather over Christmas.

The last households cut off from electricity by the Christmas storms have now had power restored, the Energy Networks Association says.

But forecasters are warning of another powerful storm which will arrive today, bringing with it the risk of flooding and disruption.

Tens of thousands of homes across the south east of England, north Wales and Cumbria have been without electricity over the last week because of damage caused by the storms.

The latest storm is due to arrive from the Atlantic today and will cross the UK from west to east.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning over fears of strong gales of up to 80mph affecting Wales, southern, western and northern England and Scotland.

It has also warned of the danger of ice patches in the south west as temperatures drop to below freezing.

The Environment Agency (EA) has around 100 flood alerts in place in southern, western and northern England.

And the unsettled weather looks set to continue into the New Year after the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for rain on New Year's Day.

Some 1,300 properties have been flooded during the recent storms in England.

Meanwhile, energy companies have been criticised for their slow reaction to storm damage.

A Christmas bauble lies in a puddle in Yalding, Kent

The executive of one of the UK's biggest power distributors has admitted its efforts to restore power to thousands of people should have been better.

Basil Scarsella, chief executive of the UK Power Networks, said the company it was not prepared for the storm and too many staff were on holiday.

The company, which owns electricity lines and cables in London, the south east and east of England, said it will increase payments for 48 to 60-hour outages from £27 to £75 for those affected on Christmas Day.

Additional payments will be made to customers who have been without electricity for longer than that time - up to a maximum of £432.

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NHS: Migrants To Be Charged For A&E Care

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky Political Reporter

Visitors and migrants who use NHS accident and emergency services in England are to be charged, ministers have announced.

The move is part of an extension of the NHS charging strategy intended to deter so-called "health tourists" while trying to recoup up to £500m a year.

Critics have accused the Government of trying to grab headlines rather than helping the NHS.

Ministers say no-one will be turned away in an emergency, but there will be a bill to pay afterwards for those from overseas.

Health Minister Lord Howe said: "Having a universal health service free at the point of use rightly makes us the envy of the world, but we must make sure the system is fair to the hard-working British taxpayers who fund it.

"We know that we need to make changes across the NHS to better identify and charge visitors and migrants. Introducing charging at primary care is the first step to achieving this.

"We are already looking at taking action and next year we will set out our detailed plans to clamp down on the abuse of our NHS."

Doctors' leaders warned the proposed changes could cost more to administer than they would actually raise for the NHS while deterring some people desperately in need of treatment from seeking care.

Dr Mark Porter, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) council, said: "This could mean the system of administering the new charging system will end up actually costing more to run than it collects in revenue."

The announcement has been timed less than 48 hours before restrictions on migrants from Bulgaria and Romania end.

A major influx of immigrants could put additional strain on the NHS and other public services.

Labour argue ministers are putting spin before substance.

Lord Hunt said: "Labour is in favour of improving the recovery of costs from people with no entitlement to NHS treatment. Rather than more grand-standing, the Government needs to deliver practical, thought-through changes to make that happen.

"Instead this out-of-touch government is left asking doctors and nurses to act as surrogate immigration officials."

Also under the proposed changes, migrants and overseas visitors will have to pay for primary care services such as minor surgery carried out by GPs, while prescription charges will be extended.

There will also be higher charges for services which are subsidised for patients entitled to free NHS treatment, such as optical and dental care.

But consultations with GPs and nurses will remain free of charge, to ensure initial access remains to prevent public health risks such as TB, HIV and sexually-transmitted infections.

Details of the scheme are still being worked out and ministers won't have a full plan until March.

But the Government will be hoping its crackdown down on health tourism will resonate home and abroad.

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Anti-Smoking Campaign: New Ad Targets Addicts

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Smokers are being targeted by a new TV advertising campaign which aims to scare them into giving up.

Graphic images of polluted blood flowing through the body of a smoker and damaging cells in his brain are used to reinforce the message that smoking increases the risk of dementia and strokes.

The campaign, funded by Public Health England, was launched by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies.

"We know about the serious effect smoking has on the heart and lungs but smokers need to be aware of how much potential damage is being done to the brain and other vital organs through toxins in cigarettes entering the blood," she said.

"Smoking is the major cause of premature death, with one in two smokers dying prematurely from smoking related diseases, and it is extremely worrying that people still underestimate the health harms associated with it."

Government figures show more than one in five adults in the UK admits to smoking, at an estimated cost to the economy of £5bn per year in health costs, sick leave and lost productivity.

More than one in five adults in the UK admit to smoking

The TV advert, to be shown in England from tomorrow, along with a billboard advertising showing clotted blood dripping from a cigarette, has been welcomed by Joe Korner from The Stroke Association.

"It is well known that smoking harms our health but the link between smoking and stroke is less well known," he said.

"Stroke is a major cause of death and adult disability in the UK and you are twice as likely to have a stroke if you smoke. The more you smoke, the more your risk increases."

Smokers outside the Sant' Angelo restaurant in Wetherby in West Yorkshire who watched a preview of the advert said it encouraged them to consider giving up, or smoking less.

Jo Maltby, 40, has smoked for 20 years and says she tried to give up many times before.

"That probably would give me a bit more of an inclination to (give up) because I have children," she said.

"Obviously the more damage I do to myself the less chance they've got of me being around."

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Ferry Rescue: Passenger Detained After Fire

A passenger suspected of starting a fire on board a ferry in the North Sea sparking an emergency evacuation has been detained by ship staff.

Crew members and passengers had to be winched off a North Sea ferry heading to Amsterdam after they breathed in smoke when the fire broke out 30 miles from land.

Ferry operator DFDS Seaways said six people in total were taken to hospital by helicopter, however the coastguard earlier said it was seven.

Inspector Andrew Dixon said: "It is unknown if the fire was started deliberately or accidentally.

"As a result of this incident the person suspected of causing the fire, or the person from the cabin where the fire occurred, be it deliberate or accidental, has been detained by ship staff."

The fire broke out in a passenger cabin around 10.45pm and was extinguished by 11pm.

Police arrive at the port after the ferry returned

RAF helicopters from Leconfield near Hull and Boulmer, Northumberland were scrambled to the vessel along with RNLI lifeboats from Bridlington and Filey.

The 30,000-tonne ship arrived back at Newcastle ferry port around 4am and passengers are being kept on board while police investigate and carry out interviews.

Olivia Elliott, who was in a nightclub on the ferry when the alarm went off, told Sky News she "panicked" not knowing how serious the situation was.

"(It was) scary out there in the middle of the ocean. You've never been in that situation before - you don't know what to do."

She added: "The captain came on the tannoy and said we needed to evacuate to the outer deck because there had been a fire.

The ferrry changed its course towards land (Pic: www.marinetraffic.com)

"We were outside for about 40 minutes before we were allowed to go back in."

Despite the emergency, she said most people remained calm.

Her stepfather, Stephen Phillips, waiting quayside, said he still had not been told how long passenger will be kept on board.

A spokeswoman for DFDS Seaways said 946 passengers and 127 crew members were on board the DFDS Seaways cruise ferry King Seaways, which was en route from Newcastle to Amsterdam.

"Fifteen passengers and eight crew members are reported to have suffered from smoke-related injuries," she said.

"They have been checked by a doctor on-board, and two passengers and four crew members have been taken ashore by helicopter for further medical assistance at a local hospital in the UK.

"We will ensure that passengers and crew affected by the incident will be offered psychological assistance as well as other assistance that might be needed."

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "All helicopters and life boats involved have been stood down, however Humber Coastguard is in constant contact with the ferry and an RAF helicopter is on stand-by should it need further assistance."

According to the DFDS Seaways website, the 26-year-old vessel has room for over 1,500 passengers and 600 cars. It was renovated in 2006.

It offers entertainment including restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a casino.

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