The NHS – A Patient in Crisis

Posted on February 3, 2012 by editor

07:07 Friday 3rd February 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

BBC PAUL STAINTON: Patients are having to wait hours in A&E, appointments and operations cancelled, and people being booked to see the wrong consultant. Just some of the horror stories we’ve heard at Peterborough City Hospital. Unions say the problems being faced by hospitals are also down to a lack of money. .. We’ve also heard reports of staff being used from Stamford, brought across to plug a staffing shortfall at PCH. They get there, and then they’re not needed. There’s a lack of communication by the sounds of it.
..
MARY COOKE PETERBOROUGH PENSIONERS’ ASSOCIATION: A slight touch of chaos, I reckon. That’s how nurses would view it. It’s demoralising for staff. That’s no good to anybody. Continue reading →

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Andrew Lansley in BBC Ding Dong Over Circle Deal

Posted on February 1, 2012 by editor

08: 18 Wednesday 1st February 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: NHS history has been made in Cambridgeshire today. Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon has become the first in the country to be run by a private company. Circle are working in partnership with the hospital NHS Trust to provide services, manage staff and repay some of the £40 million debt. Circle are announcing 16 new initiatives this morning proposed by hospital staff to improve patient care, safety and efficiency, they say. Well earlier we spoke to Phil Gooden from Unison, who described the move as a disaster for the NHS, and called for more details to be released. (TAPE)
PHIL GOODEN: On the surface you can’t argue with it. Greater patient experience, greater staff engagement, free telephone service, all this sort of stuff, but what it’s not doing is proposing in any detail how the £40 million is going to be recovered. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well let’s speak to the man in charge of our health service, Cambridgeshire MP and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. Morning.
ANDREW LANSLEY: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Well how? How are they going to repay this £40 million Andrew, first of all? Continue reading →

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Peterborough Council Waste Policy

Posted on January 31, 2012 by editor

08:13 Tuesday 31st January 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

RICHARD OLIVE FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: .. listeners who live in Cambridgeshire and Fenland who are aware of what happens to their waste, which goes to an MBT anaerobic digester in Waterbeach. The running costs of that are less than half, actually about 42% of the cost of the Peterborough one. And the construction costs were £30 million. And it’s a much better environmental solution. You would think Peterborough, aiming to be the UK’s Environment Capital, would have gone for the best possible environmental solution. But even the MBT anaerobic digester in Waterbeach isn’t the best. Peterborough could quite easily recycle 78% of its waste.

One other thing you need to be aware of, and I think the people of Peterborough need to be aware of, is that the Council took advice in terms of how to treat their waste, way back in 2006. We had a meeting with them. And their waste adviser was the gentleman who gave his services totally free to the Council. I’ll name him. He was a Mr.Ian Crummack. And he happened to be the manager of the Cyclerval incinerator in Grimsby. So he may have actually persuaded the Council perhaps to go down the incineration route. .. Sol I think the Council have been led in a particular direction.

The best solution, put a lot more money into recycling. As I said, it’s quite easy to up the recycling rate to 78%. The Council is proposing 65% plus. .. The rest of the waste, some of it could actually still be landfilled if necessary. But I think the best solution really would be to build a small plasma enhanced melter .. to process the remaining stuff and turn it into something useful.

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Opposition Councillors Unite to Attack Tory Budget Proposals

Posted on January 30, 2012 by editor

08:08 Monday 30th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: As the dust settles on the lollipop cuts fiasco, rival parties in Peterborough are now joining together to form their own alternative budget plans. Representatives from Labour, The Libdems and the Independent Group are meeting tomorrow to discuss some of the policies they want to see change from the Council’s budget proposals. The Labour group want to see the Council share more services with neighbouring counties, and for councillors to take a 30% cut in allowances. Well earlier we heard from Jonathan Isaby, the Political Director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance. He criticised the Tory proposals for raising council tax, and said he prefers some of the Labour Group’s cost saving methods. (TAPE)
JONATHAN ISABY: The Labour group have put forward an alternative budget today. I haven’t seen the detail of it, but from what the headlines were saying the idea of cutting councillors’ allowances, sharing some services and having fewer consultants sound some very sensible ideas as to how this can be done. And hopefully Councillor Seaton will take a look at that plan. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well Ed Murphy is a Labour councillor in Peterborough. With us, Nick Sandford as well, from the Liberal Democrats. Morning guys.
BOTH: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Ed first of all, where do you disagree with the budget that’s been proposed already? Where are you considering making changes? Continue reading →

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Enterprise Peterborough – Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Posted on January 27, 2012 by editor

07:20 Friday 27th January 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Work experience, apprenticeships and volunteering, just some of the ways a Peterborough company plans to help boost the City of Peterborough. Enterprise of course provides a number of services for the City Council, including street cleansing and looking after parks and trees. And it’s now creating a number of roles to try and give a little bit back to the community. Richard Oldfield is the Transformation Director at Enterprise in Peterborough. Morning. Continue reading →

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Buy to Let in Peterborough

Posted on January 25, 2012 by editor

07:20 Wednesday 25th January 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: If you’re thinking about buying to let, Peterborough is THE place to do it. A city-based estate agent surveyed the whole country, comparing the average sale price of a house against its letting price, and guess what .. we’re top of the pops. Let’s speak to Martin Fitzjohn from Fitzjohn Ingle. Morning sir. How are you?
MARTIN FITZJOHN: Good morning Paul. I’m fine thank you.
PAUL STAINTON: It’s not very often we’re top of the pops at anything, but this is good, isn’t it? Let’s get out there and get a mortgage .. if we can. Continue reading →

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Tatlin’s Tower at the Royal Academy

Posted on January 23, 2012 by editor

17:55 Monday 23rd January 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Welcome to the studio now, Philip Cooper, who is a leading engineer and architect, and he has just built the unbuildable building. He’s based in Gwydir Street in Cambridge. Philip, good evening to you.
PHILIP COOPER: Hello.
CHRIS MANN: Now this is a design from a long time ago that no-one’s actually built. But you have. Explain please.
PHILIP COOPER: Yes it is. Tatlin, who was an artist from the 1920s, a very famous man in Russia, proposed, just after the Revolution, when he took over all the art schools, he proposed to build an enormous monument, both to celebrate the new Communist regime, and to provide an office for their administration. Continue reading →

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Peterborough Conservatives Up in Arms Over Council Cuts and Rate Rise

Posted on January 23, 2012 by editor

08:15 Monday 23rd January 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

BBC PAUL STAINTON: Lollipop ladies .. it’s caused an absolute furore, and your proposals to get rid of lollipop patrols across the city, in particular in places where it’s incredibly dangerous to cross the road. I’m thinking Newark Hill Primary, I’m thinking Eastfield Road, with cars whizzing up and down there. The first time a child gets knocked down, it’s on your heads, isn’t it, as councillors? Are you going to row back from that now? Is the Council going to see sense on that?
DEPUTY LEADER CLLR MATTHEW LEE: These proposals are all out for consultation ..
BBC PAUL STAINTON: But who came up with that idea?
DEPUTY LEADER CLLR MATTHEW LEE: What we did last year was we put forward a number of proposals. We listened to what the public said, and where we could maek changes we did make changes.
BBC PAUL STAINTON: Do you expect that to go through? Do you expect that to be a proposal that actually gets through? Continue reading →

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