Catch up with all the news across the county with Bartholomew Hall.
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00:30Hello and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Bartholomew Hall. Here are your top stories
00:35on Thursday the 14th of November.
00:38A bitter pill. Kent community services at risk as pharmacies call for more government
00:44support.
00:45It's crunch point. We can't have any more pharmacies closing and putting patients at
00:49risk.
00:5030 years of Eurostar. Pan-European train service reaches three decades. But just when, if ever,
00:57will it return to Kent?
00:59It is a bit of an annual tradition where they say we're not going to do services this year
01:03and probably not next year either.
01:05And Lees, England, call up. We'll be joined by the visually impaired rugby player from
01:09Maidstone preparing to take on the world.
01:16Good evening. A pharmacy in Longfield is one of thousands across the county who say they'll
01:28have to withdraw services and cut hours if the government doesn't provide more support.
01:34More than 3,000 community pharmacies from across the UK have balloted for industrial
01:38action with emergency contraception and addiction services being on the line.
01:43The government says it's committed to working with the sector, but not everyone is convinced
01:47as Oliver Leader de Sacks has been finding out.
01:51Tight margins, anger at the government and fears of cutting services to survive.
01:56The story here at Hodgson's Pharmacy in Longfield is one playing out across the entire country
02:03with a family owned business being one of more than 3,300 independent pharmacies to
02:10vote in favour of unprecedented industrial action.
02:15The National Pharmacy Association which ran the ballot is demanding an additional £1.7
02:21billion in funding annually to address financial pressures facing the sector, partially in
02:28response to a budget which saw minimum wage and national insurance tax contributions rise.
02:36It's got to a point now, the sector is broken. You're seeing one pharmacy a day on average
02:41close. In Kent we've seen roughly 20 pharmacies close already across the last year, year and
02:46a half. And that's nearly 10% of the pharmacies that were existing. So it's crunch point.
02:52We can't have any more pharmacies closing and putting patients at risk of not receiving
02:56the much needed healthcare that they get from the pharmacies.
03:00The action means that if the government doesn't provide more money, the way pharmacies operate
03:05in the county could change. For a start, pharmacies would be unlikely to open beyond
03:11the minimum hours required, particularly in the evening and at the weekends. While local
03:17services such as emergency contraception and addiction support could be axed. And for those
03:24here in Longfield reliant on their last remaining pharmacy, looming industrial action has left
03:32them worried.
03:33I was quite shocked to hear it. Obviously down in Longfield and the surrounding areas
03:39we've just got this one pharmacy now. So to reduce the hours would be really difficult.
03:48I think it's terrible. Yes, we need the chemists more than ever because of the lack of doctors
03:54that we can see. They are very helpful and they can give us some professional advice.
04:00And they get to know us too, because we're all on this living road.
04:04You can't get a doctor's appointment. So quite often we'll go as our first protocol to our
04:09pharmacist. We rely on them. And if the pharmacists are going to be closed, then it's going to
04:14impact on us getting that medical treatment that we might need.
04:17The government say that community pharmacies have a vital role to play in their 10 year
04:23health plan, blaming the system they inherited and stating they are committed to working
04:29with the sector to come to a solution. But for independent pharmacies like Hodgson's,
04:35a failure to commit to additional support would be a bitter pill to swallow.
04:40Oliver Leader, The Sat for KMTV in Longfield.
04:46Well, our health expert, Dr. Julian Spinks, joins me in the studio now. Julian, good to
04:50have you here. Well, we had the Pharmacy First initiative introduced in January, giving pharmacies
04:54obviously more power to help us with certain illnesses and taking that pressure maybe off
04:59of GPs and other parts of the sector. Doesn't this now kind of reapply that pressure that
05:05was kind of taken off before?
05:06Well, definitely it's not going to help. And GPs can't work without pharmacies, because
05:12I can write a prescription, but unless they can go and get the medication from that pharmacy,
05:16it's not going to work. The pharmacists are facing pretty much the same sort of problem
05:20as GPs have had, and that is that the funding for the core work has deteriorated over a
05:26long period of time, and it's becoming non-viable. We can get extra money for doing extra work,
05:31but the trouble is we're just about packed out with the original work to start with.
05:34And of course, it all comes back to patients themselves who will be left thinking, what
05:39is the option for me? What would be your advice to patients who are looking at these headlines
05:43and thinking, what do I do if I am unwell?
05:46Number one, you can still contact your GP. You'd still be able to talk to your pharmacist
05:50as well when it comes to things like repeat prescriptions. If you're having deliveries,
05:54then it might be worthwhile talking to your pharmacy to make sure that they're still doing
05:57that, because that could impact people who can't get out of their house. It's not good
06:02news, but at the same time, similar to the collective action GPs are doing, we desperately
06:07need to change the situation out in the community so we can meet patients' needs.
06:13And we heard in the piece there, some of the people that Oliver was speaking to in the
06:16street saying that they only have the one pharmacy in their area. It's something that
06:20we hear all the time here on KMTV when we're speaking to people asking for more pharmacies
06:25in their area. But if those pharmacies are not opening beyond 40 hours a week, for example,
06:30that was one of the options that were put forward, maybe not into evenings and weekends,
06:34that could affect the working people as well who are not able to give up that time during
06:39the day to go to the pharmacy.
06:40And this is the problem, that the NHS has relied on pharmacists opening longer hours
06:45effectively for free. Even the deliveries, they're not funded either. And of course,
06:51if you're only paid to do 40 hours, well, that's going to be the core work you do.
06:55Well, Julian, thank you for speaking to us on that. Obviously, while we've got you here
06:58as well, I thought we'd talk about some other health headlines. It's World Diabetes Day
07:02today, and this year's theme is breaking barriers and bridging gaps. Now, diabetes is not something
07:08that many people know about unless it affects them or someone close to them. And I was talking
07:13to you just before we went live and saying, oh, I know that there's two types, one and
07:16two, but you're actually saying that there was a lot more.
07:19There's more types.
07:20So there's a lot that people don't maybe know on the surface level.
07:22Type 1 is the one that often happens in childhood. It's a sudden catastrophic inability to produce
07:27insulin and these people have to have insulin injections. It makes up about 8% of all diabetics.
07:34Type 2 is one that tends to happen as you get older, although we're seeing it in teenagers.
07:38It's linked both to genetics and to things like poor diet and obesity. And those are
07:43typically treated with drugs, but occasionally we have to use insulin. And then there's 2%,
07:48which are all these other versions, which have only developed since I qualified.
07:54And of course, those people that maybe are developing it later in life, what sort of
07:58support and groups are available for them?
08:00Well, most of the time, the first port of call is going to be the GP. We manage most
08:05But there are patient groups. There's education for people with diabetes to teach them how
08:09to actually read a label of food and so on to improve their diet. We have to do a lot
08:15of preventative work, checking their eyes, their kidneys and so on.
08:17Julian, thank you very much for joining us today.
08:20Next night, a man's been sentenced to 44 weeks in prison after stealing a moped and fleeing
08:25police in Maidstone. A warning, there's some flashing images in this story.
08:35Daniel Tolhurst attempted to evade arrest by speeding recklessly through Maidstone
08:40town centre on the stolen motorcycle. Suspicious activity involving two mopeds was reported
08:45to Kent police on Sunday 11th November. Officers chased him on foot with a police dog after
08:50he ditched the vehicle. Tolhurst has since appeared at Medway Magistrates Court where
08:55he was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison and banned from driving for a year.
09:01Next night, calls continue for the Eurostar to be back up and running from Kent again.
09:05Thousands of potential passengers have had to either fly or drive to the continent from
09:10the county ever since it stopped operating from Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International
09:16during the pandemic. The rail company has previously promised to bring the service back
09:20to Kent, but some fear that they'll never see its return. Today marks 30 years since
09:24the Eurostar began carrying passengers across the Channel, so what's changed in those three
09:28decades will Xenia Nakfi has been finding out.
09:36Eurostar has been taking Brits to and from continental Europe for 30 years. Despite no
09:42train stopping in Kent since 2020, the county has played a huge role in the service's history.
09:48With purpose-built stations in Ashford and Ebbsfleet opening in 1996 and 2007 respectively,
09:55the idea was that Kent commuters would benefit by regular trains being freed up. With the
10:00company having ruled out trains returning to Kent before 2026, some campaigners are
10:04beginning to lose hope.
10:05Well, I think with Eurostar themselves, I think not in the near future at all. Obviously
10:11every year that you get the sort of annual story, it is a bit of an annual tradition
10:17where they say we're not going to do services this year and probably not next year either.
10:22So it's always mañana, it's always tomorrow. I think the most hope is really with something
10:27innovative coming from a competitor rather than Eurostar themselves at the moment. Unfortunately,
10:32because Eurostar obviously have the trains and they have the staff and they could open
10:36things up quite quickly were they minded to do so, but I just don't think that's a realistic
10:41prospect at the moment.
10:43One petition to see Eurostar's return to Kent has been signed more than 60,000 times since
10:48April 2023. The Dartford MP Jim Dixon says returning Eurostar is one of his key priorities
10:55since becoming MP in July.
10:57We really do need to see international services restored as soon as possible because actually
11:02it provides a vital service for people in our part of Kent, but also it's great for
11:09jobs and the economy of places like Ebbsley, Gravesham and Ashford too. So it's vital we
11:14do see those services resumed and I will be working very hard to make that happen.
11:18So whilst it's clear there's an appetite for Eurostar here in Kent, it's not clear whether
11:24if or when it will return. Xenia Nakfi for KMTV.
11:29Well time for a quick break now, but coming up the KM Group have had exclusive access
11:34to new pods for homeless people in Ashford. It's the idea to get people off the streets
11:38and somewhere warm to help tackle the town's housing shortage. Finn McDiarmid will be here
11:43showing us inside some of those pods. And I'll be joined by visually impaired rugby
11:48player Lee Robshaw in the studio to tell us all about being called up to the England squad
11:52for a tournament next week.
13:13Thanks for tuning in, I'm Finn McDiarmid and I'll see you next week.
14:43Hello and welcome to the KM Group. I'm Finn McDiarmid and I'm joined by visually impaired
15:13rugby player Lee Robshaw.
15:14Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:16Now Kent Police has discovered hundreds of cannabis plants growing inside a property
15:21near Ramsgate. This was the site officers found after being sent to Tartell Street in
15:27Minster earlier this week. 22-year-old Alexo Lazraj has been arrested and charged with
15:33being concerned with the production of cannabis. He's since appeared at Margate Magistrates
15:37Court and has been remanded in custody.
15:41Next night, a possible solution to Kent's homeless problem is nearing completion in
15:45Ashford. Called Fortis House, it's a collection of affordable green homes built in a car park
15:50in Henwood Industrial Estate. The pods are all being called Move On Accommodation, intended
15:54for those either homeless or already in council accommodation.
15:58Well Finn McDiarmid joins me on the sofa to tell me a bit more about the scheme. Finn,
16:02we've had, and we being the KM, have had exclusive access into these pods to see exactly what
16:07they look like. What can you tell me?
16:09That's right. Like you say, the KM group, Kent Online, have had access to it. I mean,
16:13we all know that homelessness is a big problem in Kent, whether you're in Canterbury or Dartford
16:17or somewhere else in the county. You don't need to look at the numbers. You can see people
16:21sleeping rough and it's increasing every year. So the new scheme is called Fortis House.
16:27It's intended to house those currently looking for accommodation until they can find it.
16:31It's referred to as Move On Accommodation. Those who qualify for a spot are those who
16:37are fully homeless or in council-supported living. Currently, we don't know what the
16:41selection process is like. We've been told families are assessed on a case-by-case basis
16:47and selected based on who we need it most, who will need it most, but that's subjective
16:52to them. You can stay in these pods for up to three years and it's worth mentioning new
16:56tenants have already been selected and will have the keys by Christmas.
16:59Well, I mean, it looks very interesting from what we saw just then, but tell us about the
17:04funding for this because it doesn't all come from Ashford Council directly, does it?
17:09No, that's right. So Ashford Borough Council received financial support from Homes England
17:15and from the government for the construction of the pods. That covers about £2 million
17:20of the total costs, which is about £7.4 million. So a big question mark is going to be where
17:25that £5 million is going to come from. Speaking on the costs, the council are currently spending
17:30more than £1 million a year putting homeless people in accommodation like bed and breakfast,
17:36so it's quite welcomed by local councillors. Dr Rehan Qaddo Bukhus, he's the operations
17:42and technical director at Z Pods, had this to say.
17:46We don't do everything to be as most energy efficient as possible and to use the little
17:51amounts of energy as possible. That not only means that we're providing zero carbon in
17:55operation homes, but also some of the cheapest and most cost efficient homes to run for the
18:00tenants that move in. Because they're social tenants as well, their disposable income will
18:05be a lot lower. So if we can make the buildings the cheapest homes to run and to operate,
18:11it can really have a big effect on their quality of life and their disposable income.
18:17Now don't forget, you can keep up to date with all the latest reports from across Kent
18:20by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all of our stories, including
18:25this one where our reporter Kristen Hawthorne was invited to a very special birthday party
18:30when Vera from Marden turned 100. The pub she's been visiting for almost the entire
18:34century put on a surprise celebration.
18:38A regular to the Unicorn pub in Marden blew out her candles for the 100th time as she
18:43celebrates what she describes has been a century of good memories. Vera has volunteered her
18:50time to many different causes. She ran a companions group that met weekly at this pub
18:55that is now called Ladies at Lunch, and she even volunteered for the Women's Royal Naval
18:59Service, making her a D-Day veteran. Last year, she lit a ceremonial beacon at His Majesty's
19:05Naval Base in Portsmouth to celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
19:10I volunteered to join the Wrens because in those days, in the war, if you were 18, you
19:20had to register, and if you were a single girl, you had to go and do something government-wise.
19:30As there was nothing local, and I didn't fancy the Land Army, I volunteered. Day after
19:38my 18th birthday, the Navy called me, and I went up to London for the initial training
19:47in interviews, and I was allocated to what was then, of course, a very hush-hush radar
19:55section, and I was a radar Wren throughout the war.
20:00The Marden History Society was invited to come along to celebrate, and the chair shared
20:04a fond memory of Vera.
20:06Well, I've known her since 58 years ago, and heard all the stories about her life in the
20:13Navy, and how her parents didn't want her to go, and so it's lovely to be here with her.
20:22The owner of the pub who organised the event says that she is grateful for Vera's weekly
20:26presence, adding that she's been a great friend and a welcoming face to the community.
20:31Every single Thursday, when she comes over for lunch, she would tell us a story, either
20:37from when she was in the Marine, or when she was running the club, or she remembers the
20:44times when there were not even streetlights in Marden, so you just get fascinated by her
20:49stories. I think it is part of history, and her history is very important to Marden and
20:55to us as well.
20:56Happy birthday!
20:59So a big happy birthday to Vera, who says to always be kind and helpful.
21:03I've enjoyed my life. It's been a full life, and I've been very, very fortunate.
21:10Her advice to young people is to enjoy meeting new people, and value face-to-face conversations
21:15with those around you.
21:16Kristin Hawthorne, KMTV.
21:22Now let's take a look at the weather.
21:29Well, temperatures in the high digits, high single digits tonight, mostly cloudy skies
21:33across the county. Cold temperatures expected, lows of six degrees. As we go into tomorrow
21:38morning though, those clouds beginning to clear with the morning sun still expected,
21:41but staying cold throughout. And as we go into the afternoon, staying roughly about
21:45ten degrees around the board, nine down in Tunbridge Wells. And here's the outlook as
21:50we head towards the start of next week now. We can see highs of 11 on Saturday, with the
21:54sun beginning to peak out Sunday and Monday, with temperatures gradually decreasing to
21:58ten and nine degrees.
22:06And finally this evening to sport now, where Maidstone rugby player Lee Robshaw has been
22:10called up to England's visually impaired rugby squad for a home tournament next week,
22:14consisting of a range of 20-minute matches. The Alex Basson Cup is due to be held at Sutton
22:19and Ebsom Rugby Club, where England will take on the likes of Japan, Ireland and Wales.
22:24And I'm pleased to say Lee joins me in the studio now. Lee, thank you very much for being
22:28here with me. We've got the picture of you and some of your team mates here. It's not
22:33the first time that you've been called up to the England squad, is it? So tell me what
22:36it's like, the whole experience of being able to represent England.
22:40Yeah, it's good. It's hard work, a lot of travelling around and that, going to Stockport
22:46and London. It's every other week going to and from hard training with everybody.
22:58Visually impaired, I started in 2018 because I stopped playing mainstream football because
23:06I broke my ankle and because of my vision I realised that I needed to play visually
23:15impaired sport. So I started and went from there really.
23:20Now, of course, I know that sport's always been a big part of your life. As you said,
23:23you played lots of football and before rugby you were actually playing a lot of cricket
23:27as well. So let's talk a bit about your condition then, if that's okay. You've got aniridia,
23:33is that the correct pronunciation? So it's the absence of the iris. Can you just explain
23:38to us, just so that we're aware, how that does affect your vision day to day? Because
23:42it will sound something you were born with.
23:43Yeah, I was born with it. It affects light. I had it from when I was born. It's the colour
23:52part of your eye. Ten years ago I had an operation on my right eye to have an artificial iris
24:03to try and correct my vision and make it better but it was unsuccessful. It was so
24:08I lost my sight completely in my right eye. It's been hard but I just had to adapt and
24:17I've never let anything get to me. I just get on with it and that's where I am now.
24:23Absolutely. And, of course, turning to sport as well and how much it's given you over the
24:27years. What is it about competitive sports like rugby and playing visually impaired rugby
24:31that gives so much back to you?
24:34Well, rugby, everyone understands each other because everyone has the same condition playing.
24:46So you have the same mentality and understanding of each other. And visually impaired rugby
24:57is fast, it's disciplined and it's hard.
25:05And how does it change compared to perhaps the rugby that we're used to seeing on our
25:10TVs regularly? What's the kind of difference in terms of the rules?
25:14So it's sevens format and it's touch rugby. So when you go for a tackle you touch someone
25:24with one hand and the ball has a bell in it so people can hear and the referee is vocal
25:32so he says that there's a tackle and then you have to go back five metres. But apart
25:39from that it's all the same as normal rugby apart from it's not a contact sport.
25:44Fantastic. And, of course, you'll be playing with people from around the world as well.
25:47As I said before, not the first time. So how are you feeling about this tournament?
25:51You've got training this weekend but it's the following weekends when you'll actually be going?
25:54Yeah, this weekend's going to be a hard training session because it's the last training session
25:58before the tournament. So it's going to be hard work and trying to put in the last
26:04training session before the tournament because I know that Ireland are going to give us a good
26:09tournament and we haven't played Japan since 2018 so we don't know what Japan are going to be like
26:17but I'm sure they're going to be good. So it's going to be an interesting tournament.
26:23Absolutely.
26:24We've been to New Zealand in 2017 and then we went to Japan in 2019
26:33and Ireland last year and this year and Wales.
26:40Well, Lee, I wish you the best of luck. We've run out of time now but we wish you the best
26:44of luck and we'll be following your story even more in the future.
26:46That is it from us. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.