19/12/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Adebowale show nod remorse. That is all from us. Now we join our news

teams where Hello, welcome to Look North. In the

programme tonight: They're supposed to deal with accidents and

emergencies. But the NHS says nearly half the people turning up at our

A departments have little ` or nothing ` wrong with them. If you

need to come and see as we will see you. But if you could all and see

someone else it would be appreciated.

Clearing up... Again. The west of the region suffers power cuts and

road closures as the latest winter storm blasts through.

Wrapping up Middlesbrough ` the community appeal to help keep

homeless people warm this Christmas. And by appointment to... Just about

everyone. The master craftsman who's been producing some of the most

sought`after guitars in the world for the last 50 years.

In sport, what Sunderland boss Gus Poyet thinks of being drawn against

Manchester United in the League Cup semifinal.

And why this former Magpies star has become the proud owner of one of our

Northern League clubs. The clue is in the name ` 'Accident

and Emergency' department. But according to the National Health

Service, nearly half of the hundreds of thousands of people turning up to

A departments in the North East and Cumbria don't need to be there.

Some don't require emergency care. Some don't need any treatment at

all. With over`stretched emergency staff gearing up for another winter

on the edge, the NHS is asking people to think twice before they go

to A But have they any choice? Charlie Charlton spent a busy

afternoon at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Arriving at A

by ambulance. At this time of year, emergency admissions are going

through the roof. But knowing where to go for help is often confusing.

Bill Kingston had a fall. You've knocked yourself out... Then you've

got to be thinking like a physician. You've got to think who would treat

you best. Who you should get in touch with. In theory, it's

straightforward. If you're ill, and you come to the Queen Elizabeth

Hospital, you're at a crossroads. On one side you've got the Accident and

Emergency department. On the other it's the walk`in centre. For some,

A is the very first port of call ` often it need not be. There are

other options. I would have a thought about whether there is

something you can do for yourself before coming to A If you've got

some paracetamol then take some or go to the local pharmacists. Even

your GP. We'll obviously see you, but if you could possibly find

someone else to see... But the reality is quite different. Across

the North East and Cumbria last year, more than 800,000 people went

to A Of them, nearly 130,000 were sent home without any treatment at

all. More than 240,000 were treated but they didn't need to be seen by

an emergency doctor. Even when patients do know the alternatives,

it seems they could still wind up in A We came to go to the walk`in

centre. But we didn't realise you can no longer just go in there. You

have to go to A and register here. Then they tell you the best place to

go? Yes. You could always go to the family doctor when you get ill? It

takes a fortnight to get an appointment. I was that bad, so in

pain, that I couldn't go to the doctor's. I went to the walk`in

centre then they sent me here to A via a wheelchair. Winter is already

here and it's clear that NHS bosses still have a long way to go to get

their message across. A is for emergencies only. So, a lot of

people using A who either don't need treatment at all or who could

be seen elsewhere. Earlier I spoke to Dr Daniel Cowie, who's a GP and

spokesman for Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group. I asked him

just how much strain the A service is being put under, and what they

can do about it. It's a very challenging time, especially over

winter. There are increasing demands on services. It's occasionally

difficult for people to know where to go. But we hope to give very

clear messages for patients. Depending on what the problem is,

and the level of urgency, I think there need to be clear messages

about promoting self care ` making sure patients and families are aware

of how to manage common ailments and injuries. Having a stock of

medicines at home. If you're still uncertain, don't be afraid to call

your GP or visit a local pharmacist. If you're still struggling, we also

have the 111 service. We can give advice and tell you where to go. In

the report a lady said she thought about making an appointment with her

GP but was told it would be a two week wait. I think that's a common

complaint. It is. We hear a lot of that. What patients have to

understand is that if you need to be seen then you should ring your GP

practice and let them know it's an emergency appointment. There's been

a lot of work been done in the last year, especially within the region,

to try to improve access to primary care. Not only just increasing

numbers of consultations but also what they could be like. Telephone

triage? Emergency appointments, or people added in as extras? They

could be seen by nurse practitioners? Even if you've been

put off previously, I would still encourage ringing your GP practice

to explain that it's an urgent appointment. So, should people stay

away and leave Accident and Emergency staff to get on with their

job? You can join the debate on the Look North Facebook page. The

address is on screen now. Storms have been lashing Cumbria for

the second time in a fortnight, with a warning of more bad weather to

come. Around 2,500 homes were without power for most of the night

after winds blew down electricity lines. Conditions were so bad,

engineers had to abandon work until the gales eased. There was also

disruption on the county's roads. Police had to deal with more than 60

weather`related incidents. Graham Moss reports. The high winds ripped

the roof from this disused hotel. The debris blocked the main route

between North and West Cumbria ` the A595, a few miles north of

Cockermouth. The West of the county was hit by the worst of the weather.

Fallen trees blocked the route between Frizington and Whitehaven. A

similar problem closed the A6 between Hackthorpe and Shap. There

were overturned vehicles causing disruption on the M6. The winds also

blew down power lines, leaving around 2,500 homes without

electricity. Engineers had to hold off efforts to restore supplies

until the winds eased. What a difference a day makes. In the Lake

District today we've got hail showers and biting cold. But looking

to the forecast for the coming days, the high winds and heavy rain are

set to return. The Environment Agency and The Met Office are

forecasting gale force winds over Friday into Saturday. That's

sweeping with it a band of rain. We're prepared on the ground. We're

looking at our flood defences. We're expecting disruption. If people are

concerned they can find more information on our website. They can

also follow us on Twitter. You can sign up for warning as well. `

warnings. With rivers already swollen and ground waterlogged,

further heavy rain is the last thing needed. But the forecast is for more

to come before Christmas. A 14`year`old girl has been found

dead in County Durham. Police were called after receiving a report of a

sudden death at an address in Consett on Tuesday. They say there

don't appear to be any suspicious circumstances. An inquest into

Danielle Formosa's death will open tomorrow.

A former police chief, accused of intimidation, has suggested the

claims are a 'pack of lies'. Dave McLuckie is on trial for allegedly

trying to "soften up" a potential witness in a corruption enquiry. The

former chair of Cleveland Police Authority denies the charge. Our

News Correspondent Peter Harris reports. This is a case that's heard

claims the former police chief referred to himself as the sheriff.

Dave McLuckie, the former chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, is

accused of intimidating a potential witness in a corruption enquiry.

That witness is a taxi driver friend of Mr McLuckie. It's been said he

told his friend 'you don't know what I could do'. He took that as a

warning, or a threat. The prosecution today alleged that was

part of an attempt to soften him up. Mr McLuckie says that's all a pack

of lies. He says the real reason he went to see his friend was to warn

him of rumours that he was running an unlicenced taxi and that it could

lead to prosecution. Giving evidence, Dave McLuckie told the

jury 'I had no desire to intimidate him and never did'. As for claims he

told Mr Blyth "you don't know what I can do" ` they're false, he said.

And as for calling himself the sheriff, he said he never called

himself the sheriff to anyone. Dave McLuckie denies a charge of witness

intimidation and the court resumes tomorrow.

Paul Torday, the Northumberland`based author, has

died. He turned to writing in his late 50s and wrote several novels.

He made his name with the novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. That

sold more than half a million copies in the UK alone, and was made into a

film starring Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Blunt. Mr

Torday, who was 67, lived near Hexham.

Plans are being developed which could see a former Roman Catholic

Seminary become a new college of Durham University. Under the

proposals, the University will occupy parts of Ushaw College and

manage its internationally`renowned library and culturally`important

collections. The college has been on its current site since 1808 and was

a seminary until June 2011. Now, the weather might be blowing

mild and cold at the moment, but 400 winter coats, jumpers and fleeces

have been handed out to homeless people on Teesside. It's all part of

the 'Wrap Up Middlesbrough' appeal, organised by the town's council to

offer help and support to those in need. All the donations came from

local people, as Stuart Whincup reports. This man says he doesn't

want to come here but he has no choice. When you ask people for

spare change they look at you and think you're a drug addict. I tell

them the truth about my situation. He spent six months sleeping on the

streets, struggling with his drink and drug addiction. It was terrible.

It was winter. The situation was awful. There wasn't much support.

There was music, hot food and clothing. Dozens of people in need

of help and support. Watching on was a Middlesbrough councillor, who was

himself left homeless as a child. When I was 14 I came home from

school one day and there was a note on the mantelpiece from my mother.

It said we both had to get on with our lives. My dad was long gone.

Within ten days a concerned neighbour let the authorities know I

was living there on my own. It was boarded up, so I've been where some

of these people are. Financial problems, domestic violence and drug

addiction are common causes given for homelessness. In Middlesbrough,

the authorities say there are hundreds of people sleeping at other

houses on the floor or on the sofa. It's really sad in this day and age

that we've got people in so much need. It feels like we're addressing

the symptoms rather than the causes. However, it's really important that

we do this. Few here are excited about Christmas. Their minds are

occupied by where they'll be sleeping tonight. Lovely gesture.

Coming up next, the craftsman with music at his fingertips.

And bringing carol into the 21st century. Hip`hop

hits the Cathedral! And join me for the weater.

He made his first guitar 50 years ago, and since then he's been

supplying bespoke instruments from a small Cumbrian workshop to some of

the biggest names in the music business. `` weather. Now Roger

Bucknall ` owner of Fylde Guitars in Penrith ` has published a book about

his life's work and some of the unique guitars he's produced. Damian

O'Neil's been to meet him. I made my first guitar when I was about nine.

Just because I wanted one. I didn't know much about them. I wanted one

so I made one out of bits and pieces of plywood