12/12/2013 Look East - East

Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: As pressure

increases on the man in charge of Colchester General we're shown

evidence that he was told waiting times were being manipulated more

than two years ago. Anger as another person loses their

home following the tidal surge. It's a cowardly attitude. We should be

tellign future generations we can't afford it.

The Deputy Prime Minister says a new deal will bring thousands of new

jobs to Norwich. And he's just a few hours away from

being the first double amputee to reach the South Pole.

Pressure is increasing on the man in charge at Colchester General. Look

East has seen evidence that Dr Coutts was told about waiting times

being manipulated... Two`and`a`half years ago. The Colchester Trust is

facing three separate inquiries into claims that data about cancer

patients was falsified. One commissioned by the hospital, one by

NHS England and also a criminal investigation by the police. Tonight

we can reveal the Finance Director who carried out an internal inquiry

into claims cancer data was falsified has quit. He talks

exclusively to us about his resignation. This report is from

Julian Sturdy. In a hospital under intense scrutiny, one man has been

coming under increasing pressure. In recent weeks, the Chief Executive Dr

Gordon Coutts has stoutly defended his hospital and its record over

waiting times. But what did he know, and when? At home in Colchester, one

family has some of the answers. In 2011, Julie Campbell`ven`Carter's

husband John faced delays to his operation. We were chatting to the

nurse and in the time that we were talking to her she told us that they

were taking off the names from the waiting list and putting them back

on again. Everybody within the hospital was aware of it. We were

quite shocked when we heard about it. They were so alarmed, they sent

a fax to the Chief Executive ` alerting him to the apparent

manipulation. That was sent on the 26th of April 2011. Did you get a

response? The response is here. It's dated the 16th of June 2011. Dr

Coutts has said that 'if you would like to provide me with any names,

or evidence, of waiting list irregularities I will investigate

this matter'. We've always known, back in 2011, that there have been

manipulations of the waiting list. It's a pity that it's taken this

amount of time and a lot of suffering before it's become common

knowledge. They didn't consider it their job to provide more

information. But eight months later, the Trust had another chance to

uncover apparent irregularities. This man ` Financial Director Mike

Baker ` held an inquiry after staff reported a manager had altered

cancer data. I'd only been in the Trust in the NHS for six months, so

I had very limited understanding of the detail about what was going on.

I suppose, when you read the report, hindsight says yes ` knowing what I

knew by now, by the end of my career with the hospital, I would perhaps

have done something differently. But at the time I believe I did the

right things. My judgements were based on my understanding at that

time. He says he knew nothing about bullying and thought it was staff

communication rather than whistle`blowing. Nevertheless, he's

chosen to resign. I'm disappointed in the way that I've had to leave

the Trust. From my own point of view, I was about to retire anyway.

But it rather coloured the way that I left my people. I'm disappointed.

I feel I've let my people down ` the people who worked for me directly `

and also the people who worked around me. Walking away from the

hospital, he's chosen to forgo an estimated ?25,000 severance

entitlement. Gareth George is outside the hospital now. So where

was Dr Coutts today? We were expecting him to be at a meeting. He

normally gives an update. But he wasn't there. We're told he

underwent an operation and is on sick leave. The Medical Director

says it will mean a better service. We've had 14 specialist teams that

have come in and looked at our cancer services at very specific

areas. We've had the NHS intensive support team in, looking at things

and producing a detail report. I think this is our opportunity to

rebuild cancer services that are state of the art. The Medical

Director told the board this has been shocking for staff and

patients. This hospital is also likely to miss two cancer treatment

targets. Another house on the coast of

Norfolk has been added to the list of those which were unable to

survive the tidal surge last week. A house in the village of Happisburgh

in Norfolk was demolished this morning after the cliff face was

eroded by the heavy seas. The owner is calling on the government to do

more in the fight against coastal erosion. Sunrise at Happisburgh. It

was cold on the cliffs this morning, but it was calm and the views were

stunning. This place can be beautiful, and that's why

68`year`old Briony has stayed as long as she has. Last week's storm

left her bathroom hanging over the edge of the cliff. She always knew

the house would go eventually but it didn't last as long as she'd hoped.

I was standing on the edge of the field. Waves were being flung higher

than telegraph poles. It was really frightening. The noise was

indescribable. What I could see of the waves, with my flashlight, was

terrifying. For the contractors it was a difficult operation. You don't

put a 20 tonne digger on a crumbling cliff edge without knowing what

you're doing. But piece by piece the house came down. For Briony, her

family and friends, it wasn't an easy thing to watch. And the idea

that Happisburgh is one of those places not worth defending against

the sea... She can't understand. What if we'd have stood here when

the Romans were invading? When the Vikings were invading? No. It's a

cowardly attitude. It's no good going for five year governments. One

says one thing and they're all trying to score points. They're not

interested in long`term solutions. It's a political thing. For future

generations, we must do something about coastal erosion. For Briony,

this isn't the end. She plans to stay close to the cliff edge on a

mobile phone and may even try to build a new house. The fight to save

places like Happisburgh, she says, goes on.

There is a claim tonight that 19,000 new jobs could be created in the

area around Norwich after the government agreed to give the city

more control over its economic development. The Deputy Prime

Minister came to sign the deal. We'll hear from him in a moment, but

first this from our political correspondent Andrew Sinclair. This

is a relatively new idea, which Mr Clegg believes will speed up growth

and bring major economic benefits to Norwich and the surrounding area.

This afternoon he was visiting the Norwich Research Park which is at

the centre of the city's plans to develop. We know we've got the

potential to deliver jobs. We know we can really be at the centre of

the East of England economy. We're a real powerhouse for growth across

the UK. Norwich will now play a really important part of that. City

deal status gives the local area more of a say over development.

It'll be able to apply for extra grants, give loans to companies with

cash flow problems and borrow money for infrastructure projects at low

rates of interest. And with more of a say over planning matters, things

should get done faster. It makes a tremendous difference. We know what

it is local people want. We work quite closely with local businesses

and we know what their needs are. And we know what people tell us when

we're knocking on doorsteps. Earlier in the day, the Deputy Prime

Minister was at a software firm in Cambridge. Here, too, they're

getting city status. The idea of investment decisions being taken

locally ` rather than in Whitehall ` has gone down well. But it's only

when things start getting built that we'll know whether city status has

really worked. Well, I put that point to the Deputy Prime Minister

when he came into the studio late this afternoon. We won't know

whether this has made a difference for some time. These are being

shaped and created by local business people, by local enterprise

partnerships and by local authorities in the area. They're

working together. It's very much something which has been home grown.

It's really the duty of local authorities and local businesses and

local enterprise partnerships to make sure that their plan happens in

practice. I hope we will see in the coming years that the city deal

really has marked a step change in the economic development of the

area. The headlines all sound great. A ?4 million cash injection and

19,000 new jobs. But there's not really any new money from the

government coming into this at all. Crucially, in the case of the deal

in Norwich, what is new is that the government ` the Coalition

Government ` is giving permission to local authorities to borrow money at

lower rates. Preferential rates... In order to invest in housing. In a

sense it is new money because at the moment it's not borrowed. But

crucially it's borrowed at much better rates. It's cheaper to raise

that money. It's hard cash for hard investments in new homes. There are

places elsewhere in this region that are very deprived. They aren't

getting this kind of money. Do you not think they need it more? It's

all connected. What tends to be the case is that cities and towns tend

to be the economic dynamo ` magnet, if you like ` to drag other areas

along and create job opportunities as well. That's why it's so good

that all of these areas ` rural and urban ` have been working together.

Over time, I would like to see this approach from Whitehall and

government giving more freedoms and flexibilities. I'd like to see that

extended to all areas across the country. One of the things that

Norwich said in its bid for a city deal was that it wanted to address

the mismatch between what employers need and the skills that are coming

out of the schools. In engineering, for example, there aren't the people

coming out with the skills they need. We can do lots of things about

that. Last week we announced extra money to boost engineering courses

in university. That becomes a more attractive option. We're working

with schools to ensure that boys and crucially girls both see these as

attractive subjects. We're also massively expanding ` on a scale we

haven't seen in our country for a generation. There are a number of

funded apprenticeships available. There's a wider issue here,

especially in Norfolk and Suffolk. They're bottom of the league tables

when it comes to education, specifically in primary schools.

That's happened under your government's watch. I think what we

need to do is in those parts of the country where children and their

parents are being let down ` because they're not getting the same quality

of education you get elsewhere ` is do two things. Firstly we need to be

quite uncompromising in comparing schools that aren't doing well

compared to those that are doing better. Comparing like for like and

casting the spotlight. Secondly, take the most talented headteachers

and move them to areas where there is underperformance to make sure

those schools do as well as other schools. Thank you.

So that's what Nick Clegg thinks about failing schools and poor

results, and last night on this programme Ofsted warned that schools

in Norfolk and Suffolk are simply not good enough. The performance gap

between us and the rest of the country is getting wider. One of the

problems is not getting enough good teachers with the right

qualifications. 90% of the teachers who train in Ipswich go on to work

in Norfolk or Suffolk. This is University Campus Suffolk in Ipswich

and a room full of trainee teachers ` learning how to deliver a primary

school science lesson. This is the theory, but they also spend time in

local schools where they're mentored by the best teachers in the

classroom. I think there's a real appetite for people to meet the

challenges that we're facing. We're looking to expand our teacher

training provision. Next year we're looking at 10`15% more who will be

trained by us. Here they handle 200 trainee teachers every year. 98% of

those who finish the course are rated good or outstanding. 88`90% go

on to work in schools in Suffolk or Norfolk. Around 70% are employed

within the first six months. I thought I wanted to be an art

teacher but after getting the experience in primary schools I fell

in love with that. I wanted to teach a range of subjects rather than just

one. Every child is different, so in your lessons you need to incorporate

all of the interests and ability levels. That's one of the challenges

that makes this job so rewarding. This man is the head of an

outstanding rated school. He says there are plenty of good teachers

around. So can we cast off the tag of mediocrity? I think we can.

There's a real urgency out there. People want to improve. A lot of it

is making sure teachers understand what excellence is. What it looks

like in the classroom. The key, he says, is to work together ` building

momentum to show Ofsted how quickly things can change to give our

children the very best. The East Anglian Air Ambulance

helicopters have been cleared to fly again. The two Eurocopter aircraft

were among those grounded for checks after a possible defect was found in

an air ambulance in the North West. They're the same model as the

helicopter which crashed into a pub in Glasgow.

A police officer from Essex who was shot dead when he tackled a gunman

has been posthumously awarded the George Medal. Constable Ian Dibell

was 41 when he died last year in Clacton while trying to stop a man

who'd fired at two people in the street. PC Dibell is the first

police officer in more than 20 years to receive the award.

Still to come tonight: The shotputter training for the Olympic

Games in 2020. And Duncan Slater from Norfolk is

just a few hours away from being the first double amputee to reach the

South Pole. After the Fukushima disaster two

years ago, the owner of eight nuclear power stations in the UK

agreed to spend ?180 million on extra safety measures. The first

result of EDF's investment was opened today near the Sizewell B

plant in Suffolk. It's cost ?12 million and as you'd expect for that

money it can withstand earthquakes. The first emergency response centre

to be built in the UK since the Fukushima disaster. Today it was

opened, a mile from Sizewell B, by the global head of EDF. This centre

is intended as an additional line of defence. It will enhance our

capability to recover during and after an extreme natural event.

There was a review of UK nuclear safety after the Fukushima incident

in Japan two years ago. A tsunami caused nuclear meltdowns and the

release of radioactive materials. The Office for UK Regulation found

UK stations had no fundamental weaknesses but recommended robust

off`site back`up. `` Nuclear Regulation. There's already an

emergency control centre at Sizewell B itself. This place is in addition

to that. The company says it has the ability to take control of the

station in a dire emergency. There's a control centre and lots of serious

kit. Vehicles carrying diesel generators ` capable of driving

through floods. Cutting equipment, firefighting gear... Why build this

place? We're not in an earthquake zone and don't intend to get

tsunamis... The point is to make sure we can respond to whatever may

happen. Some events you can't predict. We've worked on the

principle of what the worst thing is that could happen and how we'd be

best placed to respond. We want to protect the public, our environment

and our personnel. Not everybody's convinced. If there was an emergency

around here there would be absolute chaos. No fancy emergency centre

will hide that. It won't do a great deal to mitigate the impact of an

accident. Sizewell B continued to generate during last week's

exceptional storm surge. EDF says the new centre will only add to its

resilience. It's been a fairy tale year for the

19`year`old Norfolk shot putter Sophie McKinna. She's broken a

British junior record which stood for 30 years, won a Silver medal at

the European Under 20 Championships and made her British senior debut.

Sophie has also been included on a list of athletes who have the

potential to win a medal at the 2020 Olympics. She's coached by the

former world strongest man Geoff Capes. She may be Britain's number

one shotputter, but Sophie McKinna doesn't escape the basic chores.

Today it's a short, sharp training session for the 19`year`old.

Normally a session's a little but longer, but because of the weather I

don't think we'll be doing too much more! ?? WHITE There are few girls

as strong as Sophie ` and her coach knows a thing or two about strength.

Former World's Strongest Man Geoff Capes was also a shot put champion.

He's been working with her since she was 12. I saw a bit of me in her.

This aggressive, nasty little piece of work! She wanted to throw the

shot out the park but didn't know how. It's just about channelling

aggression and everything else, then developing her over a period of

time. Sophie's made big strides this year ` making her senior British

debut, winning a Silver medal at the European Under 20 Championships and

breaking a 30 year British junior record. To cap it all, she's just

received funding for the next four years ` deemed as having potential

to win a medal at the 2020 Olympics. I just really, really enjoy the

sport. As soon as I picked up the shot, I knew it was something I'd

really enjoy to do. Basically, I just love athletics ` the atmosphere

at all of the different events, not just my own. I've always been a

competitive person in whatever I do. 30 centimetres... Come on! Fire it

up! Sophie's strength is phenomenal. She can lift more than current

British weightlifters of her age. If there's a downside, it's people's

image of shotputters ` particularly in a world dominated by looks and

appearance. If you're a little bit physical... Bigger than most

girls... They can look at you sideways... Blinkered. They haven't

got a clue about sport, in the realistic sense. They don't realise

the effort and time that people will place on training and commitment.

Obviously, I'm slightly bigger than the average human being. Slightly

stronger, too. But once you have a conversation with somebody, there's

always really supportive of what you do. They're interested and even come

back to you to ask how you're doing. It's things like that... To me, it's

not a massive problem. You have to make sacrifices to get places in

your sport. One of them, I suppose, is what you look like. The

19`year`old's target next year is the Commonwealth Games. Her coach

won it twice in his heyday. Sophie is keen to lay down her own marker.

Very confident! Those weights would crush me!

Congratulations to golfer Charley Hull from Northamptonshire who is on

the short list for the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year

award. Charley's been selected as one of three from an original short

list of ten. The 17`year`old turned professional this year and made her

debut in the Solheim Cup. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in

Leeds on Sunday night. Good luck to her!

A former RAF gunner who hopes to be the first double amputee to walk to

the South Pole is just hours away from making history. Duncan Slater,

from Norfolk, lost both his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan. Duncan

and 11 other injured servicemen and women set off for Cape Town three

weeks ago ` and then on to Novo Airbase in Antarctica. From there,

they were flown to the start line 200 miles from the South Pole. The

start line of the South Pole allied challenge 12 days ago. Three teams

racing to be the first to the bottom of the world. Many of these disabled

veterans have lost limbs in war. One is completely blind. After this

roadside explosion in Afghanistan, Duncan Slater lost both his legs.

After months of training, tonight he's in a tent, in a gale, just 16

miles from the South Pole. It's 70% mental. 20% physical. 10% luck. You

can see that when you get here. I can't wait. To be able to say we

made it. We've worked really hard. The teams are skiing up to ten hours

a day, pulling these behind them. Temperatures are dipping to `45

Celsius. Seven days in, those extreme conditions took their toll

on some and a decision was made to suspend the race. With advice from

my medical team, we felt it was sensible to stop here. It doesn't

mean it's over. We proceed to the last checkpoint. We're still skiing.

That decision lifted morale. As one united team, they pushed on. This

Norfolk`based charity helps injured service personnel back into work.

That's where they started. This is the track. They dreamt up this

adventure. We're showcasing these individuals coming back from injury

and adversity. Duncan is the first double amputee to get to the South

Pole. Amazing. Prince Harry has also joined us. Outstanding. Fantastic.

He's strong as an ox and helping to pull it all. Great to have him in

the tent! He skips around like a ballerina! Tent`mates and team`mates

together, Duncan and his fellow veterans should reach the Pole

tomorrow afternoon ` Friday the 13th... Lucky for them! It looks

like hard work! Now for the weather. Chance of some

rain on the way. High pressure being pushed eastwards. Milder Atlantic

air coming our way. Thicker cloud in the west producing patchy rain. High

level cloud ahead of it. Temperatures ` lows of four or five

Celsius. Isolated pockets of frost. The breeze starts to freshen.

Tomorrow will be governed by two weather fronts.

Some rain but not too heavy. Expect a cloudy day with rain at times.

Light and patchy. It should start to clear away. Drier and possibly

brighter interlude. It will feel slightly less cold. You might feel a

little chilly. Rain late afternoon. Much of this out of the way on

Saturday. Rain overnight on Saturday. Breezy

through the night. Fairly bright but some cloud around. It will stay

largely dry. Overnight rain Friday. By Saturday night, another spell of

rain. Out of the way on Sunday. Here's the barometer. Thank you.

Goodbye.