a devastating report says hundreds of elderly patients died at a hospital in hampshire because they were wrongly prescribed painkilling drugs. the report says there was an "institutionalised practice" of shortening lives at the gosport war memorial hospital — and at least a56 patients died as a result. families will ask, "how could this practice continue and not be stopped through the various police, regulatory and inquest processes?" lam i am looking forjustice for all the families and the justice for all the families and the justice for all the families will be if there and convictions in the criminal court. we'll be getting reaction to the inquiry report and asking whether prosecutions are likely to follow. also this lunchtime. another cliffhanger vote in the commons on brexit — as tory rebels prepare to defy the prime minister once again. you are separating the children! mr

president, don't you have kids? us democrats challenge president trump over the controversial policy of separating migrant parents from their children. and in the world cup, portugal will look to that man ronaldo when they face morocco later. in sport, andy murray says he's not sure if he'll play at wimbledon. that's despite making his comeback from injury with defeat at queen's. good afternoon. a long awaited report says hundreds of elderly patients at a hospital in hampshire died because they were prescribed powerful painkilling drugs. the inquiry into suspicious deaths

at the gosport war memorial hospital has found a56 patients died because opioids were administered "without medicaljustification". the report says that between 1989 and 2000, there was an "institutionalised practice" of shortening lives. campaigners are calling for criminal prosecutions as catherine burns reports. robert wilson. sheila gregory. jeffrey packham. elsie defined. arthur cunningham, gladys richards. some went into gosport war memorial hospital to recover after falls. 0ther hospital to recover after falls. other had beds also broken bones. none came out alive. some families have been fighting for the truth and 20 years. today they came to hear the latest report. they were hoping for something critical and they got it. it says that at least a56

patients died because they were given strong painkillers with no medicaljustification. that between 1989 and 2000 there was an institutionalised practice of shortening of lives. it points out that this is first raised concerns in 1991 but their warnings went unheeded. the relatives have shown remarkable tenacity and fortitude in questioning what happened to their loved ones. the documents explained and published today show that they we re and published today show that they were right to ask those questions. julia mckenzie was the first relative to go to the police, in 1998. -- relative to go to the police, in 1998. —— julian mckenzie. relative to go to the police, in 1998. ——julian mckenzie. her mother gladys richards went to gosport rehabilitation after a hip operation. gillian mckenzie says the mother was recovering well yet on the day she was admitted her medical notes said nurses could confirm her death. like hundreds of other patients gladys was put on diamorphine. this should only be

used to relieve severe pain. she died four days later. when i contacted the police and said i wa nted contacted the police and said i wanted an appointment with somebody in cid with an allegation of unlawful killing, i had been told, there there my dear, you're upset. no one was arrested or charged that the publicity made other families come forward. by 2002 police were looking into 92 cases. today's talks about a56 lives being shortened but says the real number could be much higher. missing records mean that probably at least another 200 were affected. there have been several other investigations over the years but only one person has faced disciplinary action. jane barton is a former gp who works part—time at the hospital. she signed 833 death certificates over 12 years and in 2010, the general medical council found her guilty of serious

professional misconduct. she was not struck off but chose to retire. my whole objective with this was to get everything out into the open so that we could see exactly what had happened. and i hope very much for their sake that they can achieve some sort of closure. and if there isa some sort of closure. and if there is a case pulls up smack of the criminal investigation, but that should then take place. the report doesn't have the power to recommend specific criminal action yet calls on the government, the police and other authorities to recognise how significant this is and to act accordingly. i am looking for justice for all the families. and the justice for all the families will be if there are convictions in the criminal court, whether it is their particular case or not. after a20 their particular case or not. after a 20 year fight, their particular case or not. after a 20 yearfight, she is now 8a and accepts she may not live to see this happen. katherine burns, bbc news. let's speak to our health editor,

hugh pym, in portsmouth. hugh, a56 unnecessary deaths, maybe 200 more. where does the report apportion blame? well ben it is a long and fairly detailed report, it is what the relatives of those who died at gosport war memorial hospital have been calling for for yea rs. hospital have been calling for for years. they feel their worries were never heard properly. a series of police investigations got nowhere, inquests did not come up with findings that they thought were fair and the crown prosecution service says that no further action could be taken. and they had been campaigning since the late 1990s so today was an extremely important day for them. and i think they particularly telling quote, as we heard in that report from cath was that at this hospital there was an

institutionalised practice of shortening lives through prescribing and administering opioids, powerful painkillers, without medical justification. what it does say is that a doctor who has been blamed in connection with this in the past, doctorjane barton, connection with this in the past, doctor jane barton, who connection with this in the past, doctorjane barton, who was disciplined by the general medical council and is no longer practising asa council and is no longer practising as a doctor, was very much involved in this. but consultants knew what was going on, and according to the panel they did not intervene, and nurses who knew what was happening continued to prescribe these drugs although there was one whistle—blower in the early 1990s, a nurse whose concerns were not taken forward. i think as far as the families are concerned, the government should take a lot of the blame for not acting sooner. it took until 201a for norman lamb, the then health minister, to commissioners independent panel which have the power to set out what happened, which has never happened before, all the documents, all the findings it

could take. and now it is up to other authorities to take further action if that's the course of action if that's the course of action decided. hugh, thank you. hugh pym, our health editor. theresa may is facing another knife edge vote over brexit this afternoon and the prospect of a fresh conservative rebellion. mps are due to vote on an amendment to the eu withdrawal bill which would give parliament a greater say if no deal is agreed with brussels. some tory backbenchers say they will vote against the government, which could mean a bruising defeat for the prime minister. 0ur assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. how are the numbers stacking up norman? to quote the great alex ferguson, it is squeaky bum time because this could be incredibly close because even with all this last—minute manoeuvring and appeals to the rebels to buck the national interest and national unity first, it

matters, because this vote will determine what power parliament house to send mrs may back into the negotiating room if she does not secure a deal. and it matters as well because very often in previous showdowns, between mrs may and the critics, clash has been averted by some sort of last—minute compromise 01’ some sort of last—minute compromise orfudge or delay. this some sort of last—minute compromise or fudge or delay. this time you sense that neither side is prepared to back off. mrs may because she is not prepared to cede that power to parliament and because brexiteers wa nt parliament and because brexiteers want her to on and defeat her critics, and for the rebels, because they believe they has been betrayed by mrs may after they say she promised them last week that she would address their concerns over a meaningful vote. so what we have todayis meaningful vote. so what we have today is a trial of strength between mrs may and her brexit critics. and

by the end of the day we will know whether those tory rebels have the numbers and the guts to defeat mrs may. thank you norman. president trump has challenged congress to draft new immigration laws, amid mounting outrage in the united states about policies which have seen migrant children separated from their parents. mr trump has defended the measures, saying they're necessary to stop illegal border crossings, but at a meeting last night with fellow republicans, he said he would support new compromise legislation. david willis reports from washington. amid growing concern from members of his own party, the president came to capitol hill to talk about the crisis on the southern border. the system has been broken for many years, the immigration system. it's been a really bad, bad system, probably the worst anywhere in the world. we're going to try and see if we can fix it. thank you. having met with republicans,

he was heckled by democrats. quit separating the kids, separating the children. mr president, don't you have kids? still no word of an imminent solution. these are laws that have been broken for many years, decades, but we had a great meeting. thank you. pressure to reform america's immigration system is being driven by images such as these, children kept in cages after being separated from their parents. under a new zero tolerance policy, anyone caught crossing the border illegally is now being arrested. 2,000 sons and daughters have been separated from their parents in little over a month. but far from bowing to public pressure, the president is doubling down. in one tweet on the subject, he warned of illegal immigrants infesting the country. and he continues to blame the democrats, even though republicans control both chambers of congress. the president alone can fix it

with this flick of a pen, by signing a presidential order to end the agonising screams of small children who have been separated from their parents. mr president, i'll lend you my pen. any pen. you can fix it yourself. mr trump insists the solution lies with congress. let the children go! but as protests sprout up around the country and in the face of growing international condemnation, one conservative talk show host has likened the situation to a crisis which threatened to derail a previous republican administration, warning that this could be "trump's katrina". david willis, bbc news, los angeles. there's been widespread criticism of the united states' decision to withdraw from the un human rights council. washington says the council is a "cesspool of political bias".

the foreign secretary borisjohnson has described america's decision as "regrettable". 0ur diplomatic correspondent, james robbins, is here. let's start off by explaining what the un human rights council is. essentially it is a policing body designed to call out people who are offending against the defence of fundamental, universal human rights. it isa fundamental, universal human rights. it is a body of a7 countries, more than a quarter of the entire membership of the un, elected and often rotating between member states and it meets three times a year to operate a series of reviews of countries and to encourage them to improve their human rights where they are found to be lacking. but 110w they are found to be lacking. but now the united states has vacated its seat and says it will leave the council because it thinks the council is utterly biased. the council is utterly biased. the council has been notable for insta nce council has been notable for instance for criticising human rights in syria, myanmar, burundi

and south sudan and i think it has and south sudan and i think it has an honourable record in the sense it's been a great champion for insta nce it's been a great champion for instance of the campaigns against modern slavery. but the united states says it is heavily biased against israel and has many members on the body who are themselves human rights abuses. this is what the us ambassador to the un, nikki haley, said. for too long the human rights council has been a protector of human rights abuses, and a cesspool of political bias. regrettably, it is now clear that our call for reform was not heeded. therefore, as we said we would do a yearago, if we did not see any progress, the united states is officially withdrawing from the un human rights council. so james, that withdrawal by the united states, what does it say about american foreign policy under donald trump? a lot, i think, israeli prime minister called it a courageous decision but the foreign secretary, borisjohnson by contrast called it regrettable and you can

see the lines now where the united states is pulling away from normally accepted international systems and collaboration among states. we saw it with the withdrawal from the iran agreement, washington distancing itself from the climate change chords and recently at the g7, the repudiation by donald trump of outcomes there. i think we are seeing the united states gradually moving away from agreed western liberal architecture. james robbins, thank you. more than 700,000 rohingya refugees have fled myanmar since a brutal military crackdown there last year. many of them took shelter in neighbouring bangladesh. but for the thousands living in crowded refugee camps, there is a new danger. the coming monsoon season threatens to bring landslides and flooding. dan johnson has been to visit one of the camps in cox's bazar in bangladesh. rohingya refugees on the move again. still searching for a safe place to live. life is tough even before it begins.

hasina's baby is due in a month, and she is struggling with back pain and a swollen leg. "my house fell down", she says, "i was forced to stay with others". "a landslide damaged my home", says aziz fatima. "for five days i didn't even have drinking water". and people keep coming to this, the newest part of the camp. there is stable land here, stronger homes and better drainage. but many more are left facing the monsoon. people are living in such close living quarters, the potentialfor water as it's flowing down the street to contaminate not only the water supply but also getting into people's houses. it's incredibly difficult to stay clean in this environment. the problem is, these homes are built up high, but right on

the edge of these very steep cliffs. and you can already see how the land is starting to crack. and the fear is when the rain intensifies, it will undermine these hillsides. the soil will shift and drop away, and the homes could go with it. this was last year's exodus from myanmar. the burmese military said it was cracking down on rohingya militants. the un described it as ethnic cleansing. across the border, they found shelter in bangladesh, but here, there are new challenges. it rained every day last week, a miserable taste of what's to come. this is a vibrant community, full of resilient people, but they live on borrowed land. more than 700,000 cling to these hillsides, and the numbers keep on growing. dan johnson, bbc news, in the balukhali refugee camp.

it's day 7 of the world cup in russia, with portugal, saudi arabia and spain all in action later. last night saw the hosts win for a second time, all but assuring them of progression to the last 16. natalie pirks is in moscow. natalie? well, ben cummins european champions portugal take on morocco right here at the little nicky stadium in less than an hourand at the little nicky stadium in less than an hour and the atmosphere, as you can see, than an hour and the atmosphere, as ou can see it's than an hour and the atmosphere, as you can see, it's pretty good but nowhere near as good as when russia beat egypt's 3—1 last night. the cheers could be heard all over the city, warns being bled, firecrackers going off. it really means a lot to them. if saudi arabia failed to beat uruguay later, the hosts, the lowest ranked side in the tournament, will be through to the last 16 for the first time in 32 years and egypt

will be out afterjust first time in 32 years and egypt will be out after just two first time in 32 years and egypt will be out afterjust two games. england fans of course know that pain all too well after that barguil in brazil in 201a. their game against tunisia on monday was the most watched tv programme of the year so far, more than the royal wedding, 18.3 million people tuning in to see harry kane's late winner against tunisia. dele alli picked up against tunisia. dele alli picked up a thigh strain in that game and has had a scan and will be monitored in the next few days and the players have been given a day off today but one player who never seems to have a day off is cristiano ronaldo. that hat—trick against spain was the 51st of his career and everyone here will be hoping for a bit more of that today. one of the people watching will be disgraced former fifa president sepp blatter who is here asa president sepp blatter who is here as a personal guest of vladimir putin, very awkward for fifa because he's in the middle of serving an eight—year ban from football. spain will not be hoping for a repeat because they face iran later tonight. many thanks, natalie pirks in moscow. time for a look at the weather.

here's darren bett. a mixed day today. most of us seeing sunshine but we have some huge differences in the temperature. here towards the south—east and east anglia, we have got much warmer and more humid air whereas further north, more cloud moving down and much cooler and fresher conditions. you can see the contrast on the temperature map. in the north—west, cool and fresh, and the south—east, the last of the heat and humidity. in between, rather diffuse and weak weather fronts not producing in between, rather diffuse and weak weatherfronts not producing much rain. most of it was but it's gone now, a few lines of rain here but the cloud is taking it southwards and it is thinning and the rain will tend to peter out. still drive towards the south—east. drying off further north, one or two showers particularly arriving in the north west of scotland. here, 13 degrees or $0 west of scotland. here, 13 degrees or so whereas towards the south—east and east anglia in the humidity, easily 26 or 27 in the sunshine. no rain here, that band of cloud

heading southwards with some heavy showers across scotland, not far away from northern ireland for a while. the worst of the showers clipping the north—east of england and heading into the north sea. becoming dry and clearfor most areas by the end of the night, temperatures dropping away for a much cooler night than we have seen in the past few nights. as we head into tomorrow, quite a change in the weather, all of the heat and humidity getting pushed into the near continent and cooler, fresher conditions coming down across the country. that is because high pressure is sitting to the west and it draws down more of a north north—westerly wind. quite a keen wind, with gusts of 55 mph in the far north—east of scotland where the wind will be strongest. a lot of dry weather on thursday in the north—east of scotland, a few showers but otherwise a dry day, with patchy fairweather cloud bubbling up. temperatures noticeably lower in the south—east of the uk, it will feel fresher. a decent, solid day with numbers around 16—18

degrees. heading into friday, a similar picture, probably fewer showers in the north—east of scotla nd showers in the north—east of scotland and a bit more cloud coming into the northern half of the country but otherwise a good deal of sunshine around on friday. temperatures similar, maybe a degree or so higher because the wind will not be as strong on friday because the area of high pressure is drifting closer to the uk. around the top, we could see more cloud on saturday in the north of scotland and maybe a few spots of rain but otherwise, the weekend will be good with lots of dry weather, warm sunshine by day but cool nights ahead. many thanks. a reminder of our main story this lunchtime. and inquiry finds that more than a50 patients died at a hospital in gosport after they were given powerful painkillers without medical justification. that's all from us, so it's goodbye from me — and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. have a good afternoon.

hello. this is bbc news. iamjoanna i am joanna gosling. let's get more now on that report into deaths of hundreds of patients at a hospital in hampshire. the inquiry into suspicious deaths at the gosport war memorial hospital has found a56 patients died because powerful drugs were prescribed "without medical justification". it says that between 1989 and 2000, there was an "institutionalised practice" of shortening lives. here is the moment that bishop james jones, who chaired the review, outlined the panel's findings. the documents reveal that at the gosport war memorial hospital, from 1989 to 2000, there was an institutionalised practice of the shortening of lives through perscribing and administering opioids without medicaljustification. the hospital records, to which the panel has had unique

and privileged access, demonstrate that a56 patients died through prescribing and administering opiods without medicaljustification. it is not for the panel to ascribe criminal and civial liability. it will be for any future judicial processes to determine whatever culpability and criticism may then be forthcoming. families will ask, how could this practice continue and not be stopped through the various police, regulatory and inquest processes? the panel report shows how those process is of scrutiny unfolded and how the families were field. throughout, the relatives have shown

remarkable tenacity and fortitude in questioning what happened to their loved ones. the documents explained and published today show that they we re and published today show that they were right to ask those questions. the family now deserve every support in absorbing waters revealed and in whatever processes may now follow. our news correspondent, richard lister is at portsmouth cathedral and joins me now. 0ver over to you. this is a startling and devastating report, all 370 pages of it. it has spent two decades coming. the first concerns are raised to the police by the daughter of a woman who had died in hospital at gosport war memorial bowl hospital. she took the keys to the police believing her mother should not have died, gladys richards, although she had gone into

hospital suffering from the after—effects of hip surgery, she was not in severe pain, she was subscribed morphine and died. they are the police decided there was nothing. between 1998 and 2006, the police conducted three different enquiries raised by various members of the public regarding concerns they had about deaths of the relatives in hospital. they have released a statement saying that they make a point that they had detailed professional assessment at the time. that the claim —— complaints were raised by a number of medical experts. it then concluded that the evidential test for prosecution was not met. the cps decided there was not enough evidence for a realistic chance of prosecution. the police say they have cooperated fully with the panel's enquiries, they have shared with them 25,000 documents,

including 100,000 pages of information. now that the report has when published, they will read it carefully a nd when published, they will read it carefully and assess any new information contained in the report and decide the next ads in conjunction with the crown prosecution service. hampshire police very much aware of this report and bridgetjones said very clearly said that it was time for the agencies and any chested take into account his findings. —— bishop jones. they are not making any promises. time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello. very little rain on this weather front at all. i had hello. very little rain on this weatherfront at all. i had in hello. very little rain on this weather front at all. i had in the east and east anglia, warm and humid in the sunshine. it is cooler and fresher and a few showers arriving in the west of scotland. though showers in the evening get close to

northern ireland, most affecting scotla nd northern ireland, most affecting scotland for a while. skies will clear from most of us and temperatures will drop away, so it will be a cooler night tonight than it has been for some time, across england and wales. cooler air coming in behind that weather front there, no rain in that, but we are changing our wind direction. stronger winds in the north—east of scotland. maybe a few showers, too, but on the whole thursday will be a dry day, lengthy spells and sunshine, patchy cloud here and then. temperatures will feel cooler, different in south east england and east anglia. this is bbc newsroom live, our latest headlines. a report concludes a56 elderly patients died at a hospital in hampshire after being wrongly given powerful painkillers. it says there was an ‘institutionalised practice' of shortening lives at the gosport war memorial hospital. the government is facing another cliffhanger vote on a key piece of brexit legislation — as some of its own mps are expected to rebel.

the separation of children from their parents is ‘immoral‘ — pope francis criticises the trump administration's policy of separating migrant families at the mexican border. indonesian authorities say 192 people are missing after a ferry sank in sumatra on monday — the search for survivors on lake toba continues. in a moment. ed ruscha's modern take on the cyclical nature of civilisation — the american pop—artist unveils his latest exhibition at the national gallery in london. it's a busy day in westminster — later today we'll have that crucial vote on what powers parliament would have if there was no deal with the eu or if mps voted down any deal. we're also expecting to hear from the health secretary jeremy hunt on that report into gosport hospital. vicki young has been listening in from westminster. yes, another busy day. we're

expecting big debate, which is going to last 90 minutes, on this crucial amendment the house of lords have sent back to mps to have another look at it. that should start at 2pm, and the vote will be 3:30pm. we're hearing about government whips, agitated conversations in the house of commons with conservative mps, trying to make sure as many of them as possible are on—site. remember this is all about what happens if there is no deals, real. is at the end of the negotiations theresa may has not been able to get a deal, what happens? some mps are saying that parliament should be able to direct the government, to say we do not like the deal you have got or you have no deal, we do not wa nt to

got or you have no deal, we do not want to crash out with nothing in place, so maybe we could send you back to the negotiating table. that has been reported as being about, and it is back in the commons this afternoon. earlier i spoke to the solicitor general to ask if he thought the government would win today. we had 20 votes this week, and we have won every one. the lords have accepted all but one issue, which was one i think they sent back to the commons because it is all about procedure, debates on a deal, no deal or a lack of a resolution. i do not know what will happen with regards to the boat, i am not a government whip, but we have two discussed today the integrity of our amendment, send the message that this is a prime minister who does not command with the majority but can get vital legislation through about brexit. a group of

conservative mps have threatened to rebel against the government. you can never be sure how many there will be, some suggest there are up to 15 of them considering defying the orders from their own party. 0ne person who gave up his ministerial job to rebel against the government on the issue is philip lee, who makes the case for why he thinks his collea g u es makes the case for why he thinks his colleagues really should come with him today to defy the government. this is about parliament, this is not about leave or remain, this is about parliament playing its part in one of the most important decisions, arguably the most important decision the country has made since the second world war, i think that is appropriate and enough colleagues also believe that. the numbers is looking tight. the government says they are confident, but the kind of

things we're hearing about from across the road suggest they are not entirely sure about the numbers, and they never can be. before christmas they never can be. before christmas they were one or two labour mps willing to defy they were one or two labour mps willing to denyeremy corbyn to vote with the conservative government, but the numbers seem to have grown, so whether there are abstentions from labour mps, or some of them are voting with conservative government through the lobbies, that could be crucial. theresa may does not have a majority. how do is this going down in brussels? the brexit coordinator in european parliament has been in front of a select committee here in the house of commons today, talking about the broader issue about whether a deal can be done between the sides. more or less on 80%, the withdrawal agreement, there is consensus, but we have to recognise that there is

no agreement on two key issues, that is northern ireland, and secondly on the way it is governed. theresa may wishes to go to brussels next week with the approval of parliament. we keep hearing from michel barnier, the chief negotiator, that time is running out. they were hoping to have the final deal sorted out by 0ctober, so it could be ratified by the eu parliament and others around the eu parliament and others around the eu, but some people are saying thatis the eu, but some people are saying that is looking almost impossible to hit. we will see whether that is done, but today focuses on what

happens if there is no deal. and also whether theresa may has managed to get the bill through parliament. rescuers in indonesia say 192 people are missing after a ferry sank on a lake popular with tourists. the incident happened on monday on lake toba on the indonesian island of sumatra. officials say 18 people have been rescued and three bodies have been recovered. it's believed to be one of the country's worst maritime disasters. 0ur correspondent rebecca henschke is following the story from jakarta. rescue workers are still working to try to recover any more survivors. 0nly try to recover any more survivors. only 18 people have been found, and three bodies at this stage. as you said, 192 missing. this number has dramatically increased since the news of the accident broke on monday because this vessel, we believe, was operating illegally. we're hearing from authorities. there were no passenger tickets or records of who was on board and exactly how many,

but this figure of the amount of people missing means that this boat must have been at least three times over capacity, so serious questions are being asked about this could have happened. —— about how this could have happened. the rescue ship aquarius is due to set sail from valencia this afternoon — after safely carrying hundreds of stranded migrants to the spanish port last week. both italy and malta refused to let the vessel dock and take in the passengers, sparking a diplomatic row in europe. 0ur europe reporter gavin lee is at the port , and explained how the arrivals had been received in the country. they have been given 30 days to stay, to work out what to do next, then a5 days after that, for the new spanish government to work out whether to take asylum here or move to france, and they will be processed. so, some may be returned. i think the feeling is here, a lot of people particularly in valencia talk about how they support the spanish government, but remember this is a big issue around europe about what to do,

notjust with the migrants coming through because there are many italians supporting the new italian government, which has taken a firm stand to say there will be no ngo boats, no charity boats coming into dock in sicily any more, so that's why the aquarius was for seven days at sea, that's why 630 people had to go 1000 miles from the social rescue zone outside the coast of libya. today, the aquarius is going back out to sea, we're going on board with the aquarius for the next seven days, we expect. it's going straight back to the coast of libya. there expecting to pick up more migrants of the standard at sea, the italians are still seeing now, we will not accept migrant boats. we will see what happens next, it could be they have to come another 1000 miles back to valencia, but this is a real new test, head of the european summit, where they look at european migration next week. health officials have told hospitals across england to introduce a new system to identify the most severely ill patients. the national early warning score flags up if a patient is acutely unwell — particularly those who have sepsis.

more than a0,000 people die of blood poisoning in the uk each year. our health correspondent matthew hill reports. paul churchill is now back at his barber's, working. but two years ago, he nearly died from sepsis. i felt cold, although my body was really quite hot. low blood pressure, heart was really going. his gp had just been trained in using a system called news. that's national early warning score — it flags up if a patient is at risk of developing sepsis. and the gp examined him comprehensively, and found he had a news score of seven, which we now know is really high. that was incredibly useful for the ambulance crew when they picked paul up. by the time he arrived at a&e in bristol, his score had gone up to nine. because the gp and the ambulance service had measured the score and it had been less then,

we could see that he was rapidly deteriorating and we needed to treat him for sepsis. since making sure every health professional in and out of hospital used the same system, the death rate from sepsis has fallen to the lowest in the uk. so it has gone from about 7% mortality to 5% and is estimated to have saved around 3,000 lives. nhs england has been so impressed with the results are now ordered all hospitals to adopt the system across england. matthew hill, bbc news. nursery bosses in england say they face financial loss and even closure because of free childcare places offered by the government — that's according to a survey by an industry body. the national day nurseries association says the government does not pay them enough for the 30 hours of childcare which has been offered to working parents of three and four year olds since september, and the scheme creates costly administration. but the minister for children and families says the system

is working for most nurseries. almost 300,000 - 29a,000 to be specific — children have actually got a place and are benefiting from 30 hours of free childcare for three and four—year—olds. their parents, if they take the full provision, are saving about £5,000 per year. the government is moving to allow cannabis—based medicines to be supplied to people who could benefit from them. there's to be a review of the evidence and potentially some quite speedy action. earlier on the victoria derbyshire programme there were some passionate arguments on both sides of the debate. this is a flavour of that discussion. i think the debate is building, and the national mood is changing. i think we need to separate the medicalfrom the think we need to separate the medical from the recreational. which

is what we're doing. the medical case has been there for several yea rs. case has been there for several years. when i was minister, i try to open this up and get cannabis medicine is licensed and regulated. home office wouldn't touch it. why did you... you failed, and the home secretary failed, you wouldn't coalition, you also failed. we couldn't get anywhere with the conservatives. there was total resista nce conservatives. there was total resistance from theresa may and the home office. we commissioned a study in the treasury to see what tax reve nu es we in the treasury to see what tax revenues we would raise. it showed it was over £1 billion. there was a study to find out if there was any international link between tough drug laws and reducing the use of drugs. it doesn't work at all. the home office's own study that the tories would not look at the evidence. the civil service simply would not countenance... do not

blame the civil service, that is embarrassing! there is also an institutional whitehall policy... i am delighted that sajid javid as home secretary has broken this wall down. a member of the home office took cannabis because of a knee injury, the home office raided his home, he has held off going to the police station, and he has told me that he will be arrested. was he growing it? he was faced with the dilemma of how do you get hold of it? he will then have a criminal record, meaning he will not be able to visit his son in australia, and wa nt to to visit his son in australia, and want to be able to get hold of the only thing that relieves his pain. it is harassment against disabled

people. yellow people mps are spying list when it comes to drug laws in this country is. as william hague did yesterday, politicians come out once they have left office, but when they are in office, they all do this sort of more liberal approach, but when they are actually in office, they hold the home office line. an inquiry into the deaths of hundreds of elderly people at gosport war memorial hospital in hampshire concludes that a56 of them died after being given powerful painkillers — without medicaljustification. the government faces a rebellion from some of its own mps — when the commons votes again on a key piece of brexit legislation. the pope adds his voice to widespread criticism of the us policy of separating child migrants from theirfamilies at the border with mexico.

it's an area which has been linked to the legend of king arthur, and now an ancient piece of writing's been discovered at tintagel in cornwall, which suggests it really could have been an important royal site. the inscribed slate is over 1,300 years old. claire woodling has been finding out why it's so significant. if tintagel was a royal site, the black velvet throw seemed appropriate for the big reveal. at a distance it is unremarkable. under closer scrutiny it is a glimpse into seventh century life in cornwall. latin and greek letters as well as christian symbols are inscribed into the surface of the fleet. and ancient example of a high level of literacy, and very rear. this is the period we called the dark ages, the medieval period, where we have so

little writing, and to have something like this is absolutely fantastic and very special. so special the discovery has garnered interest from across the globe.|j special the discovery has garnered interest from across the globe. i am just overwhelmed to see a piece of artwork, for lack of a better word. i think it is marvellous that our primary sources, so to speak, and this is incredible. you could discard a piece of stone, and say, someone has done some graffiti on it. the rating supports the theory that tintagel was a settlement that may have been the source of kings. someone actually sat here and wrote this. that sends shivers up my spine when i think about that because that really puts us in touch with our a ncestors. really puts us in touch with our ancestors. we may even know the names. two names

ancestors. we may even know the names. two names are ancestors. we may even know the names. two names are inscribed on the fleet. —— slate. this year marks the tenth anniversary of liverpool as the european capital of culture. as newcastle gateshead gears up for their great exhibition of the north — steph mcgovern has been back to liverpool to find out what impact their year in the cultural spotlight is still having on the city. for so long it was so easy to talk liverpool down. but then came a moment. the uk's nomination to be capital of culture in 2008 is liverpool. 2008 definitely felt like a moment. hundreds of thousands of people celebrating and everybody wanted to be a scouser. i was right there in that crowd as 2008 drew to a close. i was right there in that crowd as 2008 drew to a close. at one time we were getting really bad press, and now it isjust wonderful, i am choking up again.

you are, aren't you? aw, bless you! an occasionally cynical city had been won over. were there cynics? well, yeah. i would have been foremost among cynics. really? because i've been trying to save my culture lots and lots of times. frank went from early day doubter too firm believer that something brilliant would come of it. what changed everything in 2008 was people. people were so up for it. if it is real culture than it really works. you have no idea what the payoff is going to be. none whatsoever. it is a leap of faith. yeah, you build an art school because you think it would be great for people to learn how to paint and the next thing you know you have the beatles. 2008 has paid off. public, private and eu money transforms the city. 2008 was a calling card, telling the world it must drop by. where are you from?

i'm from pennsylvania in america. lithuania. holland. first impressions of liverpool? great, it's really nice here. visitor numbers boomed. in ten years the value of tourism has almost trebled to the ea billion. to over £a billion. liverpool is now the fifth most popular uk destination for overseas visitors. ten years ago the council arrested in the arena. culture, they say, is now liverpool's main economic driver. cities cannot go into spirals of decline. rates cities like liverpool have got to find a way to raise their heads up and do brilliant things and by using culture as a tool to regeneration, which is what we have done, that is how we have done it. we have used this brilliant city and its events and stories to really put a rocket under the generation of the city. the city continues to dream big. liverpool's giants are back later this year. it is an economic model recognised either government with the launch of the uk's own city of culture. coventry is waiting in the wings

for its moment in 2021. is our civilisation rising orfalling? that's the question behind a new exhibition at the national gallery in london. the american artist, ed ruscha, one of the pioneers of popart is now in his ninth decade and he's showing a series of works looking at the rise and fall of empire. david sillito went to meet him. this is a story about how our industrial world is changing, through the eyes of a man whose work has been a strange landscape of modern life. almost any change can upset people. whether that is a glorified something or other or whether that is the total removal of something. they are portraits of

then and now. ed ruscha stands with andy warhol and royally in spain is one of the giants of pop art, and artistic passion for modern life, gas stations, and the inspiration of this exhibition are these 19th—century paintings about the rise and fall of empire. ed ruscha's rise and fall of empire. ed ruscha's rise and fall begins with our recent industrial past. the old very american workplace is now rather less american. the trade school is of course now no longer a trade school, with a lot more security. whatever happened to a telephone booth? as we can see, it has disappeared. the question is, is this all about just change disappeared. the question is, is this all aboutjust change or progress or decline? it is the pain of progress, the pain of change and all of that, but it can point to things positive as well. where are

we now, the peak of empire, or the downward slope? they are more or less devoid of political connotations, they have a moral to them, they say progress, and not necessarily positive progress, so it all seems like pandemonium but there is some kind of peace involved in it. peace? peace of mind, even if it is momentary, you can still smell the roses. so, it isjust the shifting landscape that has caught his eye, and worth turning into at. what it means is up to us. but while ed ruscha's life and association may belong to los angeles, it is a shift that belongs to all of us. but is it a sunrise or sunset? let us go live

to the house of commons, where jeremy hunt is making a statement on the gosport hospital. over 450 patients lives were shortened by the misuse of opiates, and 200 more likely, if medical records are taken into account. the first concerns we re into account. the first concerns were raised by brave nurse whistle—blowers in 1991, but then systematically ignored. families first raised concerns in 1998, and they were also ignored. in short, there was a catalogue of failings by there was a catalogue of failings by the local nhs, hampshire constabulary, the gmc, the nmc, the coroners and a steward of the system, the department of health. nothing i say today will reduce the

anguish and pain of families who have campaigned for 20 years for justice after the loss of a loved one. but i can at least, on behalf of the government and the nhs, apologise for what happened and what they have been through. had the establishment listened when junior nhs staff spoke out, had the establishment listened the families raised concerns instead of treating them as troublemakers, many of those deaths would not have happened. i also want to pay tribute to those families for their courage and determination to find the truth. as bishopjames determination to find the truth. as bishop james jones, who led determination to find the truth. as bishopjamesjones, who led the panel, says in his introduction, what has to be recognised by those who head up public institutions is how difficult it is for ordinary people to challenge the closing of

ra nks people to challenge the closing of ra n ks of people to challenge the closing of ranks of those who hold power. it is a lonely place seeking answers that others wish you were not asking. i also thank bishop jones others wish you were not asking. i also thank bishopjones and his panel. extremely thorough and often harrowing work, and i want to thank the right honourable memberfor north for north fork north, my minister of the in 2013, who came to me and asked me to overturn the official advice he has received, that the should not be an independent panel. i accepted this advice, and can say today that without his campaigning in and out of office, justice would have been denied to hundreds of families. in order to maintain trust with the number of families, the trust established an approach in its work, which meant the families were shown the report before it was presented to parliament. i also saw it for the first time this morning, so, today

is an initial response and the government will bring forward a more considered response in the autumn. that responds only to consider a nswe rs that responds only to consider a nswers to that responds only to consider answers to some very important questions. why was the baker report, completed in 2003, only able to be published ten years later? the clear advice was given that it could not be published during police investigations and while inquests we re investigations and while inquests were being concluded, but can it be right for the system to have to wait ten yea rs right for the system to have to wait ten years before critically important lessons learned which could save lives of other patients? likewise, why did the gmc and mmc —— nmc, the regulators with the responsibility of keeping the public safe from rogue practice, take so long? the doctor involved principally was found guilty of serious professional misconduct in 2010, but why was there a 10—year delay before her actions were

considered by our fitness to practice panel? and while the incident seemed to involve one doctor in particular, why was the practice not stopped by supervising co nsulta nts practice not stopped by supervising consultants or nurses who would have known from their professional training that these dosages were wrong? and why did hampshire co nsta bula ry wrong? and why did hampshire constabulary conduct investigations that the report says were limited in their debt of the range pursued, and why did the cps not look at corporate safety offences? and why did they call ren e and assistant deputy coroner... finally, and more broadly, was there an institutional desire to blame the issues on one rogue doctor, rather than examining systemic failings that prevented issues being picked up and dealt with quickly, driven, as this report

suggests it may have been, by a desire to maintain organisational reputations? i want to reassure the public that important changes have taken place since these events, which would make the catalogue of failures listed in the report less likely. these include the work of the co see as an independent inspectorate with a strong focus on patient safety, the introduction of the duty of candour, learning from death ‘s programme, and the establishment of medical examiners across nhs hospitals from next april. but today's report shows we still need to ask ourselves searching questions as to whether we have got everything right, and we will do this as thoroughly and quickly as possible when we come back to the house with our full response. families will also want to know what happens next. i hope that they and honourable members will

understand the need to avoid making a statement that could prejudice the pursuit of justice. the police and working with the cps will examine the new material in the report before determining their next steps and in particular whether criminal charges should be brought. in my own mind i am clear that any further action by the relevant criminal justice further action by the relevant criminaljustice and health authorities must be thorough, transparent and independent of any organisation that may have an institutional vested interest in the outcome. for that reason, institutional vested interest in the outcome. forthat reason, hampshire co nsta bula ry outcome. forthat reason, hampshire constabulary will want to consider carefully whether further police investigations should be undertaken by another police force. my department will provide support for families from today as the panel's workers now concluded. and i intend to meet as many of the families as i

can before we give our detailed response in the autumn. i am delighted that bishopjones will provide to —— continue to provide a link to the families to allow them to understand progress and any further processes that follow the report. i commend the role played by the current member for gosport who campaigned tirelessly for an independent enquiry and is unable to be here today because she is with the affected families in portsmouth. for others who are reading about what happened and have concerns that may have also affected their loved ones, we have put in place a helpline and the number is available in the gosport independent website. we are putting in place counselling provision for those affected by these events and who would find it helpful. let me finish my courting again from bishop jones helpful. let me finish my courting again from bishopjones is forward to the report. he talks powerfully about the sense of betrayal felt by

families, because handing over a loved one to a hospital, two doctors and nurses, is an act of trust and you take for granted that they will a lwa ys you take for granted that they will always do that which is best for them. today's report will shake the trust but we should not allow it to cast a shadow over the remarkable dedication of the vast, vast majority of people working incredibly hard on the nhs front line. and working with those professionals, the government will leave no stone unturned to restore the trust. and i commend the statement to the house. before i call the shadow secretary of state, reference was made in passing to this by the secretary of state, that it is only fair to mention to the house that a number of colleagues, whose constituencies have been affected by the events at gosport hospital, are unable to speak in

these exchanges because they serve either as ministers or as in one case parliamentary private secretary to the prime minister. a number of those individuals are present here on the front bench and i think that should be acknowledged and respected. i am should be acknowledged and respected. lam referring should be acknowledged and respected. i am referring to members of gosport, portsmouth and fareham. the shadow secretary of state for health, jonathan ashworth. the shadow secretary of state for health, jonathan ashworthlj the shadow secretary of state for health, jonathan ashworth. i thank the health secretary for the advance copy and for the apology he has offered on behalf of the government and the national health service. this is a devastating, shocking and heartbreaking report. and our thoughts must be with the families of the a56 patients whose lives were sure “— of the a56 patients whose lives were sure —— shortened. can i pay tribute to the member who has established this enquiry in the face of

bureaucracy and his own which attempted to close ranks, must be applauded. i know other members have played an important part as well. they care minister who has been understandably in her constituency this afternoon. can i place on record my thanks to all those who we re record my thanks to all those who were on the enquiry panel further dedication, the camp, can passionate and determined leadership yet again of the former bishop of liverpool, bishopjoins in of the former bishop of liverpool, bishop joins in an of the former bishop of liverpool, bishopjoins in an covering an injustice and revealing truth about a shameful episode in our nation's recent history. as the secretary of state quoted, the right reverend jamesjones state quoted, the right reverend james jones said, handing state quoted, the right reverend jamesjones said, handing over a loved one to... that trust was betrayed. he goes on, a large number

of patients and the relatives understood that their admission to the hospital was for either rehabilitation or respite. they were in effect on a terminal care pathway. mr speaker, others will come to their own judgment, but for me that is unforgivable. this is a substantial a00 page report, only published in the last hour or so and it will take some time but the house to observe every detail. but can i offer a few reflections and ask a few questions of the secretary of state. the question lingers in my mind is how could this have been allowed to go on for so long. how could so many warnings go unheeded. the report is clear, concerns were first raised in 1991 by owners. the hospital chose not to rectify the practice of prescribing the drugs involved. and by the times concerns we re involved. and by the times concerns were raised at a national the report

went through a complicated set of what enquiry would be appropriate between different versions of health trusts and success of health trusts, different national bodies and an enquiry was eventually conducted which found an almost routine use of opiates and which also said almost certainly shorten the lives of some patients. it seems that that report was left on the shelf gathering dust. and it may well be, i am sure that many of the officials and players acted in good faith, but taken as a whole, there was a systematic failure to properly investigate what went wrong and rectify it. in the words of the report, when faced with serious allegations, they handled a way that this limit thing the impact of the organisation and its perceived reputation. the consequence of that failure was devastating. but to this day of course the nhs landscape quite understandably remains complex

and is often fragmented. how confident is the secretary of state that similarfailures, if confident is the secretary of state that similar failures, if god forbid they were to happen again somewhere, would be more easily rectified in the future? equally as the secretary of state recognises, there are questions for hampshire constabulary. as the report says, the quality of the police investigations was constantly poor. why is it that police investigating the deaths of 92 patients yet no prosecutions were brought question mark can he let us know what discussions he has had, what early discussions he has had, what early discussions will eb having with the home secretary to ensure that police constabularies in the future are equipped to carry out investigations of this nature, if again anything so devastating was to happen anywhere else. and what about the voice of the families? why did families who had lost loved ones have to take on such a burden, have to take on such a tool to demand answers? it is

clear that the concerns of families we re clear that the concerns of families were too readily dismissed, treated as irritants. it is shameful. no family should be put through that. so how can you ensure that the family voices billy herd in the future? i recognise he has done work on this in the past. —— is heard in the future. the secretary of state is right that we should be cautious in remarks today but can he give me this reassurance that all the revel authorities will properly investigate and take this further and that if there is a police investigation, can he can tarry that a different force will carry out that investigation? —— can he guarantee. can he give us some reassurance that the oversight of medicines in the nhs is tight enough that incidents like this cannot happen again? what wider lessons are therefore patient safety in the nhs

and does he believe that wider legislation is required ? and does he believe that wider legislation is required? in conclusion, mr speaker, the right reverend james jones has provided conclusion, mr speaker, the right reverend jamesjones has provided a serious, devastating far—reaching service and a far—reaching report. aggrieved families have been, have had to suffer the most terrible injustice. we rightly acknowledge in the next few weeks the 70 years of national health service and the secretary of state is right to say this should not cast a shadow over the extraordinary work of health professionals every in our nhs. but on this occasion, this system has let so many down. we must ask ourselves why it was alleged to have let so many down and dedicate ourselves to ensuring it happens again. secretary of state. i thank the shadow health secretary for his considered tone of comments and i agree with everything he says. and i

think across the house members will understand that we are all constrained in what we can say about the individual. —— concerns. of course what we are not constrained in debating and we should debate fully is not just in debating and we should debate fully is notjust today in debating and we should debate fully is not just today and in debating and we should debate fully is notjust today and going forward , fully is notjust today and going forward, what system lessons are to be allowed. the big question i think friars is not so much how could this have happened once, because in a huge health care system, you are u nfortu nately was huge health care system, you are unfortunately was going to get occasionally things that go wrong. however, horrific that sometimes it is, but how could it have been allowed to go on to as long without being stopped? in some ways reflecting on his comments, the poor treatment of whistle—blowers, the ignoring of families, the closing of ranks, it is wrong. we must stop it, we must go further than we have gone to date but in a way to do is

straightforward. we know exactly what the problem is and make sure that culture changes. the bit that is more difficult is where they were process issues that happened in good faith but had a terrible outcome. and in particular, i think that this report is that lesson about the importance of transparency. because if you read it, iadmit importance of transparency. because if you read it, i admit i have only had a couple of hours to read it, but what looks like is this report was to gather gut dust for ten years for the understandable reason saying it could not be published during a police investigation was going on. had it been published, i am speculating, but i am sure the transparency would have garnered much more action. and some of the things we have done, we would have done earlier. it is an important

argument for transparency that tasman liking. how confident could i be that this cannot happen again? i do believe the culture is changing in the nhs, i think the nhs is more transparent and open and interactions with families are much better than they were. but i do not by any means think we are there. i think that we will uncover from this number of things that we are still not right. i, as he will understand, it is not the decision for the government as to which police forced undertakes these investigations. it has to be a matter for the fleece. one of the things we have to ask yourself with regards to the police investigations, whether police forces have access to the expertise they need to know whether they should have prioritise the investigation. if you have the closing of ranks in the medical profession, it is difficult for the police to know they should be

challenging that. and it does appeared like that is one of the things that happened. and in terms of the wider lessons with respect to the oversight of medicines and health care safety branch well. we will take on board if there are any changes that need to be made there. gillian keegan. the culture of closing ranks and ignoring whistle—blowers closing ranks and ignoring whistle— blowers and the closing ranks and ignoring whistle—blowers and the nhs is worrying and even as a new mp i feel this could happen today and have had constituency cases where people have alerted me to theirs. what implications for the wider health service and elderly care, people who have family in these situations today, what does the minister believe this report holds, what are the implications for those families? i think that has an important point that the shadow health secretary measured. it is important to understand from this report, we very often have a problem where people

and an end of life situation are not treated in the way that we would wa nt treated in the way that we would want for our own relatives are pa rents want for our own relatives are parents and to put it very bluntly, there is a worry that someone's end may be hastened more quickly than it should be. we have made a number of changes, including the liverpool past way which happened in the coalition government. —— liverpool ca re coalition government. —— liverpool care pathway. in this situation, these patients were not in an end of ca re these patients were not in an end of care “— these patients were not in an end of care —— end of life situation. but they were old. so one of the things that we are going to have to try and understand, all of us, is how this could have been allowed to happen, because i am afraid the report is clear that insofar as this doctor was responsible, and i have to be careful with my words here, lots of other people knew what was going on.

lam other people knew what was going on. i am grateful for the secretary of state for the advance copy of the statement. these are truly horrific events and our first thoughts should be with the families affected by the scandal. it is distressing to lose a loved one in any circumstance, and in the circumstances it will have amplified them. it was expected to ta ke amplified them. it was expected to take two years and it is disappointing that it has stretched until now. there have been a catastrophic failure of accountability not only with the doctor concerned but to those who fail to investigate these actions. this failure includes the government, however i am grateful for the secular saver issuing his apology today. — — for the secular saver issuing his apology today. —— secretary of state. i hope this will bring closure to the families affected. i hope the minister will support the

investigation of... i hope the secretary of state will look at this aspect to ensure that public confidence and faith in the system of health care and regulations going forward. i think the audible judgment for his comments. —— i thank the honourable gentleman for his comments. the government must make this decision independently. one of the questions raised by this is if you are a family that feel that an injustice has been done, who is there for you to go for? if you think ranks are being closed and i think ranks are being closed and i think we need to reflect very carefully whether we have made progress, but whether we have made enough progress on that. alan mac. the events at the hospital and the panel's reports are of significant interest to me. our constituents

have asked whether the families can be confident that the report findings will be acted upon and people held accountable for what happened. he is right to ask that process. ask that question. and i think the best parallel is the hillsborough process which was also led by bishop jones. hillsborough process which was also led by bishopjones. and a similar report was published which put documents into the public arena. that essentially enabled people to understand truthfully what happened. and on the basis of that then the inquest was reopened and criminal prosecutions happen. so we are at that stage of the process. but i hope that the transparency, the thoroughness of that report, will give families hope. ok, we will

leave jeremy hunt there who give families hope. ok, we will leavejeremy hunt there who has been telling mps and police and the crown prosecution service will examine the panel's report to consider the next steps. members of that independent panel are speaking to the needy, led by bishop james jones. what i would like to do is to introduce members of the panel. i'm going to go to the end. our consultant geriatrician, a professor of nursing. dunkel —— kate blackwell qc. our medical director. christine gifford, who is a data access expert. and next to christine is professorjim smith, professor of pharmacology. and david hankey who

is an investigative journalist. pharmacology. and david hankey who is an investigativejournalist. if pharmacology. and david hankey who is an investigative journalist. if i can makea is an investigative journalist. if i can make a few opening remarks. you have add the report and have been able to look at it and at the summary. with the publishing of this report, and the disclosure of the documents, and the accompanying publication of an online archive which has now gone live, an archive of 1a0,000 documents. the panel has today delivered its terms of reference. these terms of reference embody the principle of putting the relatives of those treated at the gosport war memorial hospital at the centre of the review. for example, the panel was required to manage the process of public disclosure, initially to the affected families. i know that as journalists you will have found that frustrating and that we had to keep to our promise, to report to them first. but thank you

very much for not putting undue pressure on hours and for respecting that. this morning and in private, would be deemed the right way. within this cathedral we have told the families what from its examination of all available documents we have found to have happened at the hospital. you have seen the panel's report. you therefore have seen in particular cha pters two therefore have seen in particular chapters two and three and table one at the back of the report. and that the documents reveal an institutionalised practice of shortening of lives through the use of opioids, the wrong use of opioids, not medicallyjustified. the panel has had a unique and privileged access to the hospital records. over 1500 patients. these records. over 1500 patients. these records demonstrate that a56

patients died through this excessive and wrong use of opioids. taking into account the missing records, there were probably at least another 200 patients whose lives were shortened as a direct result of the pattern of prescribing and administering opioids that had become the norm at the hospital during that period. the panel's report explains what the documents reveal about the role of the clinical assistant, about the co nsulta nts, clinical assistant, about the consultants, the nursing staff and the hospital management. it is not for the panel to ascribe criminal or civil liabilities which are beyond our terms of reference. we have interrogated documents. unlike an enquiry, we have not interviewed those named in the documents. it will be for any future judicial processes to determine whatever

culpability and criticism might then be forthcoming. like me, you will have heard the secretary of state for health and social care are seeing in the house of commons and it is clear that actual —— action will now need to be taken in what the panel has found. like the panel, together with the families, you and the general public will ask, how could the practice of administering opioids in this way continue and not be stopped by the health system and by the various police, regulatory and inquest processes which were put in place. part two of the panel's report shows how those processes unfolded and how, as a consequence, the families were field. within the panel's report, chapter 98 explains the prominent part played by the national and in particular the local print and broadcast media, here in

portsmouth. —— chapter nine. media reports played an important part in encouraging people to come forehead and to speak and to highlight the patterns of prescribing and administrating drugs which had become, as a report shows, the institutionalised practice. what happened at gosport war memorial sport would not have been revealed with out the tenacity and fortitude shown by the affected families. —— hospital. i should say only that those families no fees are further challenge of absorbing what the documents have revealed. they deserve everyone's support in so doing and! deserve everyone's support in so doing and i would ask you the media, who have often been their advocates, to be sensitive to their circumstances today. in conclusion i should like to thank them for their

patience in waiting for the panel's report and tell you that they received the report this morning with the same spirit of tenacity and fortitude that they have shown over the last 20 years. i am very happy now to take questions to me and to my colleagues. please. you have chosen your words very carefully, talking about an institutionalised practice. where these people killed? and given your... i have made very clear in my statement this morning, just repeated, that it is not for the panel to ascribe criminal or civil liabilities. and to do so would be beyond our terms of reference. what we are cold upon to do is to find the documents and tell

the story from the documents. it will be for others to make their own judgment. and given what the secretary of state has said today, in the house of commons, where she is flagging up the need for further investigation, it is incumbent upon me at this moment to be very circumstance about the words that i use and so that it may block your question, i want to reiterate that it is not for us to ascribe criminal and civil liability. you are very —— you're very good question about the hillsborough families, there are huge differences but their owners of course one common theme and the prime minister when she was home secretary asked me to write a report on lessons learned from the hillsborough families. and the title of that report was, the patronising

disposition of unaccountable power. that is what the hillsborough families had to struggle with over the years. and i don't want to put words into the mouths of the gosport families, but i think from what the panel is seen and the documentation, that would be a fair description of what they too have had to content with. in a report, we have found no evidence in the documents that there was any collusion. but certainly the authorities appeared, from the documents, to put their own interest, their own reputation above the interests of those who were asking the questions. and that too isa asking the questions. and that too is a feature very similar with the hillsborough narrative. please. my

question, just one factual point. you do refer to some concern being stressed in 1988 in a document which is held by the department of health and you do not highlight that in your findings. what was the nature of that document? i will ask christine who was responsible for the data access. if you have a look at their website you will see all the documents there. their 1998 document was not specific and it did not highlight an area of concern to come forehead. the 1991 dossier from the nurses was very, very different. bill, do you want to add to that. no. i understand you do not want to ascribe criminality. but it has shortened lives. it seems as if it

sounds like a deliberate policy administrating these drugs with the knowledge that it could lead to someone's life been terminated prematurely. the word institutionalised is deliberate because what it demonstrates is the failure of the institution. so that there was, as you will see in the report, a clinical assistant who oversaw the prescriptions for 12 yea rs. oversaw the prescriptions for 12 years. this clinical assistant, her practice was known to the co nsulta nts practice was known to the consultants who did not check and stop what she was doing. the nurses who had a responsibility and duty of ca re who had a responsibility and duty of care to the patients knew the doses that they were being asked to administer. and the two could have challenged the doctor. but didn't

and carried on administering. the pharmacist who was responsible for providing those opioids did not seek to restrain their use. and when some nurses did complain, in 1991, to the institutional, to the hospital, to senior managers, they were not heeded. and so it was the institution, as well as individuals, who it would seem to ask where are furthering this practice and that is why we call it an institutionalised practice. they knew that they would result in that outcome. the nurses would know what they were being asked to administer and the nurses

would be seeing the effect. and as we shall in the report, i think it is 59% of those who were given the diamorphine were dead within two days. and i think 71% of those who we re days. and i think 71% of those who were given diamorphine with meant as a lamb were also dead within two days. so the doctors and the clinical assistant and the nurses we re clinical assistant and the nurses were aware of the effect of the doses they were administering. and thatis doses they were administering. and that is why we describe as an institutionalised practice. do you want to add anything to that? no, given the patterns of prescribing and administering the drugs in question, there are six different separate criticisms of the

policy they were following. it would be beyond belief, ithink, that anyone could not have understood the implications of those errors in prescribing that administration. yes, please? bbc newsnight, ijust wondered whether you got a sense of why, if this was happening and it is institutional and everyone or almost everyone knows about it, did you get a sense it is because these patients we re a sense it is because these patients were viewed as expendable, they needed beds, what was the reason why these wards would be thinking this was a way to behave?|j these wards would be thinking this was a way to behave? i understand the need to ask that question, but the need to ask that question, but the difference between an independent panel such as ours and a public enquiry under the 2005 inquiries act, is that we

interrogated the documents, we did not interview people. so, questions about motive are beyond the terms of reference of the panel. but those are questions that will need to be prosecuted. green david fenton, from bbc television. i would like to pick up bbc television. i would like to pick up on what was asked, and just to reiterate that these were deliberate a cts reiterate that these were deliberate acts by members of staff who knew their patients were likely to die as a result, or were at a great risk of dying as a result of what they did as individuals, is that correct? the documents, and if you look at table one at the back of the report, you

will see the analysis of those patients and the reason they were admitted and the medication they we re admitted and the medication they were given and the dozes, and you will see in the last all about whether or not these were clinically justified, but what those people you have in mind have not had the chance to do is to answer those particular documents. and therefore that is why the panel has to be cautious about not going beyond its terms of reference. but it is clear to us that those doses were not clinically justified, so my colleagues, the clinicians on the panel, have analysed all of these cases and have been able to say that it was not justified to prescribe and administer that particular dose of that particular medication for that

particular condition. and that is as ha rd particular condition. and that is as hard as we can go. so, the issue —— so, the issue of whether the people that were doing this, prescribing the drugs and giving the drugs, whether they knew in all probability what the result was going to be, thatis what the result was going to be, that is not something you can say yes they did, or no they didn't. that is an excellent question that needs to be put to the people, but it is beyond our terms of reference to do that. we were simply tasked with finding the documents. yes, please? rosie taylor from the telegraph. i know that you have just explained you are not responsible for finding motivation, explained you are not responsible forfinding motivation, but explained you are not responsible for finding motivation, but it does appear that there is some evidence in the reports you have seen where

people discussed motivations, for example the report that appears to show a patient talked themselves into being given a syringe medication, do you think that was the case that people were being —— being given drugs if they were problematic? there was evidence that medication was being given without consultation to families. did you request documentary evidence from doctor jane request documentary evidence from doctorjane barton... request documentary evidence from doctor jane barton... yes, request documentary evidence from doctorjane barton... yes, we did ask, and yes, she did respond. . please. the guardian newspaper, if

this is a one—off, is this a historical event, tragic and appalling with lessons needing to be learned, but could something like this happen in another hospital, or more particularly today in a nursing home? again, that was beyond the inquiry, it was a particular hospital, not extending our inquiry beyond gosport, but it is a legitimate question, and even this morning i have received an e—mail through my own website with somebody alleging this has happened in another hospital to a relative of theirs. so, i believe it raises the question, but again the panel is not competent to answer what the extent of this may be throughout the country. but we do make the point,

andi country. but we do make the point, and i made it this morning to the families, but when there are questions were being dismissed and the refusal came that there would be no public inquiry, and the reason given was that this was not of national significance. the panel does beg to differ. and certainly, the secretary of state this morning was saying the department of health will be to review all sorts of areas, and this may well be, but i am speaking as an individual rather than a panel member, to say any more. please. lam i am nicholas carlin from the health service journal. i wonder if i can get the view of the panel on what priorities or actions should be...

loud crash sorry about that, i'm sure it is nothing to do with your question! i wondered if i sure it is nothing to do with your question! i wondered ifi could sure it is nothing to do with your question! i wondered if i could get your views on what priority or action should be in the mind of the people that run hospitals and trusts today in relation to the findings of the report? again, each of us on the panel have a view about that as individual people, but i have to stress, it is beyond our terms of reference, so i could not say the panel now recommends, because we have not discussed it together, we have not discussed it together, we have not discussed it together, we have not had time to discuss it, we have not had time to discuss it, we have been taken up with the task in hand. but i think those questions do need to be asked. and certainly the debate that we left that is still going on, those were the sorts of

things that were being raised. and i know that the families would want these questions raised by other people, but it is not for us to do that. speaking for myself, i could say that if we were asked, for any future console —— consultation process , we future console —— consultation process, we would be very willing to participate in such a consultation, because doing this work has given us an insight into a particular hospital acted in a particular way. charlotte morgan from lbc. you mentioned there was an absence —— you estimate there could be a further 200 deaths on top of the figure, and you mention that estimate is based on the absence of patient records. what is the reason

for the absence of those records, is there any suggestion...?|j for the absence of those records, is there any suggestion. . . ? i will ask bill to refer to that, some were missing and some were incomplete. yes, after the sort of length of time we are talking about, from 1987 to 2016 or so, it might actually be surprising that we found as many as we did. hospital records have a natural destruction date on them, and unless there is a good reason to keep them, they can be destroyed after a certain period. we found over 1500 out of 2024 that we looked for, of those about 1100 were usable because they had all the relevant information on them we needed to look at to make an assessment. the others, there were records, but they we re others, there were records, but they

were missing important bit so we could not come to a conclusion about them. i beg your pardon. thank you very much for your report and all your hard work. do you have any evidence to reassure residents of gosport of the safety now?|j evidence to reassure residents of gosport of the safety now? i am glad you asked the back because we are dealing with concerns on historic cases, not to the present—day. again we have no authority to comment on the quality of care, but this is very much a historic investigation. but we have visited the hospital, the panel, and we where received very warmly, and it was very good to be able to move around the hospital

freely and to ask questions, and there was no resistance whatsoever, quite the contrary. a great willingness to work together with the panel. is somebody coming with the panel. is somebody coming with the questions? bbc radio solent. you have spoken a lot about your dream it, but also about families being at the heart of your investigations. do you feel you have been able to give the family what they need, what they want? shortly you will be able to meet with which other families are willing to speak with you. but without putting words into their mouths, they were enormously

appreciative of what the report has said. they had a presentation from me, and then each person was given a copy of the report, which they were able to read, as you will appreciate it is very detailed. their reaction, asi it is very detailed. their reaction, as i said at the beginning, was understandably emotional. and i think the way they reacted showed them just how much they had carried inside themselves over 20 years or so. and if i can quote anonymously one of the families, saying to me, but it was such a relief to hear that what they thought for so long and been dismissed to hear the narrative understood and repeated by

a panel that had done such detailed research into the documents, and againi research into the documents, and again i want to emphasise the distinctiveness of the panel was that —— but we had access to all of these documents, and no others have access to that comprehensive set of documents, which gives, i think, access to that comprehensive set of documents, which gives, ithink, the panel the authority with which it has spoken today. indistinct i would like a member of the panel to add to that. one family member made a point to me this morning, and

said that first heard this was the beginning. 20 years or so too late, but eventually they were being recognised and the fault of the hospital was being recognised, and they are confident that today's report is the start of the process that should have taken place a long time ago. and you asked earlier about parallels with the hillsborough independent panel. i know that for some of the families who have spoken with me honestly, they said that it was only with that panel report that they felt they began to grieve. some, over 25 years later. and i think this is true of the gosport families, there were lots of tears this morning. the were people believing, and a word i think people believing, and a word i think people should be extremely cautious about is closure. i wrote about this

in the preface of the report about unaccountable power, saying that there is no closure to love, no closure to the love you have had for someone you have lost, and added that grief is a journey without destination. and you continue to travel through it, and when you meet the families today, and interview them personally, ithink the families today, and interview them personally, i think you will probably hear and see that, but it is, even though those things happen some 20 years ago, that it is a journey without destination for them as well. it looks as if we are coming to the end of the debate, and i need to return to the families for a question and answer session with them, now that they have heard the statement and had a chance to look at the report, but i will take one more question. dave churchill from

the daily mail. a couple of things and the report are similar to doctor harold shipman, and i wonder —— mention harold shipman, and i wonder whether you choose to include that, building comparisons. why was that included, in what ways did that help this, what you're trying to get to the bottom of? yes, that is a good question, and again i go back to the terms of reference that we interrogate documents, and harold shipman was mentioned in some of these documents, but when you get these documents, but when you get the chance to read this report in detail, you will see that we draw the distinction because harold shipman acted alone, whereas what we

are describing to you in this report is an institutionalised practice, and that is a significant difference. but i take your point. thank you. ladies and gentlemen, if thatis thank you. ladies and gentlemen, if that is all the questions, i would now like to get back to the families, so we can have a question and answer session with them, then i believe they are available to you for interview. there we are, that was bishop james jones and for interview. there we are, that was bishopjamesjones and his collea g u es was bishopjamesjones and his colleagues on that gosport independent panel, and a report into those suspicious deaths, that long awaited report, that said a number of elderly patients at the gosport war memorial hospital in hampshire died because they were prescribed powerful painkilling drugs. ijust wa nt to powerful painkilling drugs. ijust want to tell you what the health secretary has been saying in the commons, that the police and the

crown prosecution service will be examining materialfrom crown prosecution service will be examining material from the gosport independent panel report to consider their next steps and whether criminal charges should now be brought to. we have also been hearing from the general medical council with their reaction to the panel report. the gmc, which did investigate the doctor at the centre of this, doctorjane martin, back in 2010, and found her guilty of serious professional misconduct, but said she could continue practising medicine. the gmc chief executive has said thoughts with families of the loved ones, following the unacceptable treatment of the gosport war memorial hospital. patients and families were let down by the system, this is not good enough, this has been a difficult

and protracted process. and welcoming the work of bishopjames jones and his panel. we have also been hearing from the prime minister theresa may, who gave her reaction to the report earlier. the events at gosport memorial hospital were tragic, deeply troubling, and they brought unimaginable heartache to the families concerned, but they are a matter of which we should be concerned across the house. he raises the issue about the way in which the public sector in his words closes ranks. this is something we have to deal with, and i pay tribute to the right honourable gentleman for having established the enquiry when he was a minister. i am sorry it took so long for the families to get those answers. i would like to thank bishop james jones and get those answers. i would like to thank bishopjamesjones and would

be happy to meet the right honourable gentleman with bishop jamesjones. honourable gentleman with bishop james jones. the honourable gentleman with bishop jamesjones. the health and social ca re jamesjones. the health and social care secretary is putting a focus on patient safety and transparency in the nhs, because we need to ensure we do not see these sorts of things happening in the future, and the findings are obviously distressing, deeply concerning, of course measures have been put in place. that was the prime minister earlier with her reaction to the gosport independent panel report. labour's shadow health secretary said the report was devastating, shopping and heartbreaking. we will have much more coverage of that through the afternoon here on bbc news. in a moment we will have a summary of the business news, but first a quick look at the headlines. a devastating report says hundreds of elderly patients died

at a hospital in hampshire because they were wrongly prescribed painkilling drugs. the government is facing a rebellion when its own mps vote on brexit legislation. the european union will launch a raft of retaliatory tariffs against us exports on friday. the move comes after us president donald trump imposed... and online gambling operator has

been found £2 million for failing to protect the problem clamber. one customer was allowed to deposit £750,000 customer was allowed to deposit £750 , 000 with no customer was allowed to deposit £750,000 with no money laundering or social responsibility checks. kindred which owns the company said it accepted the penalty and is working hard to improve its processes . working hard to improve its processes. microsoft employees demanded the company stops its work with us border control, which is enforcing the compulsory separation of children from their families at the mexican border. 100 employees said they refused to be complicit. there is a north—south divide in the way people run their finances and another divide between town and country. that is according to the financial conduct authority which carried out a survey last year. it just released an analysis of the numbers, and they say that while consumers in rural areas have less

savings, less access to financial services, fewer use smartphones to do their banking, and they earn less, even so they are more satisfied with their financial circumstances than those in the south of england. earlier we heard from andrew bailey, the chief executive of the fci. i think what we show is a rural urban divide, so that in the two ways we measure it, what people think about their own financial situation and what they feel about their access to financial services, interestingly they go different ways. on the road situation, people in rural areas feel more confident that those in urban areas have higher debt, but on the other hand direct access to financial services. that is partly the story about closing branches of banks, but also about access to the internet, because people who do not have access to branches relied more on online banking, and that depends on online banking, and that depends o n a ccess on online banking, and that depends on access to the internet. there are talks going on between the two

biggest car companies, ford and volkswagen, about a tie—up to produce commercial vehicles. not a merger, but a strategic alliance. there is a shortage of carbon dioxide in the uk. that means we could run out of fizzy drinks, including beer, in the next few weeks. the uk has only two plants producing carbon dioxide, and one is closed for maintenance. this is just as amanda speaking with the hot weather and the world cup. there is trouble at australia's biggest telecoms company, it is cutting its workforce, 8000 jobs, one in four jobs are going, and it is selling off its assets of £1 billion. here are the markets. thank you very much indeed. now, the

weather prospects. a mixture of weather across the uk today. sunshine for many but a difference in the temperatures here in the east anglia and the site east of england it is humid, but further north is cooler and fresher. you can see the contrast on the temperature map for today. warm and humid for another day in the south—east and east anglia. we have a weather front in between, which is not producing much rain, as you can see. it is not even amending to much. we have thicker cloud across the midlands and wales, but as a mid—size, the cloud things out, with some showers coming into the north of scotland. still warm and humid in the south—east, with temperatures up to 27. cooler and fresher towards the

north, with showers in northern scotland. a few showers this evening across the rest of scotland, running close to northern ireland and the north of england, and they move into the north sea. it becomes dry and clear overnight with temperatures dropping away. a fresher look to the weather tomorrow, with all the warm and mandy are getting pushed away into the continent, and instead we are getting the wind from the north, bringing down cooler and fresher weather, it could also be a bit windy out there, across the north—east of scotland particularly. gusts of 50 mph at most, with clean winds moving down the north sea coast. a few showers to begin with the northern isles of scotland, but otherwise sunshine and dry weather. the temperatures are noticeably

lower down south, but still pleasant. as we head into friday, we still have sunny skies for the most part, with more cloud across the northern half of scotland. the temperatures will perhaps creep up a degree or so, with wind not so strong, and it should feel pleasant in the sunshine. hello, you're watching afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. today at 2pm... a devastating report into the deaths of a56 people blames an "institutional regime" of prescribing opioids with no medicaljustification. throughout relatives have shown remarkable fortitude in questioning what happens to their loved ones. the documents explained and published today show that they were right to ask those questions. nothing i say today will lessen the anguish and pain of families who have campaigned for 20 years forjustice after the

loss of a loved one. but i can at least, on behalf of the government and the nhs, apologise for what happened and what they have been through. familes and campaigners call for prosecutions