Cancer: 'Half Of Doctors Failing Patients'

Family doctors have been accused of failing cancer sufferers after new data suggested more than half are not referring patients to specialists quickly enough.

Figures from around 4,000 GP practices in England show that, in many cases, only a minority of patients are fast-tracked for investigation by a specialist.

In some practices, only around 10% of patients eventually diagnosed with the disease saw a specialist within two weeks.

The target for the NHS says 95% of patients with suspected cancer referred by their GP must be seen by a specialist within two weeks.

While some GP practices show 100% of patients with cancer making it through the fast-track system, others fall far behind.

In around half of the practices in the sample, fewer than 50% of cancer patients were seen through the two-week system.

Not all patients with cancer visit their GP with symptoms.

Some are diagnosed in A&E, while others have cancer detected during routine tests, or are referred straight to A&E by their GPs because their symptoms are so bad.

Stuart Barber, head of communications and campaigns at Beating Bowel Cancer, said the findings were "intolerable".

Jeremy Hunt calls for action to tackle an 'unacceptable' postcode lottery

He said: "GPs have the tools. There are clear symptoms, there is a clear screening programme and if a patient visits their doctor with what are symptoms of bowel cancer they should have the confidence they are going to be referred quickly."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called for tough action to tackle an "unacceptable" postcode lottery in the care being given to patients with life-threatening illnesses.

He said: "Every single patient in the NHS has a right to the very best care - and to see a GP who can spot cancer symptoms early enough to make a difference.

"That's why we've introduced a rigorous new inspection regime for GP surgeries to tackle this unacceptable variation across the country.

"The new chief inspector will speak up for patients without fear or favour, rating each surgery so we can celebrate the best practices and take tough action where standards aren't up to scratch."

The new data has been published by NHS England as part of a raft of information to help patients work out how well their GP practice is performing.

Mike Bewick, deputy medical director at NHS England, said the level of variation between practices is too wide.

He said the data offered an "important insight for commissioners as to where we should be doing better".

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Weather: Tidal Surge Clean Up Under Way

By Emma Birchley, East Of England Correspondent

The task of cleaning and repairing flood-damaged homes is under way after a tidal surge so powerful it swept some houses into the waves.

The swollen sea flooded 1,400 properties across the country overnight on Thursday in coastal communities stretching from North Wales to Essex.

It was the most serious tidal surge to hit Britain for more than 60 years, and the Environment Agency said high tides on Saturday could cause more flooding in areas already inundated with water.

But the number of flood warnings and alerts has been reduced with fewer than 50 now in place, and no severe flood warnings, which are issued when flooding poses a "significant threat to life".

Susan Telford and Paul Citrine are still struggling to get through to their insurers after their home in Rhyl, north Wales, was left coated in mud once the waters receded.

Ms Telford said: "It's just a waiting game now, I suppose, and a long clean up...but we're lucky. We've got our health and we've got each other and material things can be replaced."

Flooding in Rhyl, north Wales

At Hemsby in Norfolk some homes are gone for good. The sheer power of the sea swept three over the sandy cliff and others were left teetering precariously.

Pub landlord Jonathan Thompson rallied his regulars to help save one family's belongings after he saw the cliff beginning to give way.

"It's heartbreaking to watch someone's entire life being swept into the sea never to be seen again," he said.

The Environment Agency says 800,000 properties were protected thanks to both permanent and temporary flood defences.

They helped prevent a disaster on the scale seen in 1953, when hundreds were killed.

But some barriers were breached as the tidal surge combined with high tides and strong winds.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said two women, two young babies in pushchairs and a dog had been rescued after being hit by a large wave at Louisa Bay in Broadstairs, Kent.

Thousands of homes in coastal areas were evacuated after officials warned that lives could be at risk.

People watch rising waters in the River Stour in Sandwich, Kent

Hundreds of people were forced to spend the night camped out in emergency rest centres.

The North Sea surge followed an Atlantic storm which brought severe gales of up to 80mph across Scotland and northern parts of England.

Some mountainous regions in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire reported speeds of around 140mph.

One man died after he was struck by a falling tree in a park in Retford in Nottinghamshire, while a lorry driver was killed when his HGV toppled onto a number of cars in West Lothian.

The adverse weather also caused chaos on the transport network, with rail services for Scotland and parts of the North of England suspended and number of flights disrupted.

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Former Priest Questioned In Child Sex Probe

A retired Catholic priest has been questioned by detectives over the alleged sexual abuse of three schoolgirls between 1980 and 2000.

Canon Mortimer Stanley, 82, has been interviewed under caution by Greater Manchester Police following complaints from three women now aged 41, 35 and 21.

Canon Stanley is a former parish priest at St Vincent de Paul RC Church in Norden, Rochdale.

Police say the women were aged between eight and 10 when the alleged offences occurred between 1980 and 2000.

The women were schoolgirls at St Vincent's Primary School in Rochdale at the time of the alleged incidents.

However, police have confirmed that the offences did not occur at the school, but at an adjacent presbytery.

Detective Constable Christian Chivers, from Greater Manchester Police's Public Protection Investigation Unit, said the alleged incidents related to historical offences.

"I want to reassure local residents, and more importantly parents of children currently at St Vincent's, that these are historical incidents," he said.

"While we do not believe there is any reason for current pupils or their families to be unduly concerned, this is extremely serious and upsetting for the victims in this case, who we are continuing to provide specialist support to.

"The safeguarding of pupils is without doubt a top priority for us, the school and Salford Diocese and we are working together as part of this investigation.

"I am appealing to former pupils who may have information about the offences under investigation or who may want to speak to us about similar matters to come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Glasgow Helicopter Crash Pilot's Funeral Held

By David Blevins, Sky News Correspondent

The funeral has taken place of the pilot killed when his helicopter crashed onto a Glasgow bar last weekend.

Captain David Traill was one of nine people who died when the aircraft crashed on to the roof of the city's Clutha bar on Friday last week.

He was a decorated war veteran, having served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, but had flown for a private company since his retirement from the RAF.

Friends, family and colleagues attended a service at Glasgow University, led by chaplain Reverend Stuart MacQuarrie.

Before the memorial, a guard of honour was formed, with police officers on one side and air ambulance pilots and paramedics on the other.

The funeral cortege was led by police outriders and was joined by a friend of Capt Traill who rode his Harley Davidson motorcycle to the service.

The service had been put together by Capt. Traill's fiancee, Lucy, a graduate from the university, and his father, Iain, who sobbed as he read a poem, You Can Shed Tears, to mourners.

The minister read out a tribute from Lucy whom Capt Traill met just over four years ago.

She said: "Dave was the best thing that ever happened to me …He was the most amazing, caring, loving, strong, capable, funny, creative, delicious and sexy boy in the whole world and I cannot even begin to imagine life without him."

The helicopter crashed on the Clutha bar a week ago

She added that some of his passions included cycling, Scotland's west coast, fine dining, kayaking, Take That, and "best of all" karaoke.

"It all seemed too perfect but there was no catch. He just adored me and told me every single day," she said.

Mr Traill Snr read the same poem by David Harkins at his younger son Angus' funeral three years ago.

A close friend from Mr Traill's time in the RAF read a tribute to "the greatest friend a man could hope for".

Andy Rooney said: "David, Dave, Davey, Swampy - he was different things to different people and he touched many lives.

"But there was a consistency to him that few could match and many could envy. The calm he offered, the warmth with which he was received."

He went on: "He was the greatest friend a man could hope for. A steady, loyal brother in arms.

"He wasn't perfect, that would be tedious. He was a helicopter pilot who didn't like heights.

"You could get him in a helicopter, but you couldn't get him up a set of ladders. He was a pilot who got air sick, to be fair this was mostly on fixed-wing planes."

The 51-year-old had played an active role in the lives of his three young nephews since they lost their father - his younger brother Angus - to throat cancer three years ago.

Capt Traill did not make a mayday call before the aircraft crashed onto the Clutha bar, killing him and two police passengers: Kristy Nelis, 36, and Tony Collins, 43.

Six other people, attending a live music event inside the pub, also died: Robert Jenkins, 61, Mark O'Prey, 44, Colin Gibson, 33, John McGarrigle, 57, Gary Arthur, 48, and Samuel McGhee, 56.

Around 100 people were inside the building when the Eurocopter dropped out of the sky "like a stone" last Friday night and 10 of the 32 injured remain in hospital.

There was no black box data recorder on the helicopter but air accident investigators are examining the wreckage in Farnborough, Hampshire, and are expected to publish their initial findings next week.

Bond Air Services described their popular colleague as "the epitome of the consummate professional" and "a legend" whose passing would be mourned with "a sense of intense loss and sorrow".

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Air Traffic Control Problem Delays UK Flights

Flights at airports across the UK - including Heathrow and Gatwick - have been delayed or cancelled by an air traffic control system problem.

Thousands of passengers have seen their flights delayed by a problem switching from night-time to daytime operating capacity at southern England's main air traffic control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire.

Airports in the south east of England - the world's busiest airspace - have been hardest hit, with the knock-on impact disrupting flights across the UK and further afield.

Passengers have complained about a lack of information as they spend hours stuck on planes, while budget airline Ryanair has called for the Civil Aviation Authority to step in to prevent further chaos.

The National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats), which coordinates air traffic control across the UK, has said the technical problem will not be fixed until around 6pm.

A spokeswoman at Heathrow, where more than 200 flights have been cancelled, said: "Due to a technical issue with air traffic control, flights from many UK airports, including Heathrow, are subject to delay and cancellation.

"If you are flying today you should check the status of your flight with your airline. We are sorry that passengers have experienced disruption to their journeys."

Gatwick Airport tweeted: "Due to air traffic control systems issues some flights may be delayed. Please check with your airline."

The problems stem from a technical issue at NATS air traffic control

There are also reports of delays at Stansted, Manchester, Cardiff, Southampton, Luton, London City and flights to the south from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The issue has also affected flights UK-bound flights from Ireland and Europe.

British Airways said passengers on cancelled flights would be able to claim a full refund or be rebooked on alternative flights.

The airline said in a statement: "Given that Heathrow is the world's busiest two-runway airport and Gatwick is the world's busiest single-runway airport, there will be problems for all airlines as a result of the ATC failures."

A Ryanair spokesman said: "While we acknowledge problems can occur, where is the contingency? It's simply not good enough and the CAA needs to act now.

"Over 100 Ryanair flights to and from the south of England have been affected, with 10 cancelled so far. We apologise to affected passengers, however these circumstances are entirely beyond our control."

Dublin Airport tweeted: "Technical issue with air traffic control in southern England is causing a delay to some flights to England & continental Europe this AM."

Nats apologised for the backlog, blaming an internal phone system issue, and said it had handled 20% fewer flights than usual by midday on Saturday.

Passengers queue to rebook tickets at Heathrow's Terminal 5

Operations director Juliet Kennedy told Sky News: "We are able to manage the levels of traffic we would normally see overnight perfectly safely but we're unable to open additional control positions at the moment, which results in a reduction in our ability to deal with busier traffic levels."

She said the military had given up airspace to make it easier for Nats to operate some flights while the technical problem persists.

Daisy McAndrew said she had been caught in the "unholy mess" at Gatwick as she tried to fly to Barcelona for work.

She told Sky News: "As ever, staff have been fantastic but they know nothing other than the fact it is going to be a very, very long delay - very frustrating.

"And also, it's embarrassing, isn't it? When you look around a lot of people on my plane are not British, they are flying British Airways, they are probably trying to get back to Spain and they will inevitably be thinking this is something that could have possibly been prevented.

"It doesn't show our air traffic control system or our travel system in a good light.

"I have never heard of an example where every single plane is grounded - it's quite eerie when I look out of the window to see the tarmac in Gatwick, normally so busy, and also the sky above Gatwick which is normally busy - completely static, there's nothing moving."

Mrs McAndrew said the pilot on her flight suggested the delays would cause problems at Heathrow for two or three days.

Cabin crew opened the doors on a grounded flight as passengers milled about

Alwynne Gwilt, stuck at Stansted, told Sky: "We've just been stuck on the tarmac since we boarded the plane - at that point I don't think they realised quite the extent of the issue.

"Once we were settled in they told us there might be a delay of two hours and 45 minutes but we've had no updates since then.

"I understand that safety comes first. Unfortunately you want to make the most of it when you go away for a short getaway, but at the moment we're only seeing the yellow and blue of the Ryanair planes.

"You have to question why we had to get on the plane if they had known a little bit ahead of time. Now we're stuck with no tea, coffee, all those things you would be able to get if you were in an airport."

Take That singer Howard Donald was also caught up in the chaos.

He wrote on Twitter: "Control tower failure at Heathrow as left me stranded for 2-3 hours at dusseldorf. Anyone know any games besides eye spy?"

Radar engineer Dan Holland told Sky News the air traffic computer system runs at around 15% capacity during the night when there are fewer flights and then switches to near 100% during the day.

He said: "It seems that when they have made the switch something hasn't gone right and the data isn't being optimised enough for the safety of the passengers and the planes in UK airspace."

Sky News reporter Clare Fallon said problems at Swanwick had caused a similar backlog last summer.

She said: "There were several airports, mostly in the south of England, including Heathrow, and it took several hours then for them to actually deal with that problem."

The arrivals board at Gatwick Airport, which has been affected

Aviation analyst Chris Yates said passengers due to arrive at UK airports from overseas could find themselves diverted elsewhere.

He said: "There are contingency plans in place whenever this happens.

"Many of the long-haul flights, coming from China, India, the US and so on, passengers sitting on those planes may find themselves diverted to continental airports.

"But it's going to be a long wait for them. When the system kicks back in and starts working, there will be a backlog of flights.

Travel journalist Simon Calder said the technical glitch was a "disaster".

He told Sky News: "The south-east of England is the busiest airspace in the world. London handles far more passengers than anywhere else including Paris, New York, Tokyo and so on.

He explained that the lack of spare capacity at airports like Heathrow means things get "very messy, very quickly" and airlines are forced to cancel flights to create firebreaks, which allow the system to keep running.

He said there was "no way" that passenger safety would be compromised due to the ongoing problems but that airlines were facing losses of millions of pounds.

He added: "If you are flying today, then good luck, if you're only delayed you're in a pretty good place."

:: Are you stranded? Email us: news@sky.com.

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Hewlett-Packard To Cut 1,100 UK Jobs In 2014

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has confirmed it is planning to cut 1,100 jobs at the start of 2014 from three UK sites.

The US-based firm - which remains the world's biggest maker of PCs - will axe 1,124 posts in total from its operations in Bracknell, Sheffield and Warrington during the first three months of the new year.

The company, which was reacting to an apparent leak by the Unite union, said the proposed losses were part of a workforce management plan that was first raised in May 2012 and expected to result in 7,000 staff losing their jobs across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

HP said at that time it was looking to save £2.2bn, which it would invest in growth areas like 'cloud' storage technology.

Unite national officer Ian Tonks said today: "For the last five years HP has been addicted to a culture of job cuts in the UK, to such an extent that its highly skilled workforce has little faith in the way the company is being managed and will be going forward.

Meg Whitman is implementing a turnaround plan for HP

"Unite will be doing everything possible to mitigate these job losses which are a hammer blow to the UK's IT sector and very distressing for employees in the run-up to Christmas."

Unite said 618 jobs could be lost at the Bracknell hub, although the employees work at multiple locations; 483 will go at Warrington and 23 at Sheffield.

HP's statement said: "HP remains committed to supporting the employability of its employees through a number of internal initiatives, including re-skilling, redeployment and support to obtain alternative employment as appropriate."

The firm is under pressure amid a global decline in PC sales amid growing demand for laptops and greater tablet use.

In a mission statement on the company's website, chief executive Meg Whitman writes: "We are in a multi-year journey to turn HP around, and we have put in place a plan to restore HP to growth.

"We know where we need to go, and we're making progress.

"We continue to drive product innovation in our core markets, with a focus on cloud, security, and big data.

"We see big opportunities ahead, and we are well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities with our remarkable set of assets and strengths.

"We have the people, the plan, and the foundation in place to help us succeed on the next phase of the journey."

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Soldier Held After Nail Bomb Found In Salford

A 19-year-old soldier has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a nail bomb was found at a house.

The man was detained at an army base in Paderborn, Germany, following the discovery of the suspicious device at a terraced house in Salford.

It is understood the soldier was detained by the Royal Military Police on suspicion of the unlawful possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition.

He was flown to the UK and questioned by detectives in Greater Manchester and has been released on bail until January pending further inquiries.

The nail bomb was discovered after a warrant was executed at an address on Mellor Street in Patricroft on November 28 at 1.30pm.

The nail bomb was found at an address in the Patricroft area of Salford

Residents were evacuated to a local school as army bomb disposal officers were called to safely remove the device from the property.

A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of abusive images.

Police revealed they recovered "several items of literature which could be viewed by some as potentially inflammatory".

These are understood to be extreme right-wing leaflets, according to Sky sources.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the soldier was arrested on Monday night on suspicion of Section 57 of the Terrorism Act.

On the discovery of the nail bomb, he added: "During a search of the property on Mellor Street, a suspicious device was found.

"A cordon was put in place and a number of residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

"Specialist officers assessed the device and were later able to confirm it was no longer a threat to the community."

The Royal Military Police are said to be working closely with Greater Manchester Police as part of the investigation.

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Royal Mail And Union Reach Deal On Pay

A proposed deal has been agreed between the Royal Mail and union leaders on pay, pensions and other issues linked to the privatisation of the postal group.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) had been threatening industrial action in the run up to Christmas but held off calling strikes so talks could be held.

After what were described as "extensive" negotiations, the two sides announced that a proposed agreement had been reached.

A union statement said: "The proposed agreement will now be considered by the union's postal executive over the next few days and will ultimately be subject to a ballot of the union's members.

Staff had backed the prospect of strikes pending the outcome of the talks

"During the ratification process, the industrial action ballot remains valid.

"Details of the proposed agreement will be made available following the conclusion of the meeting of the union's postal executive."

In a statement to the stock market, Royal Mail said an agreement had been made in principle with the CWU on pay, legal protections, industrial stability and pensions.

"Royal Mail and the CWU have agreed that the union's ballot for industrial action remains valid.

"However, the CWU has confirmed that there will be no disruption through industrial action during the ratification process of the proposed agreement, including the whole of the Christmas trading period.

"An announcement on the content of the proposed agreement will be made when it is ratified by the union's executive committee.

"The proposed agreement is also subject to approval by the Royal Mail plc board."

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Man Arrested After Police Officer Shot In Leeds

Police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting of a female police officer in Leeds.

A major police manhunt for James Leslie was launched following the attack which took place shortly after 4am in Cardigan Road in the city's Hyde Park district.

A weapon is recovered by officers near a car

West Yorkshire Police said two uniformed officers attended a "routine call" to a disturbance and were confronted by a man at the address who fired at them.

The female officer received "serious" but non life threatening injuries to her face, neck and right hand and is currently receiving treatment in hospital.

A male colleague was unhurt and able to remove her from harm's way and summon assistance from other officers.

Speaking at the scene, Chief Superintendent Paul Money said it was thought only one shot was fired.

The shooting happened shortly after 4am

He said: "My understanding at this time is that the officer was hit by one shot. We believe at this stage there was one discharge of that firearm and not multiple discharges."

Mr Money added: "This is quite obviously an incident that is thankfully rare in Leeds but nonetheless very shocking."

The force said a 37-year-old man was arrested at 10.10am in nearby Wood Lane in Headingley following a call from a member of the public, and a firearm was recovered in the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Dodd said the investigation was "still at an early stage" and while "any potential risk to the public has been removed", a police presence would remain in the area.

Police officers stand guard in Cardigan Road

"The officer has sustained a very serious injury and her wellbeing is of paramount importance to us. The thoughts of colleagues remain with the officer and her family at this very difficult time," he said.

"It is right to say that incidents where police officers face threat from firearms are thankfully very rare but that does not lessen the shocking impact when an officer is injured in such a way," he added.

Ned Liddemore, vice chairman of the Police Federation, described the shooting as a "cowardly attack".

"We will be supporting the officers and their families through this traumatic time," he said.

Forensic officers at the scene

Kieran Williams, 17, described how he had an altercation with Mr Leslie on Tuesday.

The teenager said Mr Leslie came to his house, which backs on to the scene of the shooting, complaining that someone was shining a torch through his window.

A woman police officer called round to take information from his housemates during the night after a bottle was thrown through their window.

He said he later heard multiple shots.

Radio Aire reporter Charlie Frost said she spoke to a couple of neighbours who heard a disturbance.

"They told be that they were very shook by the incident and that it is very worrying that it can happen here on their doorstep," she told Sky News.

Police are not looking for anybody else in connection with the shooting.

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Woolwich Suspect: Killing 'Gives Me Little Joy'

One of the men accused of killing soldier Lee Rigby told police it gives him "little joy to approach anybody and slay them", a court has heard.

Michael Adebolajo, who denies murder, made the comments in a two-hour interview, which was played to jurors at the Old Bailey.

As he sat with a blue blanket covering his head, the 28-year-old, who gave his name at Mujahid Abu Hamza, told officers it was "not my character" to kill people.

The videotaped interview showed him speaking non-stop for 30 minutes, pausing only for a sip of water.

Adebolajo and co-defendant Michael Adebowale were seen on CCTV

He described how the rape of Muslim women "disgusts me to the core", telling officers: "If it does not affect you, you are wicked men."

During his police statement, Adebolajo told officers that Drummer Rigby "was struck in the neck with a sharp implement and it was sawed until his head became, you know, almost detached".

"May Allah forgive me if I acted in a way that was displeasing to him," he added.

At one point in the interview, Adebolajo complained that he was refused permission to remove blood from his hands in hospital.

Drummer Lee Rigby was killed in Woolwich on May 22

He was heard telling officers: "I have blood on my hands and I wish, like any sane man, to remove that blood."

When one of them tried to interrupt his monologue, Adebolajo raised his voice and said: "When I'm finished, you may speak."

The court also heard a statement from a psychiatrist who assessed Adebolajo in the days after Drummer Rigby was killed in Woolwich, southeast London, just metres from a military barracks.

He said he showed "no signs of regret or remorse for his actions" but was polite and co-operative with medical staff.

Adebolajo claimed he did not recognise the name of co-defendant Adebowale

There was no evidence of any mental health problems, he added.

Earlier, jurors were shown pictures of the weapons used in the attack on Drummer Rigby, including a meat cleaver, knives and a handgun.

DNA recovered from one of the knives matched Adebolajo's, the jury was told.

Other images showed a box containing a block of knives that was found inside the defendants' Vauxhall Tigra car, and the clothing worn by the pair on the day of the attack.

Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, 22, both deny murdering Drummer Rigby, attempting to murder a police officer and conspiracy to murder.

The trial continues.

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