28/11/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Welcome to the start of a new week on Look North. In the headlines

this Monday night. A service close to breakdown. Staff

blow the whistle at North Cumbria hospitals.

Remembering Gary Speed. Football mourns a Newcastle United legend.

The common thing everybody said is nobody had ever heard a bad word

about him, and that is true, you know. He was a great guy and a

pleasure to have known. How will the day of action affect

you? We talk to three women braced for strike day on Wednesday.

But the Tyne Tunnels won't be closed. More good news for drivers

who say the two tunnels have transformed Tyneside commuting.

On Monday night's TeamTalk, the Magpies prove a point at Old

Trafford. And Sunderland fans turn on the manager after a shock defeat

A service close to breakdown. That's what staff say is the

situation at North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, which

runs Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and the West Cumberland

Hospital in Whitehaven. Two weeks ago, the Chief Executive told Look

North this was scaremongering. Today his trust is listed as one of

19 in England with high mortality rates. Tonight's Inside Out

programme reveals evidence. Including an unofficial log of

incidents, which appears to support staff claims. And as Chris Jackson

reports, they are warning if a new round of cuts goes ahead, things

could get much worse. This log of incidents was kept by

staff in A&E at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle for five

months up to April this year. It makes shocking reading. Patient

with suspected meningitis. Unmonitored in psych cubicle. Lady

with PV bleed assessed in corridor and collapsed prior to being put on

trolley. So, a patient with a potentially fatal infection may

have been left unsupervised in a cubicle. And a woman with a PV

bleed, that's a vaginal bleed, is assessed in a corridor. Afterwards

she collapses. Staff tell us these were not isolated incidents. They

fear being disciplined so actors speak their words. You haven't got

enough nurses to cover everywhere. People are left in cubicles because

we can't keep an eye on them. It is not what we are here to do. We

don't want to look after people in bad health like that in the middle

of a corridor. Even some of the consultants, who insist they

provide high quality care, are warning about the situation. And if

further cuts go ahead they can't guarantee there won't be serious

implications. No, not at all, particularly in the A&E departments.

We are quite short on consultants, compared to other comparative units,

and at Whitehaven a indeed, they feel they are right on the edge of

middle grade medical cover, never mind with further cuts. This sounds

like a system close to breakdown. Yes, I can't deny that. To patients

would be horrified to hear you say that. Well, yes. The trust is

currently looking for good news stories to highlight, according to

any male lead to Inside Out. Perhaps the focus needs to be on

ensuring its financial crisis does not turn into a patient care

disaster. Well, with me in the studio is the

Inside Out presenter Chris Jackson. Chris, what does the Trust say

about this log of incidents? That was kept by nurses in Carlisle's

accident and emergency department because they were concerned that

the official system may not have been locking the serious incidents.

We put that to the chief executive and this is what he had to save.

That is disturbing. From the information we have, that blog was

kept before my arrival. I will need to investigate to see what happened

in terms of addressing their concerns. Now, he also says they

get increasing numbers of report on their official system, and says

it's a good sign. And what about the consultant's warning? It's

unusual for somebody in his position to be outspoken but

perhaps that reflects the seriousness of his concerns. The

trust is adamant it's a high performing trust, and is not close

to breakdown. I think that is nonsense. I would not accept that.

What we're doing is addressing inefficiencies, and bad

productivity across the organisation and the consultant

staff are aware of that. This is a good hospital which provide high

quality care. We will continue to do that. We are not about to reduce

the level of services which are provided to you. It's interesting.

And has the Trust responded to its high mortality figures? This comes

from the Dr Foster report which says they have identified higher

than expected mortality rate in some conditions and the trust say

they will review this with their consultant teams and the medical

director. How interesting. Thanks, Chris. And you can see more on that

story in Inside Out, tonight at 7.30pm here on BBC One. Alan

Shearer has led the tributes to his former Newcastle United team-mate

Gary Speed. He said he lit up every room he walked into and I am proud

to have been his friend. The two reportedly watched the Magpies'

match at Old Trafford together only the afternoon before. Keith

Akehurst reports. Shirts, scarves and flowers left at

the doors to the ground Gary Speed graced as a player. Fans in tears

paying their respects to one of Newcastle United's best players of

the last two decades. A fantastic captain and generally, it is such a

shock. It still hasn't really sunk in, to be fair. He was an example

to kids. An incredibly sad loss. absent legend -- absolute legend,

you know. He will be clearly missed. And close to tears inside was one

of his close friends. Goalkeeper Steve Harper had known Gary Speed

for 13 years. I feel privileged to have known him for such a long time.

A big part of my life. He was a great friend, the most professional

football I ever had the privilege of meeting. The common thing

everybody has said, nobody ever said a bad word about him, and

that's true, you know. He was a great guy who it was a pleasure to

have known. The first player I ever came across, signed autographs and

everything else. He was the hero of mine. Gary Speed signed for

Newcastle in 1998 playing 285 times for the Toon in the Premier League

and Champions League. He scored 40 goals and was an integral part of

the teams that played in two FA Cup finals. Alongside him in midfield

was Nobby Solano. Really sad. Really, really sad. I could not

believe it. Assistant manager at Newcastle was the current

Hartlepool boss. A person that was always incredibly positive,

incredibly dedicated, fantastic trainer but more than anything, a

gentleman. One of the good guys of football. Close friend and ex-

Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given played through tears yesterday.

They were very, very close. He did very well to play the game

yesterday but Gary would have wanted him to play because he was

the ultimate professional. Gary Speed, who died yesterday. The

government says RAF Boulmer's search and rescue operations will

end in 2015. The service will become a civilian operation at a

location yet to be decided. Ministers have already announced

that the distinctive Sea King helicopters are to be retired. The

radar operations at the base are not affected by today's news. But

the local MP says the decision is premature. How they can decide

before they know who the contract is, what sort of helicopter they

are using, what the operational practice will be, how they know

they can manage without RAF Boulmer, as decide to use, defies my

thinking. The government has accepted they have got to go on the

civilian group to get an economical service but at least let's get it

right. A pensioner has been beaten with a

hammer and robbed in a North Yorkshire village just minutes

after using a cash machine. The 84- year-old woman was attacked in

public toilets in Leyburn by another woman, who escaped with a

large amount of cash. The suspect is described as white and in her

forties. She has mid-length, brown hair and was wearing a burgundy-

coloured winter coat. Newcastle Central Station is to

undergo a major transformation. Network Rail has secured �8.6

million from the Department of Transport. The money will be used

to modernise the listed building with improvements to the waiting

rooms, new lifts and escalators, and the replacement of glass in the

roof. An area of Darlington was sealed

off this morning after a cow escaped from the town's auction

mart. Armed police were called to Victoria Embankment just after

9:00am. The road was closed and police warned people to stay

indoors as the animal ran down the street, charging into cars and

bollards. It was eventually cornered and shot.

Trade unions are claiming more than 2.5 million workers will strike on

Wednesday, in a dispute over public sector pensions. It's been

suggested women will bear the brunt of the strike, with their

children's teachers off work. But the unions claim this will be a Day

of Action dominated by women. Our Business Correspondent, Ian Reeve,

has spoken to three women who will be affected by Wednesday's walk out.

Diana Kaye has two flower shops. One on Teesside. One on Tyneside.

Staff in both will have to take Wednesday off and look after

children. And that will have an effect on Diana's business at the

precise time she needs to be selling. This is our harvest now,

the run-up to Christmas, so we have had a long, quiet October and

November, and we need every penny we can get through the door this

month, so we will have to hire transport companies to do the

deliveries, so it gives us more people in the shop. Not everyone

views the strikes has been wrong. Mel Stand, a worker for a

Darlington churches charity, will have to take the day off to look

after her two boys. But she still supports the gesture. We are living

in very austere times and I think that the cuts that the government

are imposing on people are wrong and I think people need to stand up

because it's not just teachers, it cleaners, admin staff, ordinary

people, who find themselves being squeezed. For its part, the

government says public sector pensions are no longer sustainable.

They cost about �33 billion a year. The upshot for Kath a teesside

charity manager. And for many of us. A day of some inconvenience beckons.

I am supportive of people who feel the need to take such drastic

action. I just feel frustrated that that doesn't impact on my life, yet

I'm being forced to react in a certain way but that the nation of

the strike, maximum disruption. And tomorrow morning between 10 and

11 on BBC Tees, Mike Parr will be putting Neil Foster from the

Northern TUC on the spot to answer your questions. If you have

something you would like to ask, please e-mail your questions to

[email protected]. Or call Mike on 01642 225211 after 9

You're watching Look North. Still to come, all the controversy from

the weekend's football in Team Talk with Dawn. Plus we get all steamed

up with some rediscovered footage from the heyday of the railways.

After the gales over the weekend, I would have a full weather forecast

and it is forecast for more strong For the first time in decades,

motorists have fallen in love with the Tyne Tunnel. One week on from

the opening of both tunnels, there has been a rise in traffic of 12%,

without any queues. Kinnock is have described the reduction in

congestion as a massive transformation.

-- commuters. Victoria has been doing the same thing for 17 years.

Leave home, get in the car and spent 45 minutes to an hour waiting.

It has got to have equated two days or weeks, the amount of years I

have driven through here and the amount of time I have sat in

traffic. But since both tunnels were opened last week, it has

transformed her Canute. I have got an extra 20 minutes, half an hour

in the house. It would have taken the 30 minutes, it has taken the 30

seconds. While the new tunnel means less waiting around in station

which traffic, it also means a saving on petrol. If you are

waiting 20 minutes, it will save you �2 a week, just under �100 a

year. That is just for your morning commute. Inside the control room,

they have seen a rise in vehicles passing through a 5000. We are

talking about savings in an hour. One person calculated he would save

four 1/2 days in a year. He was going to donate that time to

charity. BBC Look North's traffic and travel presenter also noticed a

huge difference. Last week, people were singing to beat when they were

drinking. One man called to say he was upset because he now leads --

now needs to leave for two minutes later, said he has the school run

to deal with. But arriving at work on time today, Victoria says there

is one disadvantage. I can never use being stuck as an excuse for

being late anymore! The rest is wonderful. It would have been the

reason for many before the second tunnel was built. This was the

fourth worst traffic blackspot in the UK. Now, it looks like a Sunday

morning. The operators have confirmed that

both tunnels will be open on Wednesday.

Good news for Cumbria, World Cup rugby is coming to west Cumbria.

Whitehaven will be one of the venues for the 2013 Rugby League

World Cup. The new stadium will host group matches and West Cumbria

will be the base for one of the national teams. The news has been

welcomed, because it is expected to boost the local economy.

It is the support of West Cumbria. Today, it was announced that the

Rugby League World Cup will be coming to Whitehaven in 2013. To

mark the announcement, a World Cup themed mini tournament was held for

local schoolchildren. An international team will be based

here for the World Cup. But is not known whether it is one of the

sides represented here today. This is where all of the action will

happen. The Pow Beck Stadium is correctly a football ground, a

stone's throw from White Haven's existing home. Work to turn it into

a world-class venue will start in the spring. It justifies the new

stadium. A whole new wave of enthusiasm, bigger crowds leading

up to the World Cup, and if any young players come through the

system, maybe there will be a West Cumbrian player plained. -- playing.

The celebrations were also in honour of the expected boost to the

economy. It is fantastic, bringing additional visitors in, to visit

our bars, cafes, restaurants. They will fill up our bed-and-breakfasts,

hotels, so they will spend time and money here. All of which

contributes to the local economy. The World Cup games will be played

at 18 locations across England, Wales, Ireland and France, but the

new �5 million stadium will offer these younger players the chance to

glimpse some of their sporting A sombre start this week, following

the death of former Newcastle midfielder Gary Speed, which

recovered earlier. We both had the pleasure of interviewing him during

his time at St James's Park, and he was just a nice guy.

Yes, the reason everybody is so shocked is that because he came

across as such a level-headed, easy-going, down-to-earth guy, a

lovely chap, nobody had a bad word to say about him. He was on the BBC

on Saturday, and just and was later, he was dead. He was so young. It

has had a profound effect on everyone.

He never refused an interview, he was always so polite. The North

East Writers' Association cancelled their dinner last night as a mark

of respect. Sadly missed. His old club were in action at Old

Trafford at the weekend, and they put on a good show. They got a

point, not many people thought they would.

The fans were quite confident. After being beaten by Manchester

City, they wanted to prove the point. There is loads of self-

belief in the side. But was an end to end game. These

three games, they could come out with four points. The more they

keep this going, you think they could be up there.

They are playing for each other, they are putting their bodies on

the line. Many fans have predicted the last two results.

Happy to take his penalty! Manchester United have had their

fair share of good luck, so it is time for Newcastle to get some.

It is rare for that penalty to be given against Manchester United at

Old Trafford. They managed to hang on. That says

something about how much they believe in themselves.

A fantastic clearance from Danny Simpson at the end. Alan Pardew was

more than happy with the point. Obviously, you could tell by the

reactions, it was not a penalty. A bit of fortune for us, but we

deserved that after last week. The referee today for us, I did not

think he was brilliant, but we got a penalty that went our way. That

even things up, I guess. A new columnist in the match-day

programme for Sunderland, Ellis Short, who said, while we are not

happy with where we are, at the moment...

Not quite yet! May be after this game, losing to

Wigan. Steve Bruce had said, 80% of Premier League games are won by the

team that wins -- that scores first. They have got goals but they have

not hung on to the bid. It happened again.

The Wigan goalkeeper started pulling off some great saves.

If you do not take chances like that, that is what you are going to

get it. It keeps happening. Another dodgy penalty. The

equaliser goes in, and it is celebrated by the Wigan fans... 310

of them! They have something more to celebrate in the 93rd minute.

You cannot blame the manager for this. This is Wes Brown's fault. He

should not have done that in that part of the pitch.

Try to keep the ball alive because it was injury time. That is what

happens. Sunderland devastated. The fans going wild, Steve Bruce taking

flak. It is not easy, when you are --

when your family are here and you are abused, but I am big enough to

try and take it. You said in the programme notes you should be

judged at the end of the season. Do you think you will get that long?

hope so. I cannot judge that. I will not be beaten with it. If

others see fit to make a change, so be it.

What a big game for Sunderland at Wolverhampton on Sunday. We are

expecting to still be in charge. More frustration for Middlesbrough,

another game where they have taken the lead and could not been able to

see it out. Eight draws from 18 games, the most

in the Championship. They would have been joint third with Cardiff,

three points behind West Ham. They are at the Riverside tomorrow.

Matthew Bates put them in front. A terrific equaliser from Paul Taylor.

Indeed one, what a miserable afternoon in Cumbria. -- in League

One. This was Paul Thirlwell's first of the season. Six home

defeats in a row for Hartlepool. They did everything but score. They

were beaten by Doval. They started alongside Chesterfield at the

bottom of the table. They have another chance tomorrow, Preston

are the visitors. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Talking of losing streaks, Newcastle Falcons.

They are in deep trouble after losing it to Harlequins in the

Premiership yesterday. James Fitzpatrick scored their only try,

but Newcastle went down to 30 men in the second half after two

players were sin-binned -- 13 men. Harlequins scored six tries.

Newcastle are nine points adrift at the bottom of the lead after was to

beat Bath. It will take some fight back to get out of this relegation

battle. It is a long winter ahead.

Previously unseen film footage has offered a glimpse into a forgotten

world of train travel in Cumbria. The film was found during a house

clearance, and it reveals trains travelling through the Lake

District. Footage has now been edited

together for a feature-length film. This new DVD conjures a world shot

in amateur cine film. The grainy texture only increases the sense of

nostalgia as the landscapes of many years ago whistle by. For the man

who put this together, it was a real discovery. We have included

many lines. It has hardly been seen by anybody before. It is the

greatest collection of railway archive of the closed lines that

has ever been put together. These films bring back to life a whole

lost world. This is the old Bassenthwaite Lake train station.

There in the wall, and all ticket office. -- bought a ticket office.

In the background now, the sounds Those were the days!

Gale force wind across the region for the weekend, and more strong

wind in the forecast. The wind will blow in some heavy spells of rain.

It will be wet with strong winds through Tuesday. For this evening

and overnight, it is dry in the east, but in the West. The rain

moves across north Northumberland. It is very windy. Again, the wind

picks up in speed. A windy night. Rain further north and west. It is

mild again, though. No frost, but it gets colder later in the week.

It is wet tomorrow in the West. The vain bids across North Yorkshire

and the north-east of England. A miserable end to Tuesday. It is

mild in front of the rain band. It is colder, though, once the rain

has cleared. We will notice the strong wind. All of the rainfall is

heavy at times over the Cumbrian fells and lakes. A wet and windy

end to Tuesday. Over the next couple of days, things get colder.

After the rain has cleared, Wednesday and Thursday, look at the

temperatures drop. It has been very mild so far this autumn. As

December begins, the temperatures stop to fall back to their average.

-- start to fall back. Overnight, we could easily expect a touch of

frost. As the rainfall continues tomorrow evening, it could turn to

snow over the tops of the hills. We are not expecting snow on lower

levels, no bin for the towns and cities. -- nothing for the towns

and cities. But we could see picture postcard snow for the high

altitude places. One or two showers in the West on Thursday, but a fine

day. Friday looks gorgeous if you are wrapped up warm. Everybody's