Teachers 'Should Pass MoTs Or Face The Sack'

Teachers should be licensed and will face the sack if they fail to pass checks on their abilities, the Labour party has said.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said he wants teachers to be reviewed every few years to improve standards in England's state schools.

A similar proposal was floated by the previous Labour government - and dubbed "classroom MoTs" by former schools secretary Ed Balls - but was opposed by some unions and dropped before the 2010 general election.

Mr Hunt told the BBC: "Just like lawyers and doctors they should have the same professional standing which means re-licensing themselves, which means continued professional development, which means being the best possible they can be.

"If you're not a motivated teacher - passionate about your subject, passionate about being in the classroom - then you shouldn't really be in this profession."

Mr Hunt went on to tell The Times: "If we want to re-professionalise the teachers it would be crazy not to do it. If teachers are not re-licensed they will not be allowed to teach."

The Opposition has previously said it would insist on all teachers having Qualified Teacher Status, with staff already working in academies given a deadline to acquire a formal qualification.

A Conservative Party spokesman said the Government was willing to look any proposals which will "genuinely improve the quality of teaching".

He said: "We have already taken action by allowing heads to remove teachers from the classroom in a term, as opposed to a year previously, and scrapping the three-hour limit on classroom observations.

"We are improving teacher training, expanding Teach First and allowing heads to pay good teachers more. Thanks to our reforms, a record proportion of top graduates are entering the profession.

"Fixing the schools system so young people have the skills they need is a key part of our long-term economic plan."

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Armed Forces Launch New Recruitment Drive

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The British Armed Forces have launched a new recruitment campaign in an attempt to reverse the dwindling number of new entrants, particularly to the Army Reserve.

Television, radio, cinema and print adverts will be broadcast and published nationally.

Titled 'More Than Meets The Eye', the ads aim to demonstrate the wide range of roles available in the military after a survey carried out by the Ministry of Defence revealed that nearly one in four Britons were unhappy with their current career.

The research, carried out by OnePoll on behalf of the army, also found that many people were unaware of the diversity of jobs on offer.

Of the 2,000 people polled, 28% thought Army Reserves would not get paid, while 40% did not think a commitment to the reserves was flexible, and 40% also thought signing up to the army was a lifetime commitment.

The campaign hopes to capitalise on New Year's resolutions which see people wanting to transform their lives and careers.

Commenting on it, Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall, said: "The Army offers people unique opportunities for challenge and adventure, both at home and overseas, during peacetime and on operations.

"It develops personal qualities that are key to success in any walk of life: leadership, judgement, determination, and physical stamina."

A new simplified online application form, a more streamlined medical clearance process, and an Army fitness app, will all also be launched this month.

The campaign is just the latest attempt by the military to boost recruitment numbers and there is much riding on it.

The Ministry of Defence's last Quarterly Personnel Report showed that the number of Reservists decreased between July and September 2013.

By the end of that period there were 1,630 fewer Reservists than at the beginning.

The total strength of the Reserve Force, which includes the Maritime Reserve and Royal Auxiliary Air Force is 21,870, of which the Army Reserve makes up 19,090.

The MoD has committed to increasing the size of the Army Reserve to 35,000 by 2015 - despite recent poor figures, senior officials are adamant they will achieve that target.

A total of £1.8bn has been committed over 10 years to supplement training and equipment for reserve soldiers in order that they receive the same level of kit as their regular counterparts.

A fourth tranche of redundancies will be announced later this month.

Around 5,000 people will be affected, almost exclusively in the Army.

Although running a recruitment campaign alongside a redundancy scheme might seem illogical, the MoD explains that it must always maintain a constant flow of younger, junior recruits to train for the future.

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Parking Tickets: Five-Minute Grace Period Plan

By Tadhg Enright, Sky News Reporter

A five-minute grace period for motorists who overstay their parking is on a list of proposals being considered by the Government to make parking enforcement fairer.

Many councils say they already allow motorists to stay for a few minutes longer before writing a ticket but it is a grey area which would be cleared up if written into law.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: "The Government is committed to reining in over-zealous parking enforcement and unjust parking practices. It is not fair to motorists and needs to stop.

"We have also recently launched a public consultation proposing a number of changes to make sure local authorities are not short-changing motorists and operate in a fair manner.

"These changes could see the end of CCTV being used for on-street parking, unnecessary yellow lines and the introduction of compulsory 'grace periods' at the end of paid on-street parking."

The proposed changes follow a report by MPs on the Transport Select Committee into problems with parking enforcement that give motorists the perception that fines are imposed simply to raise revenue for local authorities.

Chairperson Louise Ellman MP told Sky News: "People get very concerned when they're paying out penalty charges. Sometimes they think that they were misled and that signs were not clear. 

"And often they believe that those charges are levied for the purpose of raising revenue. It would actually be illegal to do that so councils have to be much more transparent about what money they raise."

The Government is also planning to make signage clearer so motorists do not get confused about local parking enforcement rules.

Councils will have to prepare annual reports in which they reveal how much income they make from parking charges and fines.

They will also be reminded that parking fines are not a "cash cow" and should not be used to raise money for council spending.

Cllr David Simmonds, Chair of the Local Government Association, told Sky News: "Local councils receive about £500m a year in income from motorists for parking and penalty charges, all of which is spent on roads and transport. 

"The Treasury received about £45bn a year in taxes from motorists of which about £10bn goes back into transport so it's pretty clear that the taxpayer isn't getting as great a deal from central government as they are from local government."

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Record Online Xmas Sales Boost Festive Figures

Increasing use of tablets and smartphones and speedy delivery times are the major factors behing a sharp rise in online shopping before Christmas.

Web sales growth accelerated to 19.2% compared with the same month in 2012 - the fastest rate for more than three years.

However, overall UK retail sales grew by just 0.4% on a like-for-like basis.

The data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) survey carried out by KPMG showed online trade represented 18.6% of total non-food sales in December, up from 16.5% the year before.

BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: "More of us clicked into Christmas than ever before, with online non-food sales growth putting in its best performance since March 2010 and accounting for nearly 20% of spending.

"The surge in the use of tablets and smartphones last year, together with the ever-faster delivery times achieved by an increasing number of retailers, has provided a new spur of growth to online shopping."

David McCorquodale, KPMG head of retail, said "Whilst store sales continue to flatline, online sales remain the main driver of growth for the sector, contributing nearly three quarters of the uptick in non-food sales in the last quarter of 2013.

"The winners this Christmas were those retailers with slick multichannel operations, who could offer consumers the flexibility to shop how, and when, they wanted to."

In clothing, online purchases represented 21.2% of sales in December, up from 18% in 2012, while furniture and flooring products bought on the internet represented nearly a third of all sales, at 32.4% - though this was down a little on 32.6% last year.

The figure for electrical goods and toys was 14.4%, up from last year's 11.9% but a fall on the 15.5% who shopped online for these goods in November.

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Third Of Drivers Admit To Nodding Off At Wheel

By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent

Almost a third of drivers admit to "nodding off" behind the wheel, according to a survey.

A poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line has found that nearly half of men (45%) say they have momentarily "head nodded", compared to one in five (22%) of female drivers.

One in fourteen people overall (7%) have actually fallen asleep while driving -  14% of male drivers and just 2% of female drivers.

Also, 49% of the 1,000 drivers surveyed said they had driven after less than five hours of sleep.

Men (55%) were also more likely than women (45%) to drive after less than five hours sleep.

Vicki Radford's husband died after falling asleep at the wheel

Vicki Radford's husband Andrew, from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, died after falling asleep at the wheel in 2008, just minutes from home.

Mrs Radford said: "Before he lost consciousness he did actually say to the guy who was treating him, the paramedic, he said 'I was so close to home I thought I would be ok'.

"That's why he didn't stop, if only he had stopped the car and been late home, that would have been much better than not coming home."

Dr Louise Reynor, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, says people should not be driving if they are "head nodding".

"You first of all start by taking lots of blinks then you have head nods then eventually you fall asleep and that period can last up to 20 minutes ... that's a very dangerous situation to be in when your head is nodding you're on the verge of going to sleep."

The Sleep Research Centre's Dr Louise Reynor

Brake says studies show that tired driving kills at least 300 people on UK roads every year.

Deputy chief executive of the road safety charity, Julie Townsend, said: "The fact that so many drivers - especially men - have head-nodded at the wheel is horrifying, even more so that many don't recognise this means they have fallen asleep briefly.

"Brake urges all drivers to pledge to get a good night's sleep before driving, take breaks every two hours, and never try to 'plough on' when they're tired, because sleep can ensue so quickly."

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Cause Of Charles' Chopper Emergency Revealed

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The cause of a helicopter's "hairy" emergency landing involving Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall has been published by air accident investigators.

The incident in May last year occurred as the royal couple and four other passengers were en-route to the Hay-on-Wye literature festival in Wales.

The report said it was on the approach to Denham that the pilot noticed the aircraft was "out of balance".

The Sikorsky S-76C helicopter began to veer - or "yaw" - with little or no control to the right as it approached Denham aerodrome in Buckinghamshire shortly after taking off, the report said.

With the heir to the throne, his wife Camilla and the other passengers briefed about the situation, the 53-year-old captain attempted to correct the problem before declaring a 'Pan' emergency, a less serious emergency than a Mayday.

The Duchess of Cornwall pictured at the book festival

The two-man crew subsequently carried out a "running" landing and ground-taxied before "the aircraft was shut down and the crew and passengers vacated the aircraft".

At the time a royal source described the moment as "quite a hairy incident".

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau said the fault was later traced to the splitting of a steel ball within the system helping to control the "Yaw" system, in turn causing a leak in hydraulic pressure.

The part in which the ball had split was later replaced and the helicopter had subsequently "flown without further incident".

But the report indicated the part had only been fitted two months before the incident and had totted up just 73 flying hours.

The AAIB said Sikorsky was in the process of issuing a safety advisory and a flight manual revision "to inform operators of the symptoms of a PDTA fault and actions to be taken by the crew".

After their delayed arrival at the Hay festival, the royal couple appeared relaxed, with neither alluding to their in-flight drama.

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NHS 'Bed Blocking' Reaches Three-Year High

By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent

The number of NHS patients 'bed blocking' has reached its highest level in three years.

Statistics show towards the end of 2013 the amount of "delayed transfers of care" were higher than the same period in 2011 and 2012.

In November last year 4,190 people were stuck in hospital despite being well enough to leave.

The main reasons are delays in patient assessments or after care provisions such as nursing home placements, or care at home packages.

Two new Medically Fit For Discharge wards (MFFD) were opened last year by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.

Local GPs make regular visits to the wards which provide 50 extra beds for patients who are waiting for extra after care.

There are delays in after care provisions such as nursing home care

Justine Irish, matron of one of the wards at Rowley Regis Hospital, said: "There is always somebody waiting for an acute bed unfortunately, and one of the soul destroying things for a nurse or a medic, or anybody working in healthcare, is to see patients in accident and emergency waiting for beds.

"The difference this ward makes is that you know you are our top priority and as such we can look at what the problems are with getting you out, why is it that we couldn't get you out sooner, and what can we do to change that."

Frances Farmer, 90, was admitted to the ward on Christmas Eve.

She said: "I was admitted to hospital at the end of last month, and I went home for a few days, then I was brought back into the hospital, into this ward, and I've been here ever since. It's described as, well, when you come in here you're going home."

In November 2013 more than 20% of NHS patients bed blocking were waiting for "non-acute care".

Another 20% were waiting for assessments to be completed by the NHS or social services.

Just under 14% were still there because they, or their families, did not want them to leave.

The number of "acute" patients staying in hospital despite being well enough to leave is increasing.

Ruth Williams, manager of Integrated Care at Rowley Regis Hospital, says patients should not be admitted to hospital as a knee-jerk reaction and the answer to bed blocking lies in better community care.

She said: "We aim to work to something called a care triangle where most of the population are at the bottom of the triangle self-managing and self-caring.

"At the moment we are admitting far too many people who aren't acutely ill at the top of the triangle ... if we can find the solutions in the community with social services for the middle of the triangle we can avoid people getting to the top of the triangle and then needing to be admitted."

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

We also want to hear your experiences of the NHS - the good and the bad - tweet us using the hashtag #NHSlifeanddeath

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Sheffield: Family Jailed Over 'Slave' Beatings

Three members of a family have been jailed for keeping a vulnerable man as a "slave" and subjecting him to daily beatings.

Ice cream man David Rooke, 44, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail after admitting falsely imprisoning and assaulting 34-year-old Craig Kinsella.

The family had used him like a "punchbag", said the judge at Sheffield Crown Court.

Disturbing CCTV of the family beating Mr Kinsella was shown in court.

The abuse took place over a six-week period between May and July 2013 and the court heard how Mr Kinsella was kept in "grotesque" conditions in a garage, had to use a bucket for a toilet, and scavenged for food in bins.

David Rooke admitted false imprisonment and five counts of ABH

Rooke's wife Donna, 40, was jailed for four months for battery, while their son Jamie, 19, received four-and-a-half years for five counts of actual bodily harm and affray.

"He was just your punchbag, all three of you. If you were in a bad mood you would just go and kick and punch Craig Kinsella," said Judge Kelson.

"It is staggering that this is happening in our society, absolutely staggering. It is almost unbelievable."

Police found Mr Kinsella in a shocking physical state after responding to reports of a man being abused outside the Rooke house on July 6 last year.

David Rooke's son, Jamie, was jailed for more than four years

He had a broken right arm, a fractured rib, extreme bruising to his back and around his kidney, a fractured chin and cuts, as well as lumps and bruises on his head and legs.

Prosecutors said Mr Kinsella was beaten with weapons that included a pick-axe handle and crowbar.

They said he was so scared of the beatings he would work from 7.30am to midnight for no money, cleaning the family's garden and vans.

Mr Kinsella had learning difficulties, and had first worked for the family a number of years ago, receiving £40 a week so he could keep claiming benefits.

Donna Rooke admitted a charge of battery and received four months in jail

David Rooke was also ordered to pay Mr Kinsella £15,000 that police found in his home.

Detective Inspector Vicky Short, who led the investigation, said: "It is hard to understand how any human being could treat an individual in such a grotesque, callous and inhuman manner.

"I am confident that if we had not received that phone call that day last July we would have been investigating a murder."

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Hundreds Of NHS Direct Staff Face Job Losses

Hundreds of people working for NHS Direct, a failed provider to the NHS helpline, have been told that they face losing their jobs.

NHS Direct announced in July that it was planning to pull out of its contracts due to severe financial problems.

In October it said it would close after projecting a £26 million deficit for this financial year.

Some 200 of its 700 staff have already been told their jobs are safe, as they move to other providers.

Of the remaining 500, many may also escape redundancy, with back office staff most likely to lose their jobs.

A spokeswoman said: "NHS Direct has today written to around 500 employees, including around 140 nurses, giving them formal notice that they are at risk of redundancy at the end of March.

"The final number of redundancies is likely to be less than this, since we are seeking to mitigate as many redundancies as possible by supporting these staff to find alternative employment within the wider NHS.

"At this stage we do not know what the final number of redundancies will be as it is dependent on several factors including the number of 'at risk' staff who obtain suitable alternative employment elsewhere."

The 111 line, which replaced NHS Direct as the number to call for urgent but non-emergency care, has been riddled with controversy since its inception on April 1 last year.

Patients complained of calls going unanswered, poor advice being given and calls being diverted to the wrong part of the country.

A month after its launch, leading medics warned that the "problematic" roll-out of the system left many patients not knowing where to turn.

An investigation was launched by NHS England after a number of potentially serious incidents, including three deaths, were linked to the service.

NHS Direct originally won 11 of the 46 contracts across England to provide the 111 service.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), claimed that 158 nursing staff at NHS Direct would lose their jobs.

He said: "This is sad news indeed for the individuals affected, and could to lead to patients seeing their NHS 111 service stretched even further.

"After the dismantling of NHS Direct, we've been left with a fragmented, localised NHS 111 service that offers uncertainty and inconsistency across many parts of the country."

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

We also want to hear your experiences of the NHS - the good and the bad - tweet us using the hashtag #NHSlifeanddeath

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Obese Pregnant Women 'Putting Strain On NHS'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

NHS chiefs have ordered the first official survey of older and fatter mums giving birth following new evidence that maternity units are under increasing pressure from complex pregnancies.

Figures obtained by Sky News show there has been a boom in pregnant women who are obese or over the age of 40.

Some units reported that the number of obese mums had more than doubled in just two years.

The Royal College of Midwives said the statistics are "astonishing" and warned hospitals must increase the number of staff to cope with the higher risk of serious health problems in the mothers and their babies.

And NHS England revealed that it will for the first time monitor the data to ensure women are receiving appropriate care.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, NHS Clinical Director for Maternity, said: "Knowing this data is one of the most important things to improve the outcomes for these women and their babies. So we are investing in that with a new audit for the first time."

Sky News sent a Freedom of Information request to all maternity units in England.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, NHS Clinical Director for Maternity

Of the 104 that replied 67 were able to supply data on obesity between 2010/11 and 2012/13.

On average there was a 12.5% rise in women with a body mass index (BMI) over 30.

But Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust reported a rise of 192% and Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said obesity had risen 177%.

Our survey also shows an upward trend in the number of older mums, with an average 7.5% rise in the number of women aged over 40 over the two years.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust has been at the forefront of one of the biggest baby-booms in the country.

Our statistics show that the number of obese mums rose by 59% in two years. Women aged over 40 rose by 33%.

Nicky Griffin, maternity ward manager at the hospital, said obese women need additional care.

"It is a consideration you need to make for their safety when they are in labour," she said.

"There is a risk of deep vein thrombosis, clotting in the leg. We have to give medication to prevent that because bigger ladies can be less mobile."

Obese women are also more at risk of diabetes, dangerously high blood pressure and having a premature delivery.

Older mums face similar risks.

But the research by Sky News reveals that a third of hospitals are failing to collect data on obesity and age.

Louise Silverton of the Royal College of Midwives said the data vacuum could compromise care.

"If you don't know who you are caring for, how do you know you are providing the right care," she said.

"Our concerns are that many units have not done the full assessment for many years and even where they have the trusts are not employing the number of midwives they need for their population."

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

We also want to hear your experiences of the NHS - the good and the bad - tweet us using the hashtag #NHSlifeanddeath

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