PM 'interested' in Estuary airport

The Government is getting "increasingly interested" in the idea of a new airport in the Thames Estuary, London mayor Boris Johnson has said.

Mr Johnson already firmly backs a new "Boris Island" airport and architect Lord Foster has produced plans for a £50 billion airport on the Isle of Grain in Kent.

With a third runway ruled out at Heathrow, the Government is set to include the Thames Estuary option in a consultation on UK aviation this spring.

Prime Minister David Cameron is said to be growing keener on a Thames Estuary airport plan.

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Johnson said: "I think that where we are is that the Government is increasingly interested in this idea. I genuinely believe that they see not just the overwhelming aviation argument and the argument from international competitiveness in making sure that Britain has a hub airport that is viable for the long-term future."

But Mick Rix, the GMB union's civil aviation industry national officer, said a Thames Estuary plan was "plain daft" and called on all political parties to reopen the issue of Heathrow's third runway.

An architect's impression of how the Thames Estuary Airport could look

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "No decisions have been taken. As the Chancellor made clear in his autumn statement, we will explore all the options for maintaining the UK's aviation hub status with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow.

"The Government will consult on a sustainable framework for UK aviation this spring, at which time we will set out our long-term plans for the sector."

Colin Matthews, chief executive of airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow, told the Today programme: "An island airport is very long and very expensive. Even if it is agreed, it will be decades away. We need jobs and we need growth in this economy today."

Having scrapped Labour's plans for a third Heathrow runway, the coalition Government had, originally, ruled out expansion at any south east England airport. Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement, however, indicated that only the Heathrow option was off the table.

©Press Association 2012

PM VOWS TO BLOCK EU TRANSACTION TAX

Britain will veto any attempt to introduce an EU-wide financial transaction tax, Prime Minister David Cameron said today.

He said France, Germany and other countries pushing for a levy were welcome to implement it within their own borders.

But imposing a tax across the EU without similar measures being in place elsewhere in the world would hit European jobs and prosperity, he said.

French finance minister Francois Baroin has suggested France could push ahead alone with a so-called "Tobin tax" amid UK hostility.

Mr Cameron told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "If the French themselves want to go ahead with a transactions tax in their own country then they should be free to do so.

"We actually have stamp duty on share transactions in Britain and yet we have one of the most competitive and successful financial services markets anywhere.

"But the idea of a new European tax when you are not going to have that tax put in place in other places and so I will block it unless the rest of the world all agreed at the same time that we were all going to have some sort of tax."

Former chancellor Alistair Darling, who ran the Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis, warned of an "unmitigated disaster" in Europe after European leaders had tied themselves into a "suicide pact".

He told the Sky News Murnaghan programme: "If the eurozone crisis is not resolved, the chances are we will get recession in Europe. If you get recession in Europe, the chances are we will follow because it is such a big market.

"I think the imperative at the moment is for eurozone leaders to finally face up to the fact we have to sort out this imbalance between the rich countries and the poorer countries on the periphery of Europe.

"If they don't do that I see nothing but unmitigated disaster.

"In 2008 we were dealing with a banking crisis which, although difficult, you can and we did deal with it.

"What we have now is doubt over the solvency of countries. It is much more wide spread.

"It does not have to be like this. If countries would act together with the same spirit as they acted in 2009 then in Europe, it would be painful, it would be slow, but at least we could begin to turn the corner and begin to get the economies growing again.

"If you don't get growth then you can't get borrowing and debt down. That's why I think the summit just before Christmas was a complete disaster because they came up with a solution that may have been appropriate a few years ago but is actually locking them into a suicide pact.

"It was a complete wasted opportunity back in December and I would like think eurozone leaders spent Christmas working on a plan that we will see shortly because it is a plan we do need to turn the corner.

"It's terribly important we are engaged in that process."

Mr Cameron tried to play down concerns Britain will end up excluded from decisions affecting the single market under a new treaty being thrashed out in Brussels.

The latest draft of a fiscal accord designed to shore up the crisis-hit eurozone specifically talks about "deeper integration in the internal market".

It also suggests EU institutions would be involved in policing tough new deficit rules.

A bid to apply new rules across the EU was vetoed by the Prime Minister last month - but Britain found itself alone among the 27 member states in remaining outside.

"The interesting thing about this new treaty that's under discussion is it says very, very clearly in Article 2 that this treaty does not supersede or interfere with or override in any way the treaties of the European Union.

"It's entirely subservient and separate to them. And that's the absolute key."

Britain remained a "committed" member of the EU, he insisted, but said he was "quite relaxed" about being outside elements that were not in the national interest.

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said: "Contrary to what David Cameron said, the draft EU agreement explicitly mentions the single market - leaving the Prime Minister's guarantee looking increasingly threadbare.

"When jobs and growth in Britain depend on an effective resolution to the eurozone crisis, David Cameron's decision to walk away from the table is looking more and more reckless."

Pressure on Mr Cameron to agree a resolution will be heightened tomorrow when Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg hosts a summit of prominent Liberal politicians from across the EU.

The pro-European Lib Dem leader warned last week of a danger that "other countries seek to do things in a way that is not particularly helpful to us as a country and when we have not got a proper influence or a good voice" in the wake of the veto.

Liberal Democrat sources said the focus would be on the economy and the single market rather than institutional change but questions over Britain's future role are certain to feature.

Among those leading discussions alongside Mr Clegg will be the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte and Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Clegg said: "Europe is at a vital point in its history and the crucial thing for us to do is concentrate on economic growth.

"That's why I'm hosting a meeting of my Liberal colleagues from parties in government across Europe to focus on the only credible path out of the current crisis: creating jobs and boosting competitiveness.

"We will be using this opportunity to set out an ambitious agenda for reform which will help set the stage for the discussions at the next European Summit."


PA 2012

PM UNVEILS HOSPITAL CARE REVAMP

Nurses will be told to undertake hourly ward rounds while members of the public will be allowed to inspect hospitals, under plans announced by the Prime Minister.

David Cameron said most patients were happy with NHS care but there was a "real problem" in some hospitals with people not getting food and drink or being treated with respect.

He said the Government was going to "put right" the problem after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found issues with dignity and respect in hospitals up and down the country.

The PM wants hourly rounds by nurses.

Mr Cameron is pledging to strip away "stifling bureaucracy" and allow nurses to focus on what they do best, adding that the whole approach to caring in this country needs to be reset.

He also emphasised the need for leadership on wards, saying people wanted to see a figure of authority, whether they were called matron, ward sister or team leader.

In October, the CQC found a fifth of NHS hospitals are breaking the law on care of the elderly.

Its study also found half of hospitals are failing to provide all-round good nutrition to elderly patients while 40% do not offer dignified care.

Of 100 hospitals investigated in England, 49 were found to generate minor, moderate or major concerns about nutritional standards for elderly people.

Today's announcement is intended to mean nurses can focus on "patients not paperwork" while all hospitals will be expected to implement regular ward rounds "to systematically and routinely check that patients are comfortable, are properly fed and hydrated".

Strong leadership on wards will is also expected become common practice.

A new Nursing Quality Forum of frontline nurses and nursing leaders will be tasked with promoting excellent care and ensuring good practice across the NHS.

Patients will also lead inspections of hospital wards, with local people becoming part of teams assessing cleanliness, dignity and nutrition.

A new "friends and family test" will also ask whether patients, carers and staff would recommend their hospital to friends and family.

The results will be published and hospital leaders who fail the test will be held to account.

Mr Cameron said: "If we want dignity and respect, we need to focus on nurses and the care they deliver.

"Somewhere in the last decade the health system has conspired to undermine one of this country's greatest professions.

"It's not one problem in particular. It's the stifling bureaucracy. The lack of consequence for failing to treat people with dignity.

"Even, at times - as we saw with Mid Staffordshire - the pursuit of cost-cutting or management targets without sufficient regard for quality of care.

"Nursing needs to be about patients not paperwork.

"So we are going to get rid of a whole load of bureaucracy that stops nurses from doing what they do best.

"And in return patients should expect nurses to undertake regular nursing rounds - systematically and routinely checking that each of their patients is comfortable, properly fed and hydrated, and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

"This happens in the best hospitals. In some it has never stopped happening. "Now it needs to happen in every hospital. And the Royal College of Nursing support us on this and we'll be working with them to make it happen."

Under the plans, an NHS Institute Time to Care initiative will be rolled out with the aim of cutting paperwork.

More than 60% of NHS acute trusts are currently implementing the programme, which has helped nurses to spend an extra 500,000 hours with patients in one year, according to information from Downing Street.

The aim is to have all hospitals implementing the programme from April 2013.

Evidence also shows that regular nurse rounds enable patients to talk to a nurse at least every hour and a ward sister at least twice a day.

The aim is not for the rounds to replace usual nursing care, such as dressing wounds, but to run alongside them.

Where regular rounds have been implemented, evaluation suggests they improve patient safety by cutting the number of falls and patients suffering pressure ulcers, improve patient satisfaction and reduce anxiety and make the shifts less stressful for the nurses.

In another development, hospitals could receive bonus payments of up to 0.5% of their contract income if they use a new NHS Safety Thermometer to improve quality on basic care, including with regard to pressure ulcers, falls, blood clots and hospital infections.

Dr Peter Carver - Nurses care for people.

Dr Peter Carter, Royal College of Nursing chief executive and general secretary, said: "Nurses working in every field have one thing in common - they chose the profession because they want to care for people.

"The profession will welcome the moves to free up nurses to put care first, and to focus all their energies on the needs of their patients.

"In particular, nurses themselves have emphasised the enormous burden of the paperwork they have to complete, day in and day out."

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "This is a significant step forward in meeting the demands of our Care Campaign, launched in November last year.

"But we are disappointed that it has taken intervention at this level to bring about the change that is desperately needed.

"We have consistently said that nurses need time to care, and we have called for an end to the bureaucracy that stops effective nursing."

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "If David Cameron really wants to help nurses focus on patient care, he should listen to what they are saying and drop his unnecessary Health Bill."

Jo Webber, deputy policy director at the NHS Confederation, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the amount of paperwork required from nurses varied from hospital to hospital.

She said: "I think the first thing hospitals will do in any case is to do an audit of what nurses are actually doing and to try and pare away those tasks which are mundane and routine and can be done by, say, ward clerks.

"I am not saying they don't need to be done. They need to be done by somebody, things like ordering supplies etc, but maybe it is not the best use of nurses' time."

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Cameron said: "There is clearly a problem in some hospitals in some settings where we are not getting the standards of care that the nation expects.

"And I think politicians frankly have done nurses a disservice by not talking about this. Such is our respect for nurses that we have almost hidden away concerns about this."


PA 2012