Stretched Nurses 'Struggling To Give Safe Care'

Patients in some NHS hospitals are receiving "unsafe and unsatisfactory" care because of staff shortages, a nursing chief has told Sky News.

Elderly patients are particularly at risk of being left in discomfort and distress, according to Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing.

His warning comes as the National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) prepares to issue draft guidelines to hospitals, stating nurses should ideally be responsible for no more than eight patients at once.

Failing to meet this ratio puts patients at "increased risk of harm", it said.

One estimate is that 20,000 additional nurses could be needed to meet NICE's recommendations.

"There is a lot of very good care, but there are undoubtedly many clinical situations each day where nurses are really struggling to provide the level of safe and satisfactory care they would wish to do," Dr Carter told Sky News.

Dr Peter Carter says nurses are struggling to provide "safe" care

"Nurses tell us they often come off shifts knowing they've not provided the level of care they'd wish to.

"Patients are left in discomfort - sometimes they're incontinent and nurses are unable to change them for considerable periods of time, which adds to distress.

"That's the reality. It's not that the nurses don't care - just that there are insufficient numbers of them.

"We have copious examples, particularly on wards for older people, where you have one nurse for 12, 14 and sometimes 15 people."

Dr Carter welcomed NICE's guidelines but said sometimes even "one to eight" was not nearly enough.

"Research demonstrates that once you go over the one to eight (ratio), serious problems begin," he said.

"There are plenty of settings, (such as in) neo-natal and intensive care, where you need one to one."

NHS staffing levels have been criticised following the Mid Staffordshire scandal, which uncovered evidence of increased mortality rates and serious neglect.

NICE will issue final guidelines for adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals in England in July following a consultation.

Its deputy chief executive, Professor Gillian Leng, said: "We'll be issuing draft guidelines on Monday, providing advice on how hospitals should ensure nurse numbers on wards are appropriately tailored to the needs of patients.

"The advice is for hospital managers, the board, and nurses working on wards.

"We want to make sure patients receive effective, safe care.

"We've also set out some information about what needs to be monitored in terms of outcomes for patients who have falls or pressure ulcers, and what nurses need to keep track of on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis to make sure patients are being cared for effectively."

The Department of Health said administrative staff and managers had been cut since 2010 but there were 5,100 more nurses working on wards.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "NICE's work on staffing is a major step forward.

"For the first time in its history, the NHS will have the evidence it needs to make sure that nurses are able to spend enough time with their patients."

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UK Soldier 'Posed With Dead Taliban Fighter'

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

The RAF has launched a probe after photographs surfaced appearing to show a serviceman posing with a dead Taliban fighter.

The pictures were apparently taken in the wake of an attack by 15 insurgents on Camp Bastion, the main British base in Afghanistan, in September 2012.

The insurgents breached the perimeter of the base, triggering a battle involving a British RAF regiment and US marines.

Two of the marines and 14 Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight, and UK troops were also injured.

The two photographs appear to show at least one member of the RAF giving a thumbs-up sign as he kneels next to the body of a dead insurgent.

The photos were taken after an attack on Camp Bastion in 2012

It is unclear if it is the same serviceman in both of the photographs.

Sky News has learned that the individual or individuals belong to 51 Squadron.

An RAF source said he was making "no excuses" for the behaviour but said it was important to consider the context.

"This was a long, extensive firefight against a well-drilled, well-armed enemy who was trying to kill them," the source said.

He spoke of the "heat of conflict", the "relief of victory" and the "unusual adrenaline fuelled situation" in which "foolish" things happened.

Camp Bastion is the main British base in Afghanistan

The investigation will focus on whether the airman broke the rules by "mistreating" the enemy.

They may also be reprimanded for simply having and using photographic equipment.

Another photograph shows a burned-out plane in a hangar - six US Harrier jets were destroyed in the attack.

The images first appeared on the website Live Leak.

An RAF spokesman said: "Inappropriate actions will not be tolerated in the armed forces.

"The RAF is treating this incident extremely seriously and has launched a military police investigation.

"As this incident is subject to an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

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'Killer' Asian Hornet Could Threaten Honey Bees

By Siobhan Robbins, Sky News Reporter

A new "killer" hornet may soon threaten Britain's honey bees, it has been warned.

The Asian hornet has already been spotted in France and could be transported to the UK in food pallets or may even be able to fly across the Channel.

They are smaller than British hornets, with queens growing up to three centimetres long.

Their bodies are dark brown or black with a fine yellow band and their stings are up to a quarter of an inch long.

They hunt in packs and have a taste for honey bees, often targeting adults outside the hive or eating the offspring inside.

The honey bee population has declined rapidly in the last 60 years

Some experts claim they can kill up to 40 bees a day so if introduced into Britain, they could have a severe impact on the native honeybee population, which has been rapidly declining since the 1950s.

Tim Lovett from the British Beekeepers Association explained: "When bees are out foraging you'll find that the hornets will lurk around the front of the hive and try to bring down foragers as they come back to the hive.

"Having got them down on the ground they paralyse them and they will then cart them off to their own nests where they'll use them for feed for their own larvae."

Six people in France have died from anaphylactic shock after being stung by the hornets.

But Gavin Broad from the Natural History Museum says there is no need for people to worry.

An Asian hornet (left) next to a British hornet (right)

He said: "In terms of their sting it's no worse than any other hornet so if you're going to suffer from anaphylactic shock it's just as likely from as Asian hornet as from a native hornet."

The public is being urged not to kill any hornets that they find and posters are now being handed out to help people identify and report any sightings.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: "There have been no confirmed sightings of Asian hornets in the UK - they are smaller than our own native hornets and are no more dangerous.

"We are aware of the potential impacts they could have on honey bees and have plans in place to eradicate them if they are identified.

"In Great Britain we would not expect Asian hornets to establish outside southern parts of England and Wales due to colder weather."

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Giro d'Italia Race Raises Hopes In N Ireland

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

The winner of the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia in Northern Ireland has said he has achieved "a dream come true" and thanked the crowds along the route for their "fantastic" support.

Svein Tuft described his Orica-GreenEdge team's performance along the 21.7km time trial course around Belfast as the "perfect ride".

While proudly wearing the pink jersey, the maglia rosa, the Canadian said: "It is a dream come true."

Tuft said he was impressed by the crowds, adding: "The entire course was lined four or five deep with people screaming and wearing pink, it was fantastic."

Stage one winner Svein Tuft celebrates

The Giro d'Italia is the second largest cycle race in the world and every second year, they stage the opening outside Italy.

With a global audience of 800 million, nowhere has been more grateful for the opportunity to create a new impression.

Opening stages include Parliament Buildings at Stormont, home of the devolved government, the Giant's Causeway and cathedral city of Armagh.

In towns along the route, election posters were replaced by pink bunting and balloons; one village dyed the sheep pink.

It reflects the colour of the newspaper behind the Italian race, contrasting the distinctive yellow of the Tour de France.

In a bid to win the leader's pink jersey, competitors were racing past loyalist murals on Belfast's Lower Newtownards Road.

On the opposite side of the road, pink bicycles had been attached to the railings of the local Presbyterian Church.

Rev Mervyn Gibson said: "There are people from all background, all denominations, all nationalities here. People from Wexford have been in the church, people from France, people from Australia, Roman Catholics, Protestants, we're not asking anyone where they're from, they're all welcome in east Belfast."

Martin McGuinness has welcomed the teams to Belfast

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Fein's Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, said the race gave people a glimpse of the future.

He said: "We love our colours in Belfast but sometimes our colours divide us. It's wonderful that the colour pink has united us. Sport has united the city. Sport has united the country. We need to build on the positive energy. We need to build confidence in Belfast and what Giro's doing is giving us real confidence in the future."

When bidding to host the Giro, the devolved government estimated that it would cost £4m but generate £12m in tourism.

First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness suspended their recent hostilities to welcome the teams to Belfast.

The Democratic Unionist Party Leader and his Sinn Fein partner in government had clashed over the arrest of Gerry Adams.

Tensions over flags, parades and the legacy of the past continue to cast a shadow over political progress made here.

The Giro d'Italia illustrates the potential if politicians can resolve these outstanding issues and bring peace over the finishing line.

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Clegg Vows To Block Tory Knife Crime Plan

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has publicly vetoed a Conservative plan to automatically jail anyone caught in possession of a knife for a second time.

The Deputy Prime Minister insists he will not allow the Government to support "headline-grabbing solutions" in the aftermath of the killing of Leeds schoolteacher Ann Maguire.

He said the scheme was a "step backwards" and could "undermine the role of judges", who, he said, should be given the flexibility to assess each case on its merits.

Writing in the Guardian, Mr Clegg said such a policy would risk turning young people into hardened criminals.

It comes after Conservative Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said offenders caught twice with a knife should automatically receive a six-month prison sentence.

The stabbing of teacher Ann Maguire has put knife crime in the headlines

He wants the mandatory sentences included in an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill next week.

Mr Clegg wrote in the Guardian: "When someone is caught carrying a knife, we need to do something about it. But six months in prison is not always the right answer.

"Imagine a vulnerable young girl hanging around with members of a gang. She could be forced into carrying a knife by another gang member - it happens a lot.

"When stopped by the police, she doesn't mention that she was forced to carry the knife, fearing retribution from the gang.

"Putting someone like that into prison could push them into the arms of hardened criminals, and let the gang leaders off the hook. Instead of prison, we need to divert vulnerable young people away from gang culture."

Nick Clegg says the plan could 'let gang leaders off the hook'

He said decisions on sentencing should be left to judges.

"This is why I believe this proposed law would be a step backwards," he writes.

"It would undermine the Government's progress in establishing a rehabilitation revolution and reducing crime. We need to treat knife crime very seriously by letting judges choose the sentence to fit the crime.

"Turning the young offenders of today into the hardened criminals of tomorrow is not the answer."

England and Wales' most senior judge, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, has also called for an urgent review of sentencing for youths carrying knives, saying it was a "major problem" among 12 to 14-year-olds.

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Madeleine McCann Search: Three Main Dig Sites

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Russell Brand Wins Damages Over 'Cheat' Story

Russell Brand has accepted substantial libel damages over a newspaper's claim he had cheated on girlfriend Jemima Khan.

News Group Newspapers (NGN) agreed to pay a large but undisclosed sum to the comedian at London's High Court.

The "exclusive" story, headlined Russell Cheated On His Jemima With Me, was published in the Sun On Sunday in November 2013.

It claimed Brand had had a four-month fling with model Sophie Coady.

Brand's solicitor, John Kelly, told Mr Justice Tugendhat the allegation was entirely without foundation and "distressing, hurtful and damaging".

The court heard Brand had written to the Sun On Sunday through his solicitors informing it the story was false.

But the paper refused to take the article off its website, or withdraw the allegations and publish an apology.

It now accepted the claims were "totally untrue and defamatory and... should never have been published."

As well as apologising, NGN had agreed to pay Brand his legal costs and damages, which he would put towards "what he considers to be diverse, just and decent causes.

Brand was not in court for the settlement of his action.

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Ann Maguire Stabbing: Twitter Troll Jailed

A man who admitted posting offensive messages on Twitter about stabbed teacher Ann Maguire has been jailed for eight weeks.

Robert Riley, 42, was sentenced at Swansea Magistrates' Court over the remarks he posted on the microblogging site.

More follows...

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Former Co-op Boss Flowers Fined Over Drugs

Co-op Reform Critics Must Back Overhaul: Myners

Updated: 12:37pm UK, Wednesday 07 May 2014

Former City minister Lord Myners has warned the Co-operative Group will not survive unless members get behind his recommendations for reforming its governance structure.

His review's findings - which include the abolition of the group's 21-member board to be replaced by a slimmed-down body containing more expert, corporate figures - will be put before the Co-op's AGM in Manchester on May 17.

The damning 184-page report seeks to win over traditionalists "stuck in denial" over the need for change after regional membership boards and independent societies voiced opposition to his interim proposals in March.

Lord Myners later quit as a Co-op director after just four months.

The review followed a tide of pain for the Group, which recently revealed an annual loss of £2.5bn - the bulk of that put down to the continuing problems at the Co-op Bank, now in the clutches of US hedge funds after its rescue from near collapse.

In an interview with Sky News, Lord Myners argued the bank crisis epitomised the scale of the incompetence he had witnessed.

He said: "How the board of the Co-op two years ago thought it could acquire the branch businesses of Lloyds TSB is beyond imagination.

"I cannot imagine a group of people less equipped, less competent, to own and control a bank.

"It took me half an hour of sitting in my first board meeting of the Co-op to realise what a shambles the board was."

He spoke out against the culture of the Group as the bank's former chairman, Paul Flowers, was being fined after admitting drug possession.

The peer slammed the fact that the 15 lay directors on the current board were drawn from a total eligible pool of only 35 regional board members including an engineer, a plasterer and a retired deputy head teacher.

He said that apart from the lack of relevant skills and experience "this has not even been genuine democracy at work".

Ursula Lidbetter, Chair of The Co-operative Group, responded: "The Co-operative Group welcomes the report from Lord Myners and we are grateful to him and his team for producing such a detailed and comprehensive review so rapidly.

"The Board of the Group has made clear its commitment to far-reaching and fundamental reform of our governance.

"A resolution containing four key principles on reform is being put to members at a General Meeting in May and we will build from there to ensure we put the right changes in place".

Lord Myners spoke of his hopes that the membership adopted change at the AGM.

He said: "I have no doubt that the Co-operative Group can over the next five years reverse a decline that started over 50 years ago. But I am less confident that it will choose to do so.

"Much will depend on the small number of 'elected democrats', less than one in 10,000 of the group's entire membership.

"Will they put their self-interest to one side for the greater good, acknowledging the collective failure of the current board and the crippling deficiencies of the entire governance system?

"I would say that the Group board and many on the regional boards are still stuck in denial over this near ruinous failure of governance, whereas the vast majority of ordinary members feel justified anger."

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Miley Cyrus Rejects Drug Claims At London Gig

Miley Cyrus has rejected claims she took a drug overdose, as her UK tour got off to a provocative and controversial start.

The Wrecking Ball singer boasted about her fine physical health after a sinus infection and an allergic reaction to an antibiotic forced her to cancel shows in the US.

At an energetic press conference before the first show at The O2 in London, the 21-year-old said she was "the poster child for good health" and promised to "f*** this place up".

Cyrus set the tone for her show when she arrived on stage by descending down a long, pink slide resembling her tongue, which was protruding from a giant image of her face.

Cyrus enters the stage at The O2 arena

"Hello, mother f*****s! I'm not going down without a motherf*****g fight!" she yelled, wearing a silver one-piece with a stick-on pair of lips.

Cyrus, who went sightseeing before the concert, then launched into the tour's opening song, SMS (Bangerz), accompanied by a pantomime horse, a dwarf and a troupe of dancers.

Many in the predominantly young crowd mouthed along to her songs but some parents were left unimpressed with Cyrus' antics.

She slapped herself in an intimate area, simulated foreplay on a bed with a dancer and showered fans in the first few rows with gargled water.

Some parents were unimpressed with what they saw at the concert

Cyrus also reportedly discussed drugs during the show.

A father who went with his 15-year-old son said: "It would be different if it was a good show. But it's not even a good show."

"She's lost the plot," another said.

The set included a peculiar interlude featuring a black and white film of an almost-naked Cyrus pulling faces set to British band Alt-J's Fitzpleasure.

She then returned to a satellite stage and took a selfie.

Cyrus promised to "f*** this place up" before her performance

Cyrus then tried her hand at a number of covers, putting her own stamp on songs from the Arctic Monkeys, Bob Dylan and her godmother, Dolly Parton.

The finale featured Cyrus soaring over the stage attached to "the biggest wiener in London" - a reference to an inflatable hot dog.

The encore included Cyrus' biggest hits, UK chart-toppers We Can't Stop and Wrecking Ball, followed by Party in the USA.

For her closing number, she altered the lyrics to reflect her location and wore a Union flag one-piece.

Cyrus' next gig is in Leeds on Saturday, followed by performances in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham.

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