10/01/2014 North West Tonight

from the Atlantic. Thank you very much. That's it from us. On

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and

Roger Johnson. Our top story: Jail for the carers who tormented

dementia patients because they'd didn't think they'd remember. Having

listened to the families, I know that they are struggling to come to

terms with the terrible acts inflicted upon their loved ones

Police say the abuse was utterly contemptible, aimed at people who

couldn't defend themselves. Also tonight: Alder Hey's boss

admits theatre staff are unhappy, but insists his hospital is safe. No

parent need have any concern. It is one of the top hospitals for

children. Why babies in buggies can now be pushed to the synagogue on

the Sabbath. And the good Samaritan: a former homeless drug addict

helping feed those in need. Residents with dementia at a nursing

home in Lancashire were tormented by their carers because they wouldn't

remember the abuse. A court heard weak and inadequate management led

to the "gratuitous sport of mistreatment." Residents at

Hillcroft nursing home in Slyne`with`Hest were stamped on and

pelted with bean bags and balls "for entertainment." Today, three carers

were jailed for between three and eight months for their ill treatment

and neglect. Our chief reporter Dave Guest is outside the home where the

abuse happened. Yes, Hillcroft Nursing Home behind

me had a specialist unit which deals with the most vulnerable of

residence, those with dementia. It was here that this quartet of carers

basically, as you say, indulged in what the judge described as

gratuitous sport, taunting and teething and abusing them. Darren

Smith, last year, had admitted eight counts of ill`treatment. The others

denied the charges against them but were found guilty by a jury in

November. Today, they came to court to face their punishment. Three of

them have gone to jail to enable Dobbie at Carole Moore, who got four

months, Katie Cairns, who got five months, and Darren Smith, who got

eight months. The fourth, Gemma Pearson, left court today because he

was given a community order and told he had to carry out unpaid work

People with her shouted at the breast as she left court this

afternoon. The judge said today that a lax and inadequate management

regime had allowed a culture to develop at the nursing home which

allow this sort of behaviour to go on unchecked. It was only brought to

the attention of the authorities when whistle`blowers finally managed

to persuade someone to listen to them and the people were arrested.

Police have described this as a terrible and despicable crime.

Darren Smith, Katie Cairns, Carole Moore and Gemma Pearson showed

complete disregard for the well`being of people they had been

adjusted to cap. But it do that there ill`treatment was directed at

some of the most vulnerable members of our community. So, the police

clearly disgusted, but I would imagine the families are even more

so. Yes, and one of them, Chris Haywood, his dad, can, has sadly

died since, nothing to do with the abuses of it. He was stamped on by

Katie Cairns, and Chris Haywood gave this reaction outside court when I

asked him what the family but when they heard what had been going on

here. The words cannot really describe it, to be blatantly honest.

It is just harrowing. It is horrific. When you have placed your

trust and faith in someone at a care home to look after your loved one,

and then next thing you know, you have the police knocking on your

door saying they had been abused by those people, it is the worst

feeling in the world. You just feel so guilty that you have placed them

there in the first place. What do you think of these bought? Words can

describe, to be blatantly honest. I am just glad it's over. I am just

glad we can put a line underneath it and that there is learning to take

from this. Are you hopeful lessons will be learned? I am hoping lessons

have to be learnt. Communication is key to keep these things happening

again, and I am very confident that within the new care bill that will

be introduced this year, things like that will be stamped out. Would you

have trust to place another relative into a care home? I think it is

unfair to judge or care homes because of this one incident. `` in

care homes. There are good numbers of staff still held that I know And

sadly they have been affected by these four characters. There was a

delay between initial complaint and something being done about it. Yes,

even when the Care Quality Commission past all this on to

Lancashire County Council, there was a delay of several months before the

police became involved. In a statement this afternoon, the County

Council said: We are sorry there was a delay in staring the allegations

with the police. Meanwhile, they'll crop themselves have made no further

comment today. They have previously said that there is a new management

in place, and that things have changed. Thank you very much.

It's it's five years since a

whistle`blower first raised concerns about the operating theatre that

Alder Hey Hospital. But only yesterday, a report was made public

which said urgent action was needed to avoid a serious incident. So is

the safety of the sick children who get treatment there being

compromised? We couldn't ask the hospital that question last night

because no one was available for interview. But we'll do that in just

a moment. First, here's Jayne McCubbin.

Sometimes, days off were cancelled. If people phoned in sick, you just

have to stay on. You can't just walk out of an operating theatre.

This is the mother of a former manager from Alder Hey. She says she

was shocked by the conditions her daughter worked under at what is

considered one of the UK's leading hospitals. Sundays, we would see her

and she said she would have gone ten or 12 hours without a drink. Last

March, I was at Alder Hey as a damning report was made public about

staff at breaking point in its operating theatres. Managers said

changes had been made. But last night I was back, to hear this from

another critical report. ''There is no doubt that changes made have had

an adverse impact on staff.'' ' The level of risk is such that urgent

change is needed to avoid a serious incident.'' "Things are bad

the hospital treats over a quarter of a million of the children every

year. Surgery saved Sam's life after a brain tumour just before Christmas

2012. It is probably the best hospital in the world for children.

Children and young people with any illness, I think that hospital is

without a doubt Alder Hey, and it is the best hospital in the world.

Indeed, today, a nursing union told me they believe concerns raised

relate to staff conditions and morale, but not to patient safety. I

would like to assure families that from our perspective and from the

perspective of our members who work in Alder Hey, we have not had

concerns presented to us about patient care and patient safety We

have had presented to us over several months now, the consequences

of a restructure. What would you like to say? This afternoon, one of

those responsible for the restructure took calls on radio

Merseyside. I actually laughed Alder Hey last year. It was because of

bullying and harassment. He also insists the health of children has

never been, mice, but it led down to the skill and dedication of staff

working under massive pressure just as much as it is down to luck? You

saw Sir David Henshaw there. He is the Chair of the Alder Hey NHS

Foundation Trust. I asked him what he could say to reassure parents

that his hospital is a safe place for their children to be operated

on. Alder Hey is safe. That is the

simple, single truth that we can say today. None of the reports have

indicated otherwise. We have has no incidents. Safety is paramount for

children in Alder Hey. What this report is is an open report on a

late state of play in a big journey we're going on with better staff, as

we change the way we are doing things in this old Victorian

building which has been run wonderfully for many years, and we

are moving into a new 21st`century environment in this new hospital we

are building. So we have improving things all the time. But this report

says things need to change before there is a serious incident, so much

as you might be proud of the fact that there hasn't been won and that

there is good service for many, many people, there is still a concern. It

is your own internal report that says it. Yes, and it is a

perception. If you read the report, you will see it as a report about

perception among theatre staff. I have read the report, and view at

talking about what is mentioned at the end. The capacity for change.

Are you saying staff do not have that? No, I am saying that we have

got to accept that we have been working in a Victorian building the

staff are doing a fantastic job in a very poor environment. We are moving

to a brand`new environment which will be very different, so we can't

carry on behaving in some ways as we do now. We had to change the way we

do things, the way we use instruments, the way we check

things. It is about building that highly effective team for the

future, using the best of technology and the best of what we can offer

any new building. And how do you take them with you then? In

November, they went behind your back to the CQC and raise their concerns.

Some of them did, but the meeting this morning, for example, there

were 100 people there, I was in that. The reports to me were that

staff were very concerned about the misreporting of this report and the

way their views are being misreported. They are concerned but

they want a great job. They do a great job now and they want to do it

in the future. The simple truth is, whether the simple truth is, where

Italy and supply? They lie with your own staff who are doing the job now.

We to make sure we give them what they need to do the job well and

better, but let's be clear. It is safe, it continues to be saved, no

parents need have any concern at all. It is one of the top hospitals

for children. Thank you. A rapist who attacked a Chester

woman just two days after being released from prison ` has been told

by a judge he can expect "a lengthy custodial sentence". 38`year`old

Peter Watton from Lache in Chester ambushed his victim while she was

jogging with her dog. He then subjected her to a nine`hour ordeal.

Today he was convicted of all 1 charges against him including rape

and false imprisonment. His victim was praised for her presence of

mind. She had the wherewithal to leave a trail of evidence behind

her, to build a rap or with the defendant so that he might let her

go, which he did eventually, although she ran away from him. And

then when she gave her statement to the police, she had a very good

clear recollection of events. The Metropolitan Police have told

the BBC they're looking into claims that Special Branch officers spied

on Hillsborough justice campaigners. An article in Private Eye magazine

claimed the force refused to confirm or deny whether relatives were put

under surveillance. Police in Manchester are trying to

work out how a man ended up dead in the city centre canal this morning.

The body was found near to Store Street and Great Ancoats Street just

after six o'clock. He is believed to be in his 30s. Police say it is too

early to say whether the death as suspicious. As you well know, the

Northwest 17 vibrant, thriving cotton industry, but these days

there are more empty mills than working ones. Now there are plans to

boost the economy in Lancashire and Greater Manchester by investing in

textiles once again. Naomi Cornwell reports.

The textiles industry shaped the region we live in. 100 years ago,

the Northwest cotton industry produced 7 billion yd.? of cloth a

year. But gradually, the foreign markets set up their own factories.

Gone are the days when Manchester was referred to as cotton Pulis

Many of the big warehouses and factories are now being converted

into offices and flats. But Greater Manchester still has the highest

density of textile factories in the country. It is investment in these

that makes people believe the textile industry could thrive again.

The former MP for Rochdale is running a project to see of it is a

realistic growth area. Over ?12 million from a regional growth fund

has been earmarked for investment already. Greater Manchester,

Lancashire and West Yorkshire cardiac centre of the textile

manufacturing industry the United Kingdom. There is significant growth

potential both in terms of exporter and also in terms of retailers

needing local capacity to feed the turnaround that is now needed on the

High Street. And in Middleton, this luxury company is working

side`by`side with old college, who have set up a fashion academy on

site. We're delivering the training alongside employers who are telling

us what their needs are in skills over the coming months. The macro

just brilliant to get people to experience. Everything that is here

and available to us, it is just fantastic. You never get anything

like this in college. And they'll be looking at how

textiles can benefit the wider North West economy in the Sunday Politics,

which is back this weekend at 1 o'clock on Sunday on BBC One.

Lancashire's Police Commissioner says he is disappointed as taking

over a year for him to be cleared of fiddling his expenses. The Crown

Prosecution Service has ruled there is insufficient evidence to prove

the claims were made dishonestly. It with the outcome I expected all the

way through. If people feel I should apologise, absolutely, I would

apologise for making those mistakes, but I feel that the outcome from the

CPS does vindicate what I have said all the time.

More than 400 jobs could go at Cheshire West and Cheshire Council.

They say unavoidable staff reductions, which would save almost

?15 million, are among budget options but out to public

consultation. If agreed, management posts will be mainly affected.

Meanwhile, the Isle of Man's Chief Constable says the forces to lose 6%

of its staff due to budget cuts The department has to save almost ?

million over the next two years 92% of the police budget is spent on

wages. There is good news, however, at

Porton, near Lancaster, where its brickworks could be up and running

again by early next year. It was mothballed in 2010 because of a lack

of demand, but site owners Hanson Building Products say there's been

an upturn in the industry. 34 staff have already been recruited.

The lives of thousands of Jewish people in Manchester are about to be

transformed with the setting up of an eruv. It's a geographical area

within which practising orthodox Jews will be able to do some of the

things normally banned on the Sabbath. One of the biggest changes

will be for families with young babies, because laws relating to

pushing prams will be relaxed. Our reporter Judy Hobson has been

finding out what difference an eruv will make.

Getting ready for a sabbath. That means a day of rest for practising

orthodox Jews. But things are about to change in this part of north

Manchester. After ten years in the planning, and eruv has now been set

up. It is a technical boundary incorporating parts of Salford,

Prestwich and cramps all. This is Manchester's biggest orthodox Jewish

immunity. It will change the situation in the street. Up till

now, women with little children have basically been housebound, unable to

take their children out of they can't walk, because it would be

prohibited on the sabbath with a body. They will now be able to enjoy

the sabbath. At the other end of the scale, old people who are

housebound, who need wheeling, they have not been able to go out on the

sabbath. They will be able to go to synagogue and family events. The

eruv perimeter is 30 miles long and there must be a proper boundary

like this fence, which has been specifically built. Here, the world

has been made higher so that it stands out. So what happens when the

boundary crosses a road? Before the sabbath began, this rabbi showed me.

You can see on either side of the road, with a wire running across

between these two posts, and that is an entrance into the eruv area. The

sabbath started today just before five o'clock, and last until

darkness tomorrow. Not all sabbath rules are relaxed within the eruv

boundary, but Jews coming to the synagogue tonight could carry things

like handkerchiefs and Keys, for the first time in the sabbath. I like to

be able to get that with the children, and it will make life more

sociable on the sabbath. Now, my wife can get out and about, and we

can go out for the sabbath. It is liberating. The tarmac will be the

biggest in the UK, and although not all Orthodox Jews like it, it will

change the lives of thousands here celebrating the sabbath.

Richard is here with the sport now, and could things really get any

worse for David Moyes? Well, let's just say that things can

surely only get better after the last couple of weeks. Three

successive defeats on the field have now been followed up with trouble

off it. The Manchester United manager has been charged with

misconduct by the FA. It's all to do with comments he made about the

referees after Tuesday's League One defeat at Sunderland. I think it's

fair to say that opposition fans are revelling in United's woes. There's

no doubt about that, and just to rub it in, their two biggest rivals have

picked up awards today. Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini has been

named December's Manager of the Month, while Liverpool's Luis Suarez

has been named Premier League Player of the Month. The striker is a

worthy winner, having become the first Premier League player ever to

reach double figures in a calendar month. Is there any light at the end

of the tunnel for David Moyes and United? But of course. But to add to

their problems, Wayne Rooney is out for tomorrow's match at home to

Swansea. But United are doing everything they can to get the

England striker fit for next week's big clash with Chelsea. He's been

sent to the sunshine with a United fitness coach for warm weather work

to speed up his recovery from a groin injury. Let's hope he makes a

speedy return. In the championship tomorrow, Wigan host Bournemouth, on

form under new manager Uwe Rosler. They have moved to within three

points of the play`offs. Today, I sat down with the new boss to

discuss personal battles and that good start at the stadium. We're

turned the corner. We're still at work in progress. Every manager has

his way to play football, and to run the football club and obviously I am

here. I'm just here for four weeks, so it is a long way before I can say

that is my team, but that is my aim, to bring this club back to the

premiership. Your own individual story is interesting and quite

different. You grew up in East Germany. Does that seem a lifetime

away? Yes. I can't really remember that time. But I am fortunate that I

had a chance to live in a different political system out of my life

Yellow mattress another's experiences were extraordinary. I

was reading that the East German secret police, the Stasi, tried to

get you to spy on your team`mates? Yes. That was a common thing in the

East. It must have been a scary moment. Definitely, because it got

massive pressure on me. They more or less put the knife at my throat

saying you work with us what you are against us. I followed my dad's

advice to go right to the managers and sort them out. The biggest

battle in your life has been with cancer. It is an obvious question,

but how difficult a time was that? It is difficult to understand. When

you are a sports person at the top of your profession, everything you

did in your life before was just keeping fit and trying to perform,

and then somebody tells you you probably have a week to live. That

was difficult. Difficult to understand for me. You received

support from all sorts of different people, including lots of Manchester

City fans. Does that bond with Manchester City fans feel as strong

as it always did with you? I always had a very good bond with the

supporters. I have never lost contact through my time in Norway or

Germany. But obviously, in that period, when I really needed help,

psychologically, and support, the supporters of Manchester City most

definitely helped, and for me, psychologically, they played a

massive part for me to recover. Fascinating to sit down and talk

with duvet today. `` Uwe Rosler There is an almost north`west derby

to look forward to the BDO world darts championship, with Saint

Helens's Stephen bunting, and Robbie Green meeting in the semifinals

Number one seed Stephen beat Belgium's number one seed. You can

see the match tomorrow at 2:45pm. You can tell he is continental, Uwe

Rosler. Just sits there and listens to you all stop he didn't even see

the cup. And his story is really interesting, as you heard. What we

did not put in there was that it was a specific story about how he had a

phone call from a friend, telling him when he was in the middle of

chemotherapy that at a Manchester City game, more than 40,000 fans had

been chanting his name. That really gave him the boost to go on. He was

one of the really great strikers, wasn't he? An absolute icon. Thank

you very much. Staying with a football theme in a

way now. We are going to meet a man whose grandad was a successful

manager for Everton Football Club and he came from a normal, loving

family. But by the age of 17, Tony Smith was hooked on heroin, and he

spent 15 years living on the streets. Tony overcame his

addiction, and last night his church invited and paid for 100 homeless

people to have a three course buffet at a restaurant in Manchester. Nazia

Mogra reports. Lindon's getting an invite for the

meal. He was once a builder. Now he's sleeping on a friend's sofa.

Any money he earns is from playing music on the streets. Years ago you

use to get spit on and kicked and everything, but these days, people

don't seem to be as bad. Tony knows all too well what being homeless is

like. He overcame drug addiction with the help of his church. Now he

has a roof over his head and spends his time like today, helping others.

Have you done all right today? No. Shame has a lot to do with it. You

don't want to bother people. You think you can manage. Yeah, go on,

Aldo it. Simon Kroon NICE one, fallow. A restaurant opening their

doors for homeless people may for some be hard to believe, but for the

manager of The Red Hot World Buffet, tonight is very special. We have

lost a child in our family, and every time you walk down the street,

you think that could be your son or daughter. Sometimes it is paying

back, thinking they could be our family. It is nice. I had

everything. I had a bag of food and now I'm going home. To see some of

the lads' faces who've never been in a restaurant and some of the girls

tonight, yes, definitely worth it Tony and his church but this will

remind others that homeless people need help not just at Christmas but

throughout the year. What a great story. I think they all

enjoy themselves the shore. And now, the weather with Eno.

Tomorrow is looking really good It is a date to be outdoors if you plan

for that. For the weekend, the first half, I would say, is the best part

of the weekend. Mostly dry and bright tomorrow, but some overnight

frost from Saturday into Sunday Sunday starts off on a decent note,

but a lot of the food will see some rain much later. For tonight, we

will have a yellow weather warning for its valid from nine o'clock

because we have had some rain through this afternoon and this

evening. The rain continues to push through through this evening, gone

by ten o'clock, hopefully, leaving behind a legacy of showers sneaking

in through the Cheshire gap. But then we will see the skies clearing

from the north, so clearing in Cumbria down, and maybe some fog

patches there as well. We may see some fog in Cumbria and frost

batches in the Isle of Man underneath clear skies, but here,

also possibly the best places if you fancy trying to spot the Northern

lights. Temperatures in Cumbria and the Isle of Man, you can see they

drop very close to freezing. Where we keep the clouds, a mild night,

temperatures maybe three or four Celsius. Then, tomorrow, these guys

continue to clear. They clear from the north, clearing south. A decent

day tomorrow. As can see, mostly dry, decent spells of sunshine.

Breezy initially, but the breeze dies away through the afternoon

It's not going to be particularly warm. Fog already starting to return

by late afternoon. Six or seven Celsius tomorrow. Not warm at all.

As we head into Sunday, another front begins to approach, but on

Saturday night, the skies continue to clear. Lots of fog around,

leading up to Sunday morning. Some frost as well. Then for Sunday, we

start off with clear skies, a bright start, but you can see as we head

into Sunday night, another band of rain begins moving in, so Sunday

night could be wet. Not articulate warm again on Sunday, six or seven

Celsius, but hopefully drier by Monday.

Celsius, Thank you very much. Come and join

the argument about Roger's Ty! I love it! Plus, negative? OK. It

would go perfectly with Uwe Rosler's mullets from the 80s. I

would have a dress in both colours. Opinion is divided. I will take it

off then! Goodbye!