Health trust ‘will ignore protests’ - The Pasty sells saffron cakes from Cornwall and Cornish pasties

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) says it will ignore 27,000 people who marched through Hayle on Sunday against cuts to Cornish health services.

Sue Wolstenholme from RCHT, which has a overspend its budget by £31m, said protesters weren’t properly informed.

She said: “My concern is that the protest was a reaction to one small part of a wider discussion that needs all of the implications considered fully.

“They need to understand the reality behind the situation much more clearly.”

But John Bennett, who helped organise the march, labelled the trust’s response “arrogant”.

“It’s very arrogant to tell us we don’t know the real issues,” he said.

“We wanted to send two messages; that we think that the hospital trust is badly managed and a lot more people should be accountable than just Brian Milstead.

“Secondly we wanted to help the trust to go to central government to say we need to have a new approach towards Cornwall.”

Nearly 30,000 people marched though Hayle on Sunday, to protest at hospital cuts in Cornwall.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust is threatening to close St Michael’s Hospital in Hayle to make up for a £31m overspend in its budget.

About 27,000 people joined the one-and-a-half mile march, according to event organizers.

Other services which could be affected include the emergency department at West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance, which could be lost, and the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro which could see cuts to wards and services.

Campaigners want an independent review of Cornwall’s hospital services.

The Eden Project has the healthiest food of any tourist attraction in the UK, according to a new report by the Soil Association.

But most tourist attractions were failing to provide healthy food for visitors, opting for junk food instead.

The Soil Association sent a “secret mum” to 14 top attractions to test their food and drink choices.

Only the Eden Project and the Tower of London scored well, with both serving fresh fruit and drinking water.

Peter Melchett, of the the Soil Association, said venues had a responsibility to offer alternatives to junk food.

“Not to provide kids with the option of free water on a day out is scandalous,” he said.

“It is crazy not even bothering to offer fresh fruit or the choice of a healthy meal for children.”

A beginner’s course in the Cornish language will be starting in September at the Lizard.

Whether you want to learn the language in depth or just speak a few everyday phrases, this course is designed to be fun, sociable and informal.

You may wish to take the first grade exam next May/June or you may just wish to pursue your own interest in the language such as the meaning of place-names. There will be minimal cost involved as this is not a money-making venture.

For more information, e-mail estherjcroft@aol.com

Cornwall could get its own training centre for marine skills, following the success of a centre in Dorset.

Poole’s Marine Skills Centre was set-up in March 2005 to train people for careers in the marine industry. It aimed to train 600 people a year but it has already helped 2500.

Rob Peters, from the agency, says: “A major employer is very much part of the marine school centre at Poole and they were having to send apprentices towards Southampton to have some of their training delivered, now that is very much localised through the Poole centre.

“Eighteen months on it has surpassed all our expectations which is absolutely fantastic,” he added.

The centre’s success has persuaded the South West of England Regional Development Agency to plan opening similar centres in Falmouth, Cornwall and Plymouth, Devon. The facilities are due to be running by September.

A Devon businessman has launched a bid to save one of the world’s most historic ships and bring her to Falmouth as a tourist attraction. HMS Carrick, the Cutty Sark’s sister ship, is the earliest surviving clipper ship and the only surving 19th Century wooden sailing passenger ship in Britain.

Property developer Tim Roper has agreed to buy HMS Carrick, which is 176 foot long and weighs 800 tonnes and is currently moored in Scotland, facing destruction.

Mr Roper said: “It is such a historical vessel and such a beautiful vessel that to scrap it would be a crime really.

“I have been up to see it and it is simply the most fantastic thing in the world. How could anyone not want to save her and restore her to her original beauty.

“I have an exclusive agreement with North Ayreshire Council to buy her and I then have to bring her back to Falmouth I think that will cost in the region of £300,000 and £400,000 so it is a big task.”

HMS Carrick was launched as the City of Adelaide in Sunderland 1864, five years before the Cutty Sark.

Originally designed to carry cargo and passengers to Australia, more than half the current population of South Australia can trace their families’ arrival to the ship.

After spells as a cargo carrier and floating isolation hospital, the Royal Navy bought her in the early 20th Century to be re-named HMS Carrick and used as a training ship.

Mr Roper is now hoping other businesses will get involved to help with the cost of the work.

Cornwall County Council has decided to stop looking after people who need a low-level of care, saving it £3.6m but affecting about 7,000 people.

Councillors also decided to stop free transport for people to and from day centres and increase charges for meals for the sick and elderly.

Care services are rated as either low, moderate, severe and critical.

Nigel Walker, from the Council, said he hoped the voluntary sector would pick-up the needs of those needing low-level care.

Campaigners from across Cornwall travelled to Cheltenham on Saturday to protest about NHS cuts in the region.

Administration staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust in Truro were told their jobs may be at risk on Friday. However, they were assured by managers a 30 day consultation period would take place first.

Receptionists and secretaries will be the most affected by what is being called an “organisation restructure” and is part of the trust’s plan to cut a £13m deficit.

Stuart Roden, a reresentative of trade union Unison, said: “We want to stop the privatisation of the redundancies and stop the cuts.”

The head of Cornwall’s top hospital has resigned after it went over £16 million over budget.

Brian Milstead, chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, which runs the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, quit after 13 years in the post, following revelation that the Truro hospital was £15.7m in deficit and 300 jobs would be lost.

Mr. Milstead said: “As chief executive, I have to accept responsibility for the current financial situation and feel that the time is right for a new appointment to guide the trust forward to Foundation Trust status”

Critics have blasted the government for the deficit by saying that they need to know why the trust has ended up in this predicament.

Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George added “I think that ministers need to be able to demonstrate that the chief executive and other executives are responsible, any they are not being used as fall guys for this completely unacceptable situation”

The NHS regional headquarters, the South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority said Mr. Milstead took the decision himself and was not asked to resign his post.

The hospital denied Mr. Milstead had been offered any financial incentive to leave the trust, telling reporters the resignation was “confidential”.