10/12/2012 Inside Out East

This week, how to get out of debt. With 300 of us becoming insolvent

every day, we show you one solution. Your are also liable to get paid.

Suddenly, all these things I couldn't do, I have suddenly been

able to do. What links door-to-door make-up sales and Hinchingbrooke

Hospital? We will be revealing the answer. We have exclusive access to

the country's first privately run NHS hospital and we will be asking

the company that has run it if �40 million of debt can really be

turned into a profit. I do not know healthcare but I do know how the

complex operations work, so we are taking long-term view that says, if

something can be achieved in a short space of time, great, but

some of the things we are trying to tackle our long-standing issues

that will take months and sometimes a lot longer to resolve. Had I am

in Luton to find out how much money are town trees are saving us.

do such a good job for us in terms of the benefits, shading, filtering

out pollutants, the beauty of them. And the fact that they stand there

and we walk past them all the time and do not necessarily truly

appreciate them. They are the stories that matter where we left,

Tonight, we are at Wardown Park in Luton. Credit cards, bank

overdrafts, payday loans, they are ways to tide you over when you are

short of money, but it is easy to borrow money we cannot pay back.

Debt is a serious issue. One solution has told thousands of

people get out of debt and start afresh. Now it will receive much-

needed funding. Getting into debt can happen to any

of us, and can be the result of circumstances beyond our control.

That is what happened to John Belm, who lives in south Norfolk. An

accident eight years ago caused his life to spiral out of control. As

well as being badly injured, he got thousands of Pounds into debt. The

effects dramatically changed his life. It was two-and-a-half years

after the accident, before I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain

injury, by which time, my marriage had ended. I was sleeping on

friends'' sofas and sleeping on my own mattress on the floor of an

empty house, just getting a bed wherever record. Norfolk council

social work department had class me as a vulnerable adults. I had an

actual fear that I would wind up living rough on the streets. John's

brain injury means he struggled to organise it life and matches live.

One of the beauties of his brain injury is I do not suffer anxiety,

so I was not worried about my debt, which is out of control. I kept

going on beyond overdraft limits, and racking up charges, charges

upon charges and penalties on charges. It got to the point where

I could not keep up with keeping myself solvent. His story is not

unique. According to Credit Action, every five minutes, one of us will

be declared insolvent. Personal debt in the UK stood at nearly 1.5

trillion pounds at the end of September. People with poor credit

ratings and those who cannot get a bank account are sometimes turned

to credit unions. The first one opened in 1964 and there are now

400 in the UK with 33 in our region. The number of people using them has

increased by over 200% in the past decade. Unlike high-street banks,

they do not like customers take on loans they cannot afford. Can you

explain, what exactly is a credit union? It is a community bank. We

do all the same services as a back, but we are different in the fact

that we are run by our members. We are co-operative. So our main

concern is what is good for our members? The key thing is, we make

sure the loan is affordable. The last and we want to do is get

people into debt and in trouble. We look at the individual

circumstances and every person is treated as an individual. We look

at them as that person, not a computerised evaluation. The real

evaluation of a person, what is coming in and going out, what they

can afford. Regulated by the FSA, the Norfolk Credit Union has 20

branches across the county and around 3,500 customers. We help all

members of the community, particularly those who have had a

poor credit rating and problems getting loans for other banks. If

they want a smaller loan, they can go to us. We are very good at loans

of �500, which backs on off. If you go to loan shark, who are illegal,

or high-cost lenders to pay -- who charge a lot of interest. Credit

unions have been pushing the Government for help for years. It

now seems a breakthrough is on the cards. The Government will invest

nearly �40 million in credit unions over the next three years of study

should mean they will be able to help more people who cannot get

normal credit. The South Norfolk village of Chedgrave is home to

gardener Sam Marsh. Before joining the credit union, Sam used to

struggle with money. How difficult has life been? Pretty hard. I have

moved from place to place, not been able to settle down, this has made

it hard to get work. I have ended up having to go to or hostel, which

got me this place. Before that, I was just sleeping on people's sofas

and moving from place to place. Sam's dream was to run a garden in

business, but funds were needed and because of his past problems, none

of the high street banks would touch him. I went to lots of banks.

I did not have a permanent address. After I got this flat, and was on

the electoral register, I had household bills, but I did not have

photographic ID. They were still refusing the on the point that they

did not have photographic ID. eventually found out about the

Norfolk Credit Union. Thanks to them, he was able to open a current

account, which held it his business up and running. What difference has

it made to you being a member of the credit union? They gave me a

current account, which allowed me to do direct debits and allowed me

to get paid, I could have the internet, the phone, I have been

able to buy business cards online, all these things I could not do, I

had suddenly been able to do, which has got me back out into the

working world. And actually it has allowed me to earn a living and pay

my own way. Fantastic. So it has given you a sense of pride. A sense

of pride and just a big foot in the door. A big step that I was

struggling to make and it meant that I can now make it. This is the

latest branch of the Norfolk Credit Union. It -- it has just opened for

business. Although it could be seen as a rival to the traditional high-

street banks, it is surprising that the funds to open it came from

Barclays Bank. Barclays gave the credit union �50,000. I wanted to

find out why. The Barclays Community Development Fund is

provided by Barclays, where by credit unions can apply for grants,

to make affordable credit more accessible to the group -- to the

community. You are giving money to credit unions to help people with

poor credit ratings, why not just help the people directly? Barclays

has a whole range of products to help customers but there are some

customers which we cannot help but this point in time. We rely on the

expertise of local providers like the credit union to help those

customers. This is about working in partnerships with these external

bodies so that customers can get the services they need. So, why do

you not have the expertise to help the people directly? The credit

unions deal with people in these situations day in, day out. They

have a direct relationship with other bodies like housing

associations, local of authorities. And because they deal with this all

the time, it is what they do best. Us working in partnership with them

and helping to fund them through grants is our way of making sure

that customers get the best services. Credit services say they

-- credit unions are becoming trees and the popular with people who in

the past would have gone straight to a high-street bank. A originally,

most of our people came from what he might cool -- called the poor

end of the committee. But now it is what is called the squeeze medal.

People on low income, on middle income, on benefits, we are seeing

a wider range. After his problems with a high-street bank, John Belm

was put in touch with the Norfolk Credit Union. You cannot go

overdrawn. A that is totally what I need. I am unsafe, putting free

money in my hands! Once a month, John sees a personal adviser, who

helps to manage his accounts. that a direct debit or standing

order? With his financial life more organised, drug is able to

concentrate on his work as an artist and sculptor. -- John is

able. What difference has it made you life being a member of the

credit union? It keeps me out of trouble, financially. I can only

spend the money that I have. I cannot run up debt. It is a very

friendly and constructive and supportive environment, in which to

keep my money, manage my money and keep my otherwise quite tricky life

Rails. If there is something you think we

should be looking into, send me an e-mail. This is Inside Out east,

still to come. With our ashtrays and a threat, we find out just how

valuable are trees are. Trees provide absolutely essential

environmental services. They act as a carbon store. That increases

annually as they metabolise and grow, the store up more carbon.

Almost a year ago, Hinchingbrooke Hospital became the first NHS

hospital to be run by a private company. It was and remains a

controversial decision. The hospital had debts of nearly �40

million. The company called Circle said it could turn the hospital

around and make a profit, but last week, the man who founded the

company stood down and today, the company has been called to appear

in front of the Government's Accounts Committee. Stuart

Radcliffe was given exclusive access to the hospital at this

really crucial time. Avon calling, everywhere. To fill you with its

gorgeous range of Christmas gifts. You might wonder what the

connection is between door-to-door make-up sales and healthcare. Well,

meet Michael Watson, who has travelled the world as one of

Avon's global vice-president. But then Circle came Knockin at his

door and now his business brain is being put to use managing hospital.

My expertise is clearly not in healthcare. I worked in manufacture,

distribution and other operations in other places round the world. I

am bringing a process mine said and also, just connecting and managing

different groups of people. So I do not know healthcare, but I do know

It does not get more complex than a busy A&E department. This was one

of the departments that some feared sh -- could close as part of

Circle's plans to cut costs. A lot of the work we have done in the

early days is in A&E and how it works with the rest of the hospital

in terms of people coming in through A&E and going on to the

right place, getting the right diagnosis to people as quickly as

possible. I think that you have seen that our performance in A&E

has gone from one of the worst in terms of getting through people --

people through quickly to now being number one in the region. I have

just one bed available now. So so how did staff here feel about a

private company running an NHS A&E department? There were some

anxieties but once people had some certainty about who was run in the

wards I think people felt more comfortable. But in order to secure

a successful future Circle promised to pay other horse -- pay off the

hospital's �40 million debt and maintain vital services, but how?

According to Circle, through efficiency savings and putting

doctors and nurses in charge of their own departments. This doctor

has worked at Hinchingbrooke for 12 years so knows exactly how things

have changed and he thinks they have changed for the better.

Instead of your traditional hierarchy, about four or five

layers between frontline staff and a hospital ward, we now have a

different structure. 80 % of the hospital board are doctors and

nurses. If I am leading in my speciality and a would like to make

a change, I don't need to go through the many layers of

management to get my message across. But not everybody is happy with the

changes. After just six months and you rota was introduced meaning 42

nursing posts have been scrapped. - - a new road to. -- rota. There is

a lot of disillusionment now. Circle came in with big promises,

they said they would be including the staff, but the staff see that

that is not happening but instead jobs are being reduced. I think

members are rightly concerned and so are patients, who are conducting

us on a daily base, asking why nursing posts have been highlighted

for cuts instead of other job roles. Really I think the balance for

patients must be around getting the best quality care. I don't see in -

- how that can be achieved by removing nursing posts from the

system. But the latest Care Quality Commission report says the

standards of care have improved but it raises doubts about finances,

despite the efficiency drive. A hospital's deficit was twice as

much as Circle promised. -- the hospital's. Meet Ali pastor, who,

until last week, was the driving force between circle's

Hinchingbrooke plan. -- Ali Parsa. It always is in our plan to bridge

some of the finances of the trust. Is that throwing good money after

bad? Not at all. It is investing in transformation. Are we going to see

continued losses? Yes, because this hospital was always projected to

lose almost �1 million a month. We could have done slash-and-burn and

tried to fix the finances of a hospital but our focus will be to

fix the finances while maintaining the service, and that is a long-

term plan. Getting an entire transformation of quality and

finances in any institution in one year is on realistic. With Ali

Parsa or's colours nailed to Hinchingbrooke's master, his sudden

departure last Tuesday with something nobody saw coming.

Welcome to Look East. The old -- the region's most controversial

hospital boss steps down. Why has he gone?

It has taken us by surprise. It has come out of the blue but there are

problems with Circle's plans for Hinchingbrooke and he had a have --

a definite plan to turn the finances around. It did not work as

quickly as he anticipated and they have had various bail-outs so I

wonder if he has gone up his own volition before he was pushed out

by the shareholders. -- of his own volition. What now for

Hinchingbrooke? Into her former Argos director Steve Milton. --

enter. He is committed to Hinchingbrooke so nothing will

change. Our passion for Hinchingbrooke is unchanged. The

thing about Hinchingbrooke, for viewers in that area, is that the

improvements we have been making have been delivered by the doctors,

nurses, health care professionals, because our model gives power to

them to run services the way they think fit. That will not change at

all. Ali Parsa will be the first to say that it is not him or myself

who are creating the care, we are just creating the right environment.

Whoever is in charge, Circle still faces an enormous financial

challenge. It is a ten-year deal, a �40

million historic debt. In order to clear that they will have to have

surpluses of �70 million over the next decade. That is a lot of money

and when you consider that they are currently running at a deficit that

underlines the challenge ahead. If they achieved everything they set

out to, it will be quite an achievement. But there is a long

way to go and a lot could happen between now and then.

Seemingly all financial options are on the table, including selling off

this car-park to build houses on. Because Circle are treating

Hinchingbrooke as a business it has to make a profit and the message on

the calling card from Avon is that you can't judge it on its first

year in charge. We have the contract for 10 years so we are

taking a long-term view. It something can be achieved in a

short space of time, great, but some of the things we are tackling

our long-standing issues double- take months and sometimes a lot

longer than that to resolve. -- that will take months. And hospital

trusts across the country will be watching to see if Circle can

resolve Hinchingbrooke's problems because, if it can, and there are

plenty of hospitals needing similar financial surgery.

Some of the trees here are magnificent and most of us love

having trees in our towns and cities but is it possible to put a

price on the benefit they give us. Yes, thanks to a computer program

being used right here in Luton. Trees. They might not look as if

they are doing much but every single one is busy making our towns

healthier places to be, undoing some of the damage we caused. In

Luton they have worked out the value of the job they do in hard

cash. Wardown Park as the principal parks seem to like the place to

start. It has a green flag, it is on the register of historic parks

and we needed to find out some kind of financial valuation on the

services that our trees provide to the community and the townscape

itself. The council has just completed something called an i-

Tree Eco survey, the first of its kind in the country. OK, so that is

11 metres. It has calculated that the value of the trees to the

environment is around �70,000 a year. Trees provide absolutely

essential environmental services. They act as a carbon store which

increases annually as they grow, storing up more carbon, so we are

taking some of the carbon that we use, living, driving cars, running

heating. Running a long Bedford Road, -- -- they are sending out

dust particles in their exhaust fumes and trees to a remarkable job

of capped -- capturing that, locking them in the leaves and

chopping them down, where they are dispersed safely in the ground. --

dropping them down. �70,000 is the value of the carbon, which can be

traded, along with what it would cost to use a machine to do the

same job. There are 1221 of them in the park and local volunteers help

to measure and record every detail of every one. We are measuring the

heart -- the height of the trees, this a conference, the crown

density, any missing parts of the Crown and the spread. The more

leaves a tree house, the more it does in terms of pollution removal

for us. -- a tree has. I am a tree huggers. I think they do such a

good job for us in terms of the benefits, shading, filtering out

pollutants, the beauty of them and the fact that they stand there and

we walk past them and don't genuinely appreciate them as we

walk past. Town trees also help cut energy bills by providing

insulation, giving them a financial part -- value may help give future

town planners their importance. was overwhelmed by the valuation of

pollutant removal. I think it would be impossible to ignore such

findings and not develop policies that may well improve this in the

future by creating development, new roads with adequate landscaping.

should not create our trees for granted but sadly not everybody

appreciates them. This is St Georges, -- St George's Square, the

central square in Luton's town centre, and we have a municipal

soft landscape planting around it and one problem we have his

occasional vandalism. As a result, this treaty is dead. Six trees were

killed. Replacing them cost �25,000. Robbie is not a man to be defeated.

He has come up with a creative solution to protect the replacement

trees. We explored a number of solutions, the problem of bark

stripping, and one of them we came up to was this idea of yarn bombing,

a form of street art. To do this, we used woolly jumpers and old

socks and pieces of material taken from various charity organisations

and shops and the town. We stitched them together and made socks for

the trees! And it seems to be working. This has been here for two

months. Brobbey hopes that one day the tree project will be extended

to the whole of Luton's urban forest. -- and Robbie. Meanwhile,

with people like him around, the town's trees are in good hands.

We filmed that before asked dieback disease hit the country. Has that

affected you here? There are actually no ashtrays in Wardown

Park. It is not up a dominant species in Luton. -- no ash trees

in Luton what problems do you face here? Because 11 % of our trees in

this park are horse chestnut, horse chestnut canker is a problem. But

we are finding that the older stock are showing some resistance and

taking longer to die. The problem is younger tree stock that is more

susceptible because it doesn't have the energy levels to fight the

disease is, really. What do you reckon the solutions are? Certainly

strategies need to be developed, policies of movement of material

need to be strengthened across the board, and good practice in our by

Okocha, Inc -- including in forestry, where prevention of

disease is observed by it all people. That would include

sterilisation of tools, and care and proper disposal of material

arising from suspected disease materials. It is great to catch up

with you. That is all we have time for this week. If you have

something you think we should be covering, send an e-mail. I will

see you next week when I will be back with these stories.

Traffic jams in Essex. We find out why we are still being charged to

drive on the Dartford Crossing, even though the tunnel and bridge

were paid for long ago. Good morning. We are at least more

-- moving. We investigate claims that mistakes in hospital have left