Latest news with #TomHughes
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
‘I was desperate to fight for my country, but my dream was destroyed by military bureaucracy'
Tom Hughes is the kind of young man who could front an Armed Forces recruitment ad. He dreamt of joining the Royal Navy since boyhood, served in his local Sea Cadet Force, and has few of Generation Z's hang-ups about military life. So in 2021, fresh from graduation, he filled in the online application to join, and waited. And waited. Several months later, he got a call from the Armed Forces careers office – bringing not one, but two pieces of bad news: 'First, they told me that I'd been declared medically unfit, because I'd seen a physio three years before about a pain in one leg,' says Hughes, 27, from Pembrokeshire. 'Not only that, they accused me of dishonesty for not mentioning it on the application form.' Hughes had all but forgotten about the physio appointment, which had happened while he was doing basic training for the Army Reserve at university back in 2018, and which was already on his military records. 'They told me it was nothing serious, so I didn't even mention it when I applied for the Navy,' he says. 'But after they deemed me medically unfit, I had to appeal. It dragged on for a whole year before they resolved it in my favour, and even then, there was no apology for questioning my integrity.' Despite winning his appeal, Hughes was so ground down by the procedure that he put his dream of a Navy career aside. He plans to reapply at some point in the future, although not every recruit has his level of persistence. According to statistics published last year, roughly three-quarters of the million-odd people who applied to join Britain's Armed Forces over the past decade, gave up because the procedure went on too long. Some 83 per cent of the 707,000 people who applied to join the Army voluntarily withdrew their application. Risking their lives for King and country is one thing. Doing battle with military recruitment bureaucracy – an assault course of call centres, red tape and over-fussy criteria – is another altogether. Even for those who are successful, wait times of six or nine months are common. Last month, the Forces' HR procedures got a broadside from no less a figure than the head of the Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. He told a Parliamentary defence committee that contrary to popular opinion, young people were more than willing to fight: for every place in the Army, for example, there were up to a dozen applicants. Instead, the problem was the recruitment process, which he said was 'behind the times'. 'Young people expect a response and they expect engagement,' he said. 'They do not expect to have to fill in the most difficult computer system ever. We take too long to deal with medical issues. We lose too many people.' Adml Radakin's intervention comes in the wake of a two-year-long Armed Forces recruitment ad campaign called 'You Belong Here', designed to show the military as a modern, inclusive employer. What has not evolved as fast, however, is physical selection criteria, which critics say is outdated and over-fussy. In the past decade, for example, thousands of applicants have been blocked for conditions like hay fever, eczema and even acne. MoD guidelines from 2019 state that severe adolescent pimples can 'affect the ability to wear military clothing or to operate military equipment'. Nor is it just the spotty and snotty who are at risk. Bygone injuries such as broken bones and torn ligaments – often simply the result of an active lifestyle – can also rule applicants out. Right now, Britain's military chiefs cannot afford to be that choosy. At a summit in The Hague last month, all Nato member nations pledged to increase defence spending to 5 per cent by 2035 to counter the threat from Russia. Yet all three Armed Forces branches are currently struggling to maintain their ranks, thanks to difficulties in retention as well as recruitment. Last year, more than 14,500 service members left, while only 12,850 new recruits joined. Indeed, just last month one of the Royal Navy's most senior officers warned it was effectively running out of sailors, owing to the recruitment crisis. Asked to identify the single biggest challenge facing the Navy, Vice-Admiral Andrew Burns, the Fleet Commander, cited a shortfall in headcount. 'It's people, right now. It's the quantity of people.' Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures show Britain's naval forces have failed to hit their recruitment targets every year since 2011, registering a deficit of more than 1,500 personnel in 2023-24. Overall, intake was therefore 40 per cent below the desired level, with the Army and the Royal Air Force missing their own targets too, by 37 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. 'Computer says no' culture Among those who share the concerns voiced by Adml Radakin and Vice-Adml Burns is Helen Maguire, the Liberal Democrat's defence spokesperson. She has personal experience of the military recruitment procedure, having served as a captain with the Royal Military Police in Iraq. She points out that people in their late teens or early twenties, 'cannot afford to wait around' while applications drag on, and may end up taking different career paths altogether. She also questions the decision, implemented since 2012, to close many high street recruitment offices and outsource procedures to HR firm Capita. That, she says, has created an impersonal, centralised system that fosters a 'computer says no' culture. She contrasts it to her own experience more than 20 years ago, where officers were selected via the Army's Regular Commissions Board, or RCB. 'At the time, there'd generally be some retired colonel who'd talk to you on a very friendly basis and help you understand what life in the military would be like. You'd then do a pre-RCB test, where you'd be graded green, amber or red, according to suitability. 'But the same weekend you did that, you'd also get a full medical on-site, so if you had any conditions, they'd tell you pretty much immediately. Today, that system doesn't exist for a lot of regular soldiers – instead their primary contact is with a civilian in Capita, who's going through a bit of a tick-box exercise.' That gets particularly problematic, she adds, if a recruit has a medical issue such as childhood asthma or an old rugby injury. Whereas before, the on-site medical could often resolve it either way immediately, now it often involves requests for bygone medical records, involving a separate bureaucratic battle with the NHS. 'Unless you've been with the same doctor from birth, you'll have to go back to some old surgery and ask them to dig out your records, which isn't a priority for most GPs.' A particularly tricky hurdle is mental health. Generation Z have been taught not to see this as a taboo subject, and to seek professional help if they have issues. But a medical history of mental health issues or self-harm can complicate an application to the military, where everyone must be assessed on how they will cope in extremis, in a warzone. 'Younger people are generally more open about mental health issues, and don't always realise how strict the military can be about it,' says Alexander Shane Archer, a former Army officer who now writes on military affairs. 'The military understandably has a very low risk tolerance on this, but there is a bit of a sense that it hasn't adapted to changing times.' While there is no blanket ban on those with a history of mental health issues, provided they are not too recent or severe, each case is judged on its own merits. Military social media forums often have chat threads about whether scars from past self-harming attempts may scupper applications. Outdated 'job for life' thinking More generally, there is a sense that in 21st-century warfare, not every applicant needs to be capable of marching 30 miles across the Brecon Beacons. Paul O'Neill is a senior associate at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), who previously worked within HR for the MoD. He says the military still operates with something of a 'job for life' recruitment culture, which most employers long ago abandoned. According to Adml Radakin, the military's medical rules assume all recruits may serve a full career of 22 years when, for most, the length of service is only between seven and 12 years. 'There is a view that those joining the Armed Forces will be there till pension age, when in reality, most don't serve anything like that long,' O'Neill says. 'That drives a demand for physical perfection. There's also an assumption that anyone in uniform must be able to pick up a weapon and fight – but there are probably some areas where you could change that.' One category where fitness rules have already been relaxed is the new National Cyber Force, where recruits will do a shortened version of the 10-week basic training. MoD guidelines also state that applicants, 'will not be required to serve in dangerous environments, and there is no weapons handling involved.' While some fear this risks creating a 'two-tier military', others argue it is simply pragmatic. As one defence insider jokes: 'Alan Turing probably couldn't do many push-ups.' Last month, Vice-Adml Burns said recruitment procedures should be reviewed to attract more tech-minded staff. 'A different blend in the workforce is required for the sort of systems and challenges we are going to face,' he said in a lecture at RUSI. 'That doesn't mean, necessarily, that we want people in uniform, because we know there are people with the right skills out there that want to serve their nation, but we don't necessarily have to have them marching up and down a parade ground.' The Defence Secretary John Healey, who was a robust critic of recruitment procedures while in opposition, insists things are now improving. Last year his department scrapped more than 100 'outdated medical policies', leading to more than 700 case reviews for applicants who had been blocked for conditions like hay fever and acne. An MoD spokesperson said: 'This Government inherited a recruitment crisis, with targets being missed every year for the past 14 years and is taking decisive action to stop the long-term decline in numbers and speed up the recruitment process. 'We are committed to fixing recruitment and retention and have already given personnel the largest pay rise in decades,' said the spokesperson, adding that the Government had 'passed legislation through the Commons to introduce a new Armed Forces Commissioner to improve service life.' A new combined Armed Forces Recruitment Service will also launch in 2027, replacing the individual Army, Navy and Air Force schemes, which the MoD says will make recruitment 'faster, simpler and more accessible for everyone.' Among those who might be re-applying will be Tom Hughes. In the year it had taken for his application to be reviewed, he had secured a new job working in the Welsh parliament, and saw other career opportunities opening up. But while he is prepared to give the Navy another chance, he warns that other applicants might be less patient. 'I do still want to join the Navy, as it's always been my dream, but a lot of people who went through what I went through might decide they have better options in life.'
Associated Press
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, winner of 8 N.L. batting titles, passes away
June 16 1916 — Tom Hughes of the Boston Braves pitched a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh Pirates. 1938 — Jimmie Foxx didn't get a chance to hit as the St. Louis Browns walked him six straight times. The Boston Red Sox won anyway, 12-8. 1953 — The St. Louis Browns beat New York 3-1 to break the Yankees' 18-game winning streak and end their 14-game losing streak. 1957 — Relief pitcher Dixie Howell hit two home runs in the 3 2-3 innings he pitched to lead the Chicago White Sox to an 8-6 victory in the second game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators. 1971 — The Oakland Athletics hit five solo home runs in a 5-1 win over the Washington Senators. Mike Epstein and Joe Rudi had a pair homers and Dave Duncan one. Epstein's home runs came in his first two at-bats to give him homers in four straight at-bats over two games. 1978 — After three ninth-inning near misses, Tom Seaver threw the first no-hitter of his 12-year career as the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. 1991 — Otis Nixon of Atlanta stole six bases against Montreal to set a modern National League record and tie the major league record set by Eddie Collins of the Philadelphia A's in 1912. Montreal won the game 7-6. 1992 — Boston's Mark Reardon became baseball's all-time save leader when he closed out a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees. Reardon logged his 342nd save to pass Rollie Fingers. 1993 — Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners hits his 100th career home run in Seattle's 6 - 1 victory over Kansas City to become the fourth-youngest to hit the century mark. Only Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews and Tony Conigliaro did it faster than the 23-year-old Griffey. 2001 — John Olerud went 4-for-5 and hit for the cycle as Seattle beat the San Diego Padres 9-2. He hit a homer in the ninth to complete the cycle. 2009 — The San Diego Padres set a major league record with their 12th straight loss in interleague play when they fell 5-0 to Seattle. 2014 — Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, winner of eight National League batting titles, passes away from cancer of the salivary gland at 54. 2015 — Brock Holt became the first Boston player to hit for the cycle since 1996 and the Red Sox slugged their way out to a 9-4 victory over Atlanta. 2015 — Manny Machado and Chris Parmelee each hit two of an Orioles-record eight home runs, and Baltimore pounded woeful Philadelphia 19-3. The eight home runs were the most by the Orioles since their move from St. Louis in 1954. 2019 — An authentic Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey from 1928-30 sets a record for a piece of baseball memorabilia as it sells for $5.64 million at auction. 2019 — The Padres and Rockies set a record for most combined runs in a four-game series with a total of 92, breaking the previous record of 88 set in 1929 between the Brooklyn Robins and Phillies. _____
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Malpractice ITV: how many episodes are left in series 2?
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Malpractice has returned for series 2 - but how many episodes are left? 👀 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The ITV show returned last weekend for its second series. The MIU are investigating Dr James Ford this time. But when will series 2 come to an end? Malpractice has kept viewers on their toes with yet another riveting medical mystery. The thriller series has returned after two years away from the screen. In the drama, which is an anthology show, the Medical Investigation Unit takes on a new case each season. This time they are investigating Dr James Ford (Tom Hughes) after the death of a patient. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But how many episodes are left of Malpractice? Here's all you need to know: What time is Malpractice on TV? Tom Hughes in Malpractice series 2 | ITV The medical drama's second series continues tonight (May 11). The show is once again being broadcast on ITV1/ STV and will also be available on ITVX and STV Player. It is scheduled to start at 9pm and the episode will run for around an hour, including ad-breaks. Expect similar timings for the rest of Malpractice season two. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How many episodes of Malpractice are left in series 2? ITV dramas can vary in length - from as little as three to six or even more. Malpractice has a bit of a unique number in its first season with five in total. The same is the case for the second series of Malpractice - it has five episodes in total. The remaining ones will air on May 11 and May 12. If you can't wait, the full boxset is already available to watch on demand via ITVX and STV Player. All ten episodes from season one and two can be watched right now. Will there be a series 3 of Malpractice? The show has adopted an anthology format - with different cases taking the focus each season. It leaves plenty of room for it to continue beyond series two. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Grace Ofori-Attah, creator of Malpractice, has spoken about the potential for season three. Telling RadioTimes : 'I've always got ideas. If ITV wants to give me some more series, then I will definitely come up with some stories for them. "I would love to see Norma and George just come back time and time again and become a real staple of UK TV, I would really love that." ITV has yet to announce if there will be a third series of Malpractice. Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: Chris Packham gets inside the minds of people with ADHD
9pm, BBC Two Autistic presenter Chris Packham returns with his Inside Our Minds series, this time meeting people with ADHD to make a film about what life is like for them. Tour guide Henry describes his struggle to regulate attention as being like the balls in a tombola. Jo, meanwhile, was diagnosed during the menopause; it's another diagnosis missed more often in women. Touching and informative. Hollie Richardson 9pm, ITV1 Moody Dr James Ford (Tom Hughes) is even moodier, since he found suspended midwife Maria Carter dead in her flat. What does this mean for the MIU's investigation? Even as more evidence points towards serious wrongdoing, getting anyone to go on record seems impossible. But maybe George (Jordan Kouamé) already has access to the information they need? Ellen E Jones 9pm, Channel 4 Appearing on national television seems a drastic way of addressing very personal struggles with sex and intimacy. But that's the scenario facing 12 adult virgins in this new series. They'll be heading to a luxury resort in the Med to see if a course of therapy can help them overcome their issues. Phil Harrison 9pm, Sky Atlantic Anyone worried that the action would go downhill after that explosive second episode needn't have worried: it was hard to breathe as Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) were chased through Seattle last week. They now know where to find Abby – but with Dina pregnant, will Ellie go it alone? HR 9pm, Sky Witness As another series of the campy Good Wife spin-off begins, a night at the opera ends in murder, with one audience member meeting his fate in a scene ripped straight from Tosca. As always, viewers see whodunnit first – a la Columbo – before Carrie Preston's oh-so-quirky detective works out the how and why. Hannah J Davies 11pm, BBC Two A deeply emotional and sobering documentary sees Fergus Walsh visit California and Canada, where assisted dying is legal. The main case, an octogenarian in excruciating pain, is an unarguable mercy, but the arguments against the practice are also compelling. Jack Seale Gladiator II (Ridley Scott, 2024), Paramount+Considering the success of the original, it's a surprise it has taken 24 years for Ridley Scott to return to the Colosseum. But there's still a lot of familiarity in his ancient Roman sequel – from returning characters to elaborate fight scenes and animal antics. Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe's Maximus, who is living a quiet life in north Africa until an invading Roman army takes him into slavery. From there, it's a short hop to becoming a gladiator and reviving his father's rebel stance, while his owner, Macrinus (a lip-smacking Denzel Washington), plots to overthrow the unstable twin emperors. Mescal is more of a brooder than Crowe, which lends the film an elegaic, end-of-an-era feel. Simon Wardell Championship Football: Sheffield United v Bristol City, 7.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event Play-off semi-final second leg; Sunderland v Coventry is on Tuesday at 7.30pm.
Scotsman
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Malpractice ITV: how many episodes are left in series 2?
Malpractice has returned for series 2 - but how many episodes are left? 👀 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The ITV show returned last weekend for its second series. The MIU are investigating Dr James Ford this time. But when will series 2 come to an end? Malpractice has kept viewers on their toes with yet another riveting medical mystery. The thriller series has returned after two years away from the screen. In the drama, which is an anthology show, the Medical Investigation Unit takes on a new case each season. This time they are investigating Dr James Ford (Tom Hughes) after the death of a patient. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But how many episodes are left of Malpractice? Here's all you need to know: What time is Malpractice on TV? Tom Hughes in Malpractice series 2 | ITV The medical drama's second series continues tonight (May 11). The show is once again being broadcast on ITV1/ STV and will also be available on ITVX and STV Player. It is scheduled to start at 9pm and the episode will run for around an hour, including ad-breaks. Expect similar timings for the rest of Malpractice season two. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How many episodes of Malpractice are left in series 2? ITV dramas can vary in length - from as little as three to six or even more. Malpractice has a bit of a unique number in its first season with five in total. The same is the case for the second series of Malpractice - it has five episodes in total. The remaining ones will air on May 11 and May 12. If you can't wait, the full boxset is already available to watch on demand via ITVX and STV Player. All ten episodes from season one and two can be watched right now. Will there be a series 3 of Malpractice? The show has adopted an anthology format - with different cases taking the focus each season. It leaves plenty of room for it to continue beyond series two. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Grace Ofori-Attah, creator of Malpractice, has spoken about the potential for season three. Telling RadioTimes : 'I've always got ideas. If ITV wants to give me some more series, then I will definitely come up with some stories for them. "I would love to see Norma and George just come back time and time again and become a real staple of UK TV, I would really love that." ITV has yet to announce if there will be a third series of Malpractice.
