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00:37Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:41I'm Naila Mohamed and here are your top stories on Thursday the 23rd of April.
00:46It's a systemic failure.
00:47GP staff claim ongoing IT failures pose a very real risk to patient safety.
00:52I think this is something that we're all very much accustomed to.
00:57You know, it's a sort of like NHS equivalent of the potholes in the road really.
01:02They're not welcome here.
01:04Sheppie businesses fight back against parking tariffs by banning councillors from entering.
01:09The car park's empty every single day.
01:11During the week, the sun's out.
01:13We've got usual people in the garden and stuff.
01:15We're having no one at the minute.
01:16And finally, harnessing the power of the tide.
01:20Inventors in Kent say there should be more focus on tidal power as a source of energy.
01:24Nothing has happened here, despite the fact that we have the River 7.
01:38Your top story tonight.
01:40Local doctors and GP staff are highlighting widespread IT disruptions, causing major concerns for patient safety.
01:47They say systems are failing unpredictably, sometimes multiple times a week, leaving staff unable to access records, process appointments or
01:54deliver care as normal.
01:55Kristen Hawthorne has the report.
01:58Across Kent and Medway, GP practices are dealing with ongoing IT disruptions, with systems failing unpredictably, and in some cases,
02:07multiple times a week.
02:08At one local surgery, staff say outages now happen as often as twice weekly, and sometimes last several hours.
02:16In the last probably six months, it's happening every single week at least, twice a week.
02:23We don't know why it's in the mornings.
02:25It's usually Mondays or Fridays.
02:27We don't know why we have to put that to IT.
02:31And it can go down from anything from one hour to four hours.
02:37But yeah, we're not too sure why, and it can sometimes be all the internet, it can sometimes be the
02:43whole screens, we can't even log in.
02:45Sometimes it can affect the phone lines, sometimes it doesn't.
02:48So there's no set pattern each week.
02:51And inside the consulting room, the impact is clear.
02:53Many of the consultations that people have are consultations where they're coming back for results.
03:01And that could be, we've sent them for investigations, such as, I mean, it could be something as simple as
03:06an X-ray.
03:07It could be an ultrasound scan.
03:09It could be some other kind of test, like a blood pressure monitoring investigation that they've had.
03:15You've got, you don't have that information available.
03:18So to all extents and purposes, that would be very much a wasted conversation.
03:27The only situations where you might be able to extract some value from that encounter is where people are coming
03:34perhaps for the first time.
03:36It's actually one of the worst aspects, I think, of working in general practice, actually, is the quality of the
03:44IT system.
03:45For receptionist staff, patient frustration is often directed at them, as patients struggle to access appointments or test results,
03:53and sometimes assume the issue lies with the practice.
03:56Sometimes they're sympathetic. A lot of times they're not.
04:01They are, they're disgruntled because they've probably waited a while for their appointments that they've booked.
04:09They're obviously ill. They're not in the best health, so they want to see someone.
04:13If you're telling them there's even more of a delay, or if they are going to see the doctor or
04:18the clinician,
04:19and they might not get their needs met as their expectations, they're even more disgruntled.
04:26And then sometimes they think, I think sometimes we might be making it up.
04:31Because of the IT failures, patients that are unable to see their doctor or get the care they need
04:36are oftentimes having to be diverted to A&E, urgent care and secondary services, creating a wider impact across the
04:43NHS.
04:44I reached out to the NHS Integrated Care Board for a comment, but have not yet received a response.
04:51Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, Gravesend.
04:56Next, get out of our pub.
04:59That's what one Queenborough pub manager said when asked if the councillors who voted for introducing parking tariffs could come
05:04in.
05:05Five businesses in the seaside town have put up posters barring these councillors,
05:10as the new parking tariffs have left their businesses empty, they say.
05:13Our reporter Megan Shaw went to meet them.
05:16They're not welcome here, Reid's posters put up in businesses across a Sheppey town.
05:23After Swirlborough Council implemented charges on car parks that, until the beginning of this month, were free.
05:31And this is one of the car parks in Queenborough that you now need to pay to stay in.
05:36The sun is out, it's only 3pm, and yet where is everyone?
05:40This car park, apart from the two cars I can see, is very large and very empty.
05:44I've even seen cars drive in and drive out without even staying.
05:49Some businesses are so infuriated by the paid car parks that they've put signs in their window saying the Swirlborough
05:56councillors responsible are actually banned.
05:59So I went to go meet them.
06:02Customers love my food.
06:06They love my service.
06:08That's why I don't want to lose my customers.
06:11And I offer them, if they park their car in the park, I will pay them the first one hour.
06:20But I can do this, I do this now, but if this comes to one year every day, if I
06:26pay them, it costs me too much money.
06:28In Queenborough, there are two car parks that visitors must now pay to stay in, starting at £1.60 an
06:36hour.
06:37These posters name and shame the councillors that voted for these new measures, which was started by the Flying Dutchman
06:44when the proposals were initially introduced last year.
06:48Although the landlord didn't want to chat, the bar manager, stopping at the nearby Rose Inn, told me business was
06:55on the rocks.
06:56Yep, it's affecting us massively. The car park's empty every single day. During the week, the sun's out. We've got
07:03usual people in the garden and stuff.
07:05We're having no one at the minute. Very, very quiet. Parties, everything is just at least halved.
07:12If one of those councillors walked into your restaurant, would you serve them?
07:16No. Not just for my business. I don't want to serve them because they don't live here. They don't know
07:22what's the problem here.
07:23No, get out of our park.
07:25Honestly, I don't want to ban them. They don't even know where we are, to be fair to them.
07:30If they want to come in, I'll take their money, because we need it to survive at the moment.
07:35Charles was the only councillor mentioned on the sign who was up for chatting.
07:39I mean, obviously, businesses are entitled to serve who they want. That's their prerogative. It wouldn't be my way of
07:45operating.
07:46One of the really annoying, boring bits of local government rules is money that you make on parking can only
07:53be spent on parking stuff.
07:55So this pot of money that we had available to put in these machines and generate this income could only
08:00be used for that.
08:01But with things not set to change for the foreseeable, it's up to the businesses then to see the glass
08:07as half full.
08:09Rather than half empty.
08:11Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Queanbrook.
08:16Next, a man who was shot by police officers at his home has been charged with six offenders,
08:21including possession of a firearm with intent to danger life.
08:25Police attended an address in Ashford Road, Honoury, in July to conduct an arrest for an outstanding warrant.
08:31While conducting the warrant, Sean O'Meara was shot, arrested and taken to hospital with life-changing injuries.
08:37O'Meara appeared by video link during a hearing at Medway Magistrate's Court today.
08:41He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth before being remanded into custody ahead of a further
08:46court hearing.
08:49Now, a bridge between past, present and future, and also both sides of the Embankment Marina,
08:55as Gravesend gets a new swing bridge across the Canal Basin after three years of it being closed off.
09:01It's great news for those walking the King Charles III England coastal path,
09:04as they no longer need to divert from the coastal route by walking through the town centre,
09:09as Megan Shaw went to find out.
09:10He swings, he scores.
09:20And with the ribbon cut, the swing bridge across the Gravesend Canal Basin was in place.
09:27The first new one since 1983.
09:31Now, it's been three long years since walking from one side of the marina to the other has been possible,
09:37as the previous bridge was rotting.
09:40It also completes the King Charles III English coastal path here in Kent,
09:45and that's a 2,689-mile-long path, the world's largest, in fact, stretching round the English coast.
09:53For those here in Kent, it means that rather than going a long way round in Gravesend,
09:59walkers can continue across the bridge and enjoy the sight of the Thames beside them.
10:06Walkers and cyclists are, again, so enthusiastic and so passionate about what they do.
10:14And, of course, if part of the pathway, or indeed all of it at one point, wasn't open to them,
10:18they got a bit cross, and I could understand that.
10:21So, again, it's just watching that passion and enthusiasm.
10:25And, of course, without all of that, where would Gravesend be?
10:30Where would any community be? We'd be lost.
10:33The Embankment Marina, which looks after moored boats, is ran by Sharon Brokenshire,
10:39who's been the brains behind the operation to reconnect the marina.
10:43Thanks to funding from Kent County Council, shared with us, we've managed to get the money together
10:51and to very clearly put together a team of very, very skilled artisans, of skilled workmen,
11:00to be able to help us to put a bridge in that is like what we imagine it would have
11:05been like in the 19th century.
11:07But it also seems that wooden bridges aren't the only ones being built in Gravesend.
11:13Well, as a sailing club, we wouldn't normally celebrate the opening of a bridge,
11:16because obviously we can't go under them.
11:18But this is slightly different, because now we'll be able to, when walkers come along to the end of the
11:22prom
11:23and ask us why can't they get across the bridge, and we have to disappoint them and say,
11:26well, it's been closed for a number of years, and send them the long way around to get on to
11:31restart the footpath,
11:32the other side of the bridge, we won't have that issue now.
11:35It was an expensive project, estimated to cost up to £98,000.
11:41But for those here to celebrate, it does not seem to have been a bridge too far.
11:48Megan Shaw for Kame TV, in Gravesend.
11:51Now it's time for a short break, but do stick around,
11:54as we'll be speaking to Maisie Walker about the new sci-fi project Hail Mary.
11:58We'll also take a look at the Kent Food and Drinks Awards and the weather,
12:01so do stick around and we'll see you soon.
12:21We'll see you soon.
18:09Thank you so much for joining us.
18:10You're welcome.
18:12And speaking of ice creams, it's now time to take a look at the weather.
21:36is needed to fund the initial scheme
21:38and is calling on the government and other funders
21:41to recognise its importance.
21:42But with energy prices forecast to rise this July,
21:46will the UK harness the power of the tide?
21:49Nayla Mohamed for KMTV at Medway Bay Marina.
21:54Now, a new dystopian series set at a Kent beach
21:57has started filming,
21:58with an award-winning actress spotted on set.
22:01Anna Friel, known for Limitless, Perfect
22:03and for winning an Emmy for Best Actress in Marcella,
22:06has joined the cast of The Dreamlands,
22:08based on a novel of the same name.
22:10It follows the UK in 2039,
22:13showing a world of soaring temperatures and rising seas,
22:16and will also show local landmarks of Margate, like Dreamland.
22:19The six-part drama will air on the BBC,
22:21but there's no release date yet.
22:24And finally, joining me in the studio today
22:26is our very own Maisie Walker,
22:28here to talk about the latest movie releases
22:30ahead of tonight's Kent Film Club.
22:33So, Maisie, you've been talking about this movie non-stop
22:35since it's come out.
22:37Tell me, why do you love Project Hail Mary so much?
22:39Well, Nayla, because it's amaze, amaze, amaze, of course.
22:43Of course.
22:43But people's love for this movie has extended way,
22:46you know, excuse the pun,
22:48but way past Earth now, you know,
22:50when Commander Reed Wiseman described the view of Earth
22:54and the moon on the Orion spacecraft,
22:57so I'm talking about Artemis here,
22:58a voice from Mission Control responded,
23:01amaze, amaze, amaze,
23:02which is a direct reference to Rocky in Hail Mary.
23:05And, you know, more onto kind of the cinematography,
23:08it's so beautifully shot,
23:10and it takes you through a wide range of emotions.
23:14Like, I mean, you know how emotional I am.
23:15I was crying, I was laughing, I was angry,
23:18then I was probably crying again.
23:19And what I love most is that they make Grace,
23:24like, a real person.
23:25He's not, you know, trying to be Captain America
23:27or some hero.
23:28He is genuinely a flawed person,
23:31because let's be real,
23:32if someone rocked up and said,
23:33hey, yeah, you're going to go to space and save the world,
23:35you'd be like, what?
23:36No, I'm not going.
23:37So I like that they made him feel real.
23:41I also, of course, developed, you know,
23:43a very deep emotional connection to Rocky,
23:45as one does, you know.
23:47Oh, I love that guy.
23:48I love that guy so much.
23:50I mean, I, you know, saw it, you know,
23:52that's the English literature nerd in me,
23:54as some kind of metaphor for humanity.
23:56You know, we may look different
23:57and speak different languages,
23:58but love is universal.
24:00And when Rocky talks about his partner to Grace,
24:04and he says, you know,
24:05about the amount of time that they've had together,
24:06and he just goes, it's not enough.
24:08I think that's so beautiful and just so real.
24:11Absolutely.
24:11I mean, you've echoed everything
24:13that I was about to say about the movie anyway,
24:15but I very much feel the same way.
24:16I feel like they've showed empathy
24:18in a completely different way,
24:20which is what I really loved about the movie.
24:22But moving on to another one of our,
24:23both our obsessions, actually,
24:25it's young Sherlock,
24:26which actually has a bit of a connection to Kent.
24:30Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:31I mean, it's only, you know,
24:32quite a small connection,
24:33but obviously a little bit of a spoiler here
24:35is that in this certain bit of the show,
24:38when the princess is coming down to England,
24:41she uses Dover to kind of get there.
24:44And what I really like about this show
24:46is not just how beautiful it's shot,
24:49but also it's kind of following Sherlock
24:51as he's finding his feet.
24:53You know, he's not very comfortable with himself
24:55or his intellect just yet.
24:56Like you see throughout the series
24:57that you're picking up clues,
24:59and he's kind of like,
25:00I don't know if I trust this,
25:01I don't know if this is right.
25:04And, you know, I feel like that's something
25:05that we all can relate to as human,
25:07kind of trusting, you know,
25:08that inner voice sometimes.
25:11And it's just nice seeing that subtle representation in him.
25:14And, of course, you know,
25:16your obsession as well, Nayla,
25:18the man, the myth, the legend,
25:20Donald Finn,
25:20who I mainly know through Hadestown.
25:24And that actually brings us on to our next point,
25:26which is Hadestown.
25:27And now this isn't a film,
25:29it's a theatre play.
25:30So tell me a little bit about that obsession.
25:33Well, where do I start?
25:34Where do I start with this one?
25:36Honestly, I could yap about this for days.
25:38It's just so beautiful.
25:39And it follows the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice,
25:44which, you know, is just heartbreaking.
25:46And it's so tragic.
25:47You know, it's about this man
25:49who falls in love with the girl,
25:51you know, as it usually,
25:52you know, any great story starts.
25:54And basically what happens,
25:56you know, it varies according to some myths.
25:59Obviously, it's different in the play,
26:00but, you know, he kind of,
26:03you know, in this certain myth,
26:05she's bit by a snake.
26:06And then she's obviously, you know,
26:07and she died.
26:08And then Orpheus is so distraught
26:09that he travels down to the underworld
26:11and plays on his lyre.
26:12So he is actually referenced in Harry Potter
26:14as well with the three,
26:16what is it, Cerberus, I think it is.
26:18The dog?
26:18Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:19He had a dog.
26:19He kind of sings Cerberus to sleep
26:23to get through to the underworld.
26:25And he sees Hades and Persephone
26:27and he's like, I need her back.
26:29I need this love again.
26:32And ultimately, Hades is, you know,
26:34persuade, but only with a cost.
26:36And that's how he can't look back.
26:38But it's actually a poem I saw a couple,
26:41I think it was a couple of days ago,
26:42where it's like it's only nature to look back,
26:44which is obviously what Orpheus does in the end.
26:47Amazing.
26:48Thank you so much, Maisie.
26:51Now, you've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV
26:54and we'll see you again tomorrow evening
26:55for some more news.
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