Mum's Pain After Children 'Snatched By Dad'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A mother has told Sky News that her husband abducted their children and took them to Libya because England is "too Western".

In an exclusive interview, Priscilla Micalleff, 30, from Birmingham, told how Jamal Dgham, 35, who she is separated from, took Aisha, four, and 21-month-old Zakaria, abroad, after telling her they were going to the park.

She said: "He said England was too western you know, because they are Muslims, we came here because there are lots of Muslims."

The couple left Ms Micalleff's home country of Malta for "better mosques and schools" in the UK.

But seven weeks ago, without warning, Mr Dgham unlawfully took the children to his home country of Libya.

It is thought they are living with the children's grandmother in the Bin Ashur area of Tripoli.

Ms Micalleff said her husband had sent her a text message warning her that she would not see her children again.

The text read: "From tomorrow u r not gona hear or c the kids anymore and u won't know where they r."

Ms Micalleff has managed to speak to Aisha on the phone.

She said: "Sometimes it's hard, they don't answer the phone they make it hard for me.

"When she comes on the phone she's always crying, she tells me 'mummy I'm scared'."

In tears as she stands in her daughter's bedroom surrounded by her toys, she added: "You feel a very big pain in your heart that you can do nothing to get them back, all kids need their mum.

Family lawyer Pam Sanghera said: "We successfully obtained an order from the High Court that was served on him by email which he has read, but he says he is not going to return the children to UK."

Ms Sanghera, from The Family Firm Solicitors, says it is "inevitable" that the illegal movement of children will become more serious every year.

Latest figures from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office show that the number of children abducted by parents has almost doubled.

A total of 512 cases involving 84 different countries were reported to British authorities in 2011/2012 - up from 272 in 51 countries in 2003/2004.

Ms Sanghera said: "Libya is not a country which is signatory to The Hague Convention, so there's no automatic obligation on Libya to assist with the safe return of the children to the UK.

"The mother is going to have to initiate some sort of proceedings in Libya which may be obtaining a mirror order of the UK order that was made or another type of order which is similar in that it orders the father to return the children to the UK."

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Body Found In Well: Police Probe Launched

Police have launched an investigation after a body was found in a well in south London, Scotland Yard said.

Officers were called to the discovery outside an address in Audley Drive, Warlingham, shortly before 2pm on Friday.

The Homicide and Major Crime Command is investigating.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The body, which is an adult, is currently unidentified.

"A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 020 8721 4961, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Illegal Animal Item Seizures Rise By Millions

By Harriet Hadfield, Sky News Reporter

The number of endangered species items seized by the UK Border Force has increased tenfold during the past year.

The number of items confiscated has reached an all-time high

A total of 2.5 million illegal items were seized during the period 2012-13, compared with just under 250,000 in 2011-12.

Criminals can make millions of pounds each year from smuggled items ranging from ivory and rhino horn to trophy animals, birds of prey and species facing extinction.

Organised criminal gangs are believed to be behind the smuggling

In the last year, 3,890kg of medicinal products containing extracts from endangered species were seized, along with 326 items of ivory and 93 live endangered animals.

Other contraband that was seized included £4,000 shawls made of Tibetan antelope wool, books bound in elephant hide, a Rolls-Royce upholstered in alligator skin and a piece of artwork featuring a rare £35,000 rock pigeon clutched between the jaws of a human skull.

Senior Officer Grant Miller displays some of the items

The seizures partly reflect a crackdown on large international smuggling organisations - which are responsible for huge shipments, often by courier, of illegal goods.

Rhino horn is widely used in traditional Chinese medicines and carries huge value on the black market.

These marine turtles were among the items

Grant Miller from the UK Border Force said: "Poaching levels are unprecedentedly high, for example we are anticipating 1,000 rhinos will be slaughtered in South Africa alone next year.

"We are seeing ivory being trafficked from Africa and new products are emerging in the health and beauty industry which are using endangered species as an active ingredient in those products."

Laws prevent the trade of goods using endangered species

The penalty for importation can be up to seven years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Live endangered species are sent to zoos, farms and wildlife parks around the country.

Rachel Jones from London Zoo said: "All kinds of animals, there's huge trade in reptiles, tortoises, turtles are often confiscated, and it's extremely difficult trying to find homes for these animals. Organisations like my own become saturated.

Officials say poaching levels are 'unprecedentedly high'

"The other items, for example furs and stuffed animals, are often donated to educational organisations.

"Ivory is often used for medical research but rhino horn has no value, could pose a threat so often it's burned by border officials."

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GP Contract Deal Could Relieve Pressure On A&E

A new contract for GPs has been agreed which will allow doctors to focus on keeping more patients out of hospital A&E units and into out-of-hours care.

The changes will mean every person aged 75 and over will be assigned a named, accountable GP to ensure patients receive co-ordinated care.

GPs will also take on more responsibility for out-of-hours care, with a commitment to monitor the quality of those services being used by their patients.

Concerns have been raised over the quality of out-of-hours care since a 2004 GP contract enabled family doctors to opt out of night and weekend work by sacrificing £6,000 a year in salary.

Under the new agreement, there will be an "enhanced service" for patients with complex health needs to avoid them being unnecessarily admitted to hospital or A&E.

Jeremy Hunt has said the personal link between patients and GPs was broken

Emergency care departments will have easier telephone access to GPs to decide whether or not a patient needs to be admitted.

And new IT systems will improve the ability of patients to book appointments online and to access their summary medical record.

The quality and outcomes framework (QOF) - which financially rewards GPs for hitting targets in areas such as diabetes care - will also be cut.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which negotiated for doctors, said the changes would cut unnecessary targets, reduce bureaucratic box-ticking and give doctors more time to focus on the needs of their patients.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the BMA's GP committee, said: "We recognise that GPs are facing unprecedented pressures on workload with rising demand and limited resources.

"From the outset of this year's contract talks, the BMA has sought to positively engage with the Government to address the difficult financial and workload pressures facing general practice, in order to find new ways of improving patient care, while at the same time freeing up GPs and practice nurses from pointless bureaucracy.

"Our agreement will deliver real benefit to patients and build on the work already carried out by GPs."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, said: "The 2004 GP contract broke the personal link between GP and patient.

"It piled target after target on doctors, took away their responsibility for out-of-hours care and put huge pressure on our A&E departments.

"This Government has a plan to sort this out and today's announcement of a new GP contract is a vital step."

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, said: "No amount of spin can hide the fact that David Cameron has made it harder to get a GP appointment.

"This announcement will not put an end to patients phoning the surgery at 9am and finding it impossible to get an appointment - many of whom, not happy with a phone consultation, will still turn to A&E."

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A&E Services: NHS Plans Two-Tier Service

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Specialist emergency care could be concentrated in regional hospitals under radical plans for a two-tier A&E service.

NHS England is considering the new-look service as part of a major shake-up of emergency care.

It says other A&E units would not be run down and would still have the staff and resources to treat seriously ill patients.

But according to Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England's Medical Director, critical patients with complex life-threatening problems need expert care - even if it means travelling further in an ambulance.

"We have demonstrated the benefits of transferring patients far outweigh any differences in travel time," he said.

"For example, stroke care in London, where the number of services has been reduced from 32 to eight, has resulted in a significant increase in survival and a return to independent living."

The plans would see the development of specialist emergency care centres

A panel of doctors has drawn up the plans for NHS England in an effort to stem the rise in demand for emergency care.

The number of hospitals breaching treatment time targets has trebled in the last year.

The plans would mean many more patients being treated in the community.

:: Patients with minor problems would be given more support to look after themselves.

:: There would be an enhanced 111 phone service, with patients speaking directly to doctors and nurses.

:: And there would also be seven-day appointments with GPs.

Dr Clare Gerada, head of the Royal College of General Practitioners, cautiously welcomed the plans.

"Of course it's important that patients get the same quality of service on a Sunday afternoon as a Tuesday morning," she said.

"But it's equally important that in the quest for seven-day working we don't remove resources from where they are best used, which is in general practice, and when patients see us most, which is in the working day."

Some A&E departments could end up dealing with less serious injuries

The plans also suggest specially trained paramedics could treat many 999 patients at home rather than simply transporting them to hospital.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service already has some 'paramedic practitioners', who keep 30,000 patients a year out of A&E.

Sky News spoke to 92-year old Gwendolyn Kimpton, who had a badly infected wound dressed by one of the paramedics.

She said she was relieved not to be going to hospital: "I would have been a bit frightened, I must admit."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Commons on Tuesday that the review would not shy away from taking "difficult decisions".

"We all know that the NHS needs to change to meet the needs of an ageing population," he said.

Earlier this week, Downing Street confirmed that Prime Minister David Cameron was getting personally involved in overseeing the NHS's response to the winter pressure on A&E departments.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham warned a failure to act now on "the brink of a dangerous winter" would see A&Es forced to go into the winter with too few nurses, doctors and beds.

In 2012/13, more than a quarter of all patients attending major A&E departments were admitted to hospital, up from 19% in 2003/04.

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Prince Charles Backs Farmers In Country Life

By David Blevins, Sky News Correspondent

A month after he took on the banks, the Prince of Wales has spoken out against the big retailers and expressed his fears for the farming community who supply them.

On the eve of his 65th birthday, His Royal Highness has guest edited a national magazine for the first time - a special edition of the rural affairs publication Country Life.

He describes the countryside as "the unacknowledged backbone of our national identity", adding, "it is as precious as any of our great cathedrals and we erode it at our peril".

"It cannot be right that a typical hill farmer earns just £12,500, with some surviving on as little as £8,000 a year, whilst the big retailers and their shareholders do so much better out of the deal, having taken none of the risk," he added.

Dean Irwin of Greenmount Farm in Richhill, County Armagh, described Prince Charles as, "a friend of the farmer" and welcomed his support for those making their living off the land.

He said: "As farmers, we are on the front line.  We have to produce to a certain specification … and if you don't meet that specification, the supermarkets don't take your product. 

Dean Irwin described Prince Charles as a 'friend of the farmer'

"The bottom line for all the supermarkets, no matter what they say, is profit."

One customer in the Greenmount Farm Shop told us she chose to go there "because I know all the meat is from the farm up the lane".  

Another added: "Supermarkets have got too big and the farmer's not getting a good deal for his product."

Mark Hedges, the editor of Country Life, said, "The Prince has become the countryside's strongest voice, his support for it is something that, as a nation, we should treasure.  What the next king thinks matters."

"There was some struggle reading his handwriting," he revealed "But he worked incredibly hard.  Some of his emails were sent at two in the morning.  He's an incredibly good writer."

The heir to the throne, who turns 65 on Thursday, would appear to have no plans for a quieter life, despite reaching the age of retirement while awaiting the ultimate promotion.

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Public Pay '£56m Rip-Off' On Government Calls

More than 100 million calls by the public to Government departments were charged at premium rates - costing an estimated £56m, an influential committee of MPs has said.

A Public Accounts Committee report said of 208 million calls in 2012/13, some 63% were made to higher rate numbers with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) receiving 100 million of the calls and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) taking 68 million calls.

Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said: "Customers of Government services should be able to contact those services easily and cheaply. Charging customers higher rates by making them use 0845 or other high rate numbers is not acceptable, especially when the customers are often vulnerable people.

"We found that one third of customer telephone lines across Central Government used higher rate numbers. Half of those lines serve the poorest people.

"Customers spent an estimated £56m on calls using higher rate numbers, from the lines run by the Department for Work and Pensions, to helplines for victim support and the Bereavement Service and the inquiries and complaints line of the Student Loans Company."

Chairwoman Margaret Hodge has said the practice is 'not acceptable'

In its report, the committee also said calls to Government departments take too long to answer. It found most departments have no targets at all, despite a normal industry benchmark demanding calls be answered within 20 seconds.

It said HM Revenue and Customs only answered 16% of calls made to its tax credit helpline on July 31, the deadline day for notifying change of circumstances.

And across the first quarter of 2013/14, average call waits at HM Revenue and Customs were seven minutes, the report said.

Mrs Hodge said: "Performance by departments varies but is often astonishingly bad. HMRC managed to answer only 16% of the calls it received on its tax credits helpline on the deadline day for notifying the department of changes of circumstances.

"Citizens should not as a matter of principle have to put up with standards of service from government which are significantly worse than industry standards."

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said it was "ridiculous" that people face a bumper bill to call a public body.

HMRC has taken 68 million calls on higher rate numbers in the past year

"The Cabinet Office must now act fast to ensure the Government and public bodies lead by example and put an end to costly calls," he added.

The DWP has already said it will phase out the use of 0845 numbers.

A Government spokesman said: "We agree that it is inappropriate for vulnerable people to pay high charges for accessing vital public services and we are clear that a more consistent approach is needed.

"The Cabinet Office now runs a cross-departmental group to consider customer telephone lines. This group has made good progress in drafting guidance on prefix number selection and establishing best practice.

"We will publish this guidance and have a standing remit to ensure it is kept up to date."

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Walk-In Centre Closures 'Threaten Communities'

By Tadhg Enright, Sky News Correspondent

More than 50 NHS walk-in centres have closed over the past three years, according to a report by a health regulator.

Monitor, the NHS watchdog for England, has blamed problems on the way the nurse-led clinics are funded and warned that further closures could undermine the equality of healthcare provision in the communities affected.

Monitor's Catherine Davies told Sky News: "A lot of patients attending walk-in centres are also registered with GPs and so when patients choose to attend a walk-in centre instead of their GP practice, the commissioner of care in their area is, in effect, having to pay twice."

Walk-in centres were launched eight years ago as an alternative to GP and A&E care. 

Most are open from early morning until late at night, seven days a week with no appointment necessary. 

Nurse practitioners treat patients for minor illnesses and injuries and GPs are often available at times when nearby practices are closed. 

Sky News visited a centre in Teddington and met Sophie Gallagher, a secondary school student who injured her wrist in a hockey game.

She said: "When I've been to Kingston A&E it took a lot longer. This place is more efficient and you get through a lot quicker."

Ms Gallagher was treated by a nurse practitioner who arranged for her to have an X-ray at the centre.

Advanced Nurse practitioner Inge Kievit

Monitor has found that of 238 walk-in centres which opened over the past decade, only 185 remain.

Its research suggests they are popular with young adults, women and people from vulnerable social groups such as the homeless, who cannot register with a local GP.

It also found some care commissioners were concerned some patients were using the service to treat ailments that did not require professional attention.

But out of 2,000 patients who were asked by Monitor what they would do if their walk-in centre closed, only 8% said they would try to treat themselves at home.

Some 21% said they would attend A&E and a further 34% would see their GP.

Teddington's walk-in centre cares for around 48,000 patients every year.

Advanced Nurse Practitioner Inge Kievit said: "If you look at this particular walk-in centre and the amount of people that we see, where would people go? And how are GP practices and A&E departments supposed to cope with the amount of people if you take walk-in centres away?"

Monitor suggests that to preserve walk-in centres, the NHS might need to re-examine the funding model for GP practices, because it pays them to have patients registered at their practices and it also pays the centres for each attendee.

Health Minister Lord Howe said: "Patients should be able to access good-quality out-of-hours NHS services without having to go to an A&E. Walk-in centres may be part of the answer but this isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.

"Family GPs, community services and pharmacists all have a part to play and it's good that Monitor is looking at how walk-in centres fit in."

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