13/12/2011 BBC Newsline

Good evening, this is BBC Newsline. The headlines this Tuesday evening.

It could be the biggest shake-up in the local health service since the

foundation of the NHS, with a halving of the number of acute

hospital. GP surgeries could merge into bigger groups carrying out

treatments can be done in hospital. Fears that housing benefit changes

will result in more than people becoming homeless. We are with the

police on a raid in County Armagh. And a very windy evening with snow

and ice in places but tomorrow is a bit more settled.

Our health service is on the verge of the greatest process of change

for a generation. The blueprint revealed in a review today it is

based on a service around the needs of individuals, shifting care into

the community, treating people in their own homes. Accident and

emergency care could be limited to just five centres. GPs and

pharmacists will be asked to do much more and there will be

emphasis on preventing illness. In a moment we will have reaction from

one regional hospital and we will put the concerns to the health

minister. But first, our health correspondent details the main

proposals. It is the biggest shake-up of

health and social care services in Northern Ireland in 50 years.

Endorsing the document, Edwin Poots said its significance should not be

underestimated. I believe this is the most important statement I have

made for am likely to make to this house in respect of our health and

social care system. recommendation suggests sweeping

changes. Among the most controversial is reducing the

number of hospitals which provide accident and emergency care and

treatment for more serious conditions. At the moment there are

10 acute hospitals across Northern Ireland. That is likely to be

reduced to six. In Belfast, the Royal Hospital will be the centre

for acute services. Elsewhere, there are major question-marks over

what services Daisy Hill in Newry put provide in the future.

Belfast, it is quite clear. They should work as effectively as if

they will want hospital, so that there is no duplication of services.

Understandably, patients often concerned about how long it will

take to travel to hospital in an emergency. The review suggests that

what is more important is the quality of care that you get when

you arrive. It is a very busy tourist area in the summer time and

it is good to have accident and emergency close by. I have a little

child and if something happened I would have to go to the Antrim or

the Belfast. I would argue that it is good news. The minister did not

say anything this morning to dissuade me from that. Cross border

co-operation is another development. The radiotherapy department in

dairy bull Service patients from Ulster and downside but it will not

be one-way traffic. This is what I wanted. I believe it is important

that we say we have moved the user, the patient, the client, to the

centre and the services are delivered around the needs of the

patient user. People wishing to be called for in their own home should

be able to do just that. The money will come from transferring over

�83 million from the hospital budget to community care instead.

Is this review radical? Yes. Is it ambitious, yes. But the biggest

obstacle is finding the money to ensure its smooth transition and

also the reaction from politicians, particularly those living in areas

where accident and emergency services could be gone by a 2016.

The �70 million he is looking for is really an investor to say

proposal, whereas if the money is spent on this purpose in the longer

run it will save on Derry expensive infrastructure. Against the

backdrop of waiting lists and low morale, another challenge is

bringing patients and health workers along with the minister.

Your GP will be up a heart of any big change. They will be asked to

do more of the kind of procedures can be done in hospital. It is part

of a drive to keep patients out of hospital, which is the most

expensive place to deliver care. �83 million will be shifted out of

hospital budgets into the community to provide those services. Our

report has been to the Falls Road in Belfast to see how it might work.

In these streets there at least five GP services. The reforms

announced today would see them affected in two ways. They would be

asked to take on some of the work that hospitals have traditionally

done and they will be expected to work together more closely to

provide those services. To reduce suggest that the 253 GP practices

across Northern Ireland would come together into 17 so-called

federations. Within the federations, they would develop specialisms in

things like dermatology of physiotherapy. This sort of model

is already working here. In east Belfast, patients at this health

centre can have ear, nose and throat procedures done, saving them

a long wait for hospital appointments. This doctor is a

false road GP. He said the new system can work. Or on the face of

it I do not think we will see any great change in the way that people

attend to their GP. The way we deliver other services probably

will change. The current system is not sustainable. Under the

traditional arrangements, people who go to their GP and are referred

on normally end up at their local hospital. But you could end up in

the future somewhere like this. It is a community based facility

offering a range of services such as dietary help, physiotherapy Prix,

and did the system is to work you could end up seeing someone here

rather than your local hospital. know my own doctor personally. I

have got used to him over the years. It is hard to get to see the same

doctor and form a personal relationship with them, even in the

small surgery. If you had to go to some sort of super surgeries, how

would you feel about that? Not good. Whether the proposals mean a

quicker and better health service is still under review.

Daisy Hill in the Newry is one of the hospitals that could lose its

accident and emergency. We are joined by Staff Nurse John McCardle,

who is also a local councillor. You could lose A&E but could also

expand become a regional speciality centre. Is that the compromise?

do not think so. We have an awful lot to offer here. We have a lot of

people coming to our A&E. It is up to 40,000 in the last 12 months. We

had a lot of people coming from the Republic of Ireland. If they come

between it 9:00am and 5pm during the week, if they pay up, as it

were, for the treatment they receive. He become after that, they

signed a former make a commitment to pay. We have a valuable service

to offer not only to our own people but two counties in the republic.

Do you believe that as part of this increased cross-border traffic,

Daisy Hill should keep its A&E and perhaps be expanded? Is that not

greedy? Not at all. We are living at the moment at the centre of any

economic corridor between Belfast and Dublin. The population is

growing and it is in this is that we will grow by 40,000 in the next

20 years. -- envisaged. That will put pressure on schools and

hospitals, so we should be talking about expanding the service that we

offer. We are doing and will pull lot more than we did over the years

and, as I believe, there is room for expansion. We are not Luddites,

we realise that you must move forward. But I think we need

equality. The Health Minister could win pitch it with me now. This is

the kind of argument you're going to get -- Edwin Poots. I go back to

the issue of sustainability and resilience. What the report is

looking for is an assurance that there is an adequate number of

experts to maintain emergency surgery so that people get the

quality of care that they need. People need quality and they demand

quality and they should get it in the health system. The key words of

this review our treatment in the home and getting people out of

hospital. Community care and getting people away from these big,

expensive centres, but those have been mantras of the health service

for decades. Why should we think this latest move will be any more

successful? It is very clear as to what the report believes we should

do. We have identified where funding will be transferred and

over the next coming months crooks will have to identify how they

actually implement this report and have the outcome required. It is

such a fundamental stiffed. Are they not historical reasons for

thinking it probably will not happen the way they you lay it out

here? It is in necessary shift. We have a population which is growing

more elderly, with a growing number of long-term conditions. We can

respond to that in a better way to deliver better outcomes in a way

that is more cost-effective. Therefore it is incumbent upon us

to insure that is what happened. Unions say you're not putting the

money in to do it properly. It has to cost more money and you keep

telling us there is no more money. Were we to keep doing the same

thing, the Budget we would require would be higher. Those kind of

figures need to be addressed. This will enable us to do that without

cutting services brutally, which would otherwise be the case. Great

emphasis on cross-border traffic. Will that be a problem for some

Unionists? I do not know any Unionist that have a particular

problem whenever people come up to the supermarkets and acquire

services from us. But structural cross-border work is something

Unionists do have a problem but. This is not about any particular

deep concerns on that front. It is about providing the best quality of

care for people who live in our border areas. If we want to

maintain good quality services it is important that we offer our

services and people buy services from us. It this is not up and

running by 2016 bullet have failed? I would expect we will be moving

very quickly over the next two or three years and people will seek

fundamental change in the health system. Still to come, how rising

prices and static incomes are putting a squeeze on the Christmas

party. As Lawrie Sanchez Wyddial sea has written a letter of apology

took Nigel Worthington, we reveal the dwindling list of candidates

for the Northern Ireland's manager Homelessness is increasing in

Northern Ireland and could get worse. Tonight, in his second

special report, Will Leitch finds how homeless charities are bracing

themselves for even more difficult times in the new year.

One man's search for somewhere to sleep. But homeless charities fear

an increase in young people in the same situation. From January 1st

there is a change in housing benefit. More people will be

classed as single young people when claiming for accommodation. The

rules changed the operator limit from 25-35. An estimated 5,000 more

people will claim. But they will claim.

Housing benefit will be restricted to what it costs to rent a single

We are bracing my Cirque -- ourselves for a massive influx of

young people. These are people who are sofa surfers. As recession

bites, their family and friends are not going to be able to provide for

these young people. Tonight, predictions of further

pressure on accommodation in Northern Ireland are due to further

benefit changes. People are not aware that so many

young people on housing benefit, not just people who are unemployed

but people who have well Duke -- wages, will be affected by a whole

raft of benefit changes. I estimate that in the coming years roundabout

160,000 people will find a drop in their housing benefit.

All parties agreed there are likely to be a lot more homeless people in

2012 and that prospect, like tonight's weather, is very bleak

indeed. A man has appeared in court in

donned Doc charged with the murder of a Crossmaglen man. -- been done

dog. James Hughes was shot dead in done

a dog in the early hours. A man approached his taxi and fired

several shots into the vehicle. At the well known G A A player died

from his injuries. The defendant did not speak at any time during

the hearing but police described how he had contacted them by

telephone and had been very remorseful and truthful about what

happened to James Hughes. When officers, I apologise to him, his

family and to his friends. The young woman who was also -- and do

the young woman who was in the taxi. He said, I cannot live with myself

for doing this. He was remanded in custody.

Two men have been arrested after the police uncovered a suspected

drugs factory in County Armagh. Dead and dying horse has also found

in the operation, near Mountnorris. This report contains distressing

images from the beginning. Microchip identification on a dead

horse found near Mountnorris. A second horse was in such bad

condition that it had to be destroyed and the third horse was

rescued. Police uncovered what they believe to be a drugs factory.

Specialist teams carried out a search and took away cannabis

plants as well as other equipment. Two men are helping police with

their inquiries. The chairman of the Tourist Board

has accused the Audit Office in questioning whether the Titanic

Signature Project and the Giants Causeway Visitor Centre will be

able to attract enough visitors. The Audit Office says it doubts the

long-term appeal of the titanic building.

The tourism ambition is to double the value of tourism by 2020. Do I

have no doubt -- I have no doubt that in the medium term we will

definitely visit her on the visitor projections. -- deliver on the

visitor projections. Inflation has fallen to 4.8 %,

still much higher than the rate at which my peak -- most people's pay

is rising. Kevin Magee has been finding out

how rising prices have been squeezing business and consumers.

Today's inflation figures mean that prices are rock and so is the cost

of Christmas. The pound in your pocket at this year's Christmas

party will buy you less. Businesses are having to absorb rising costs,

often this means making savings in other areas.

Anything down to the dishwasher we are looking at. Everything is about

efficiencies, lights going off and on. We have gone around and changed

all of our lighting systems to which -- delights with a longer

shelf-life. We have gone through bedrooms. You walk through and you

think, how much is that costing? It is 13 storeys high. Prices have

been increasing at around 5 % but food has been rising much Cork --

much faster. Does the head chef at the Europa Hotel have any advice

about how people at home can cut costs this Christmas. If you don't

need it, don't buy it. By what you need, use it if you have it and by

as much fresh product as you can and let support the fruit and

vegetable guy on the corner, because his prices are very

competitive compared to the supermarket. People need to be re-

educated. The customers also say they are watching their spending.

am going to cut back on the amount of money I give to their

grandchildren. Money is a bit tighter so we are just going to

have a close family Christmas and try to cut back. I have really

price checked everything down to my Christmas cards this year. Price

rises are not just a problem for businesses like this one. Every

home in Northern Ireland will find it more expensive to put together a

Christmas dinner this year. On tomorrow night's programme, we

will be examining the links that some people are having to go to

just to find work. -- lengths. Lawrie Sanchez has said that he has

written a letter of apology to his successor.

Today he brought himself out off the run-in -- the running.

Three months ago Lawrie Sanchez said he had unfinished business

with Northern Ireland and that a Worthington's days were numbered.

The fall-out from the criticism has convinced him not to reapply for

the job. Some day I would like to return. I

don't think it is the appropriate time and I have not formally a

pride -- applied. He says this man is the one to

succeed Worthington. He has won the Lieder by than twice

with Shamrock Rovers. He has just given him his notice. -- won the

League. He is the one in current form.

We can reveal that CHEERING AND APPLAUSE -- Jim Magilton will

appeal before a three-man appeal tomorrow.

-- appeared before a three-man panel. It would seem the search to

find Nigel Worthington's successor is developing into a three horse

race. It is black -- back to the

classroom for County Londonderry teenager James McCulloch, who has

narrowly lost out in the Young Apprentice final.

He was beaten in a nail-biting finish by 16-year-old Zara

Brownless. The pair went to have -- went head-to-head in a chance to

devise an on-line computer game. Dozens of his friends and family

gathered at the cinema in Port rusty watch it on the big screen

and, despite their disappointment, they said they were so proud of the

17-year-old. -- Portrush. He might not have won but he is a

winner to us. I hope to see him in class, he has already Mr enough's!

No phones tomorrow. Stop following Twitter. Despite he has already

missed enough. If you want to follow us on our

social media pages, here is how to We will tell you everything we know

about economics, which will probably fill about half a tweet.

Let's talk about the weather because it is extremely wintery and

windy conditions today. Off Donegal the waves were breaking with its.

The Irish Met Office told us that the highest weight ever recorded in

Irish waters was clocked, reaching a maximum of 20.4 metres.

But wind is causing lots of travel It seems we have have we -- we have

had everything thrown at us. We started off with the snow and the

ice, which led to some quite treacherous conditions on the A

four. Then we had this would -- the sleet and snow turning into rain

during the day. It has been quite persistent in parts of the north

and west through the afternoon. It is still cold enough to be colder

air to have a tendency to change back to sleet and snow. We have a

warning in places for snow through this evening and overnight, not

just on hills but low levels at times as well. We still have those

very blustery winds, Gayle forces expressly in the north. -- gale-

force especially. As the sleet and snow comes inland, we should see

some snow on lower levels. It is not going to last all night but as

the night way it -- wears on it becomes icy. Temperatures dropping

to freezing. Slippery and -- on untreated roads where we have lying