15/03/2012 BBC Newsline

Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor and Sarah

Travers. The headlines this Thursday evening. As a man dies

while waiting on a hospital trolley, we hear from patients about

emergency department pressure. was horrific, the place was like a

cattle market. That would have been more dignified. MLA pay, how does

it compare? The injuries suffered by dogs used and badger baiting.

The latest in our investigation. Scenes of joy as James Nesbitt and

Riverside Theatre are the toast of Cheltenham. And for the moment the

cloud is still with us, but this time it's bringing some rain as

well. The BBC has been told that a robust action plan is being put in

place to move patients through the Royal Victoria's emergency system

as quickly as possible. An elderly man was found dying on a trolley

there while waiting to be transferred to another hospital.

The chief executive of the Health and Social Care board, John Compton,

says this has not been brought in because of the death, but because

the Royal's A&E has been persistently breaching waiting

targets. Our health correspondent, Marie-Louise Connolly, reports. The

elderly man was brought by a member of his family to the emergency

department at the Royal Victoria Hospital. As there were no beds

available, staff made arrangements for him to be transferred to the

City Hospital instead. But when paramedics arrived to lift him,

they found him unresponsive. According to the Belfast Health

Trust, at that stage the man wasn't dead but died a short time later.

We need to get the answers. The Belfast Trust needs to go was the

answers to these questions. There has been a massive response to the

story, which was first reported in this morning's Irish News. This

woman had to wait over 12 hours on Monday for a bed. A former nurse,

she told me the emergency department resembled a battlefield.

The place was full of patients and relatives. The staff were unable to

cope, it too many people and know where to put them. They were lined

up in trollies, wheelchairs, ordinary chairs, some people had

relatives. After all the times we have been, it seemed odd that they

were taking vitals from patients waiting outside the X-ray unit and

we were told this is routine. We have never seen this before and I

said, I bet someone has died! latest incident joins a catalogue

of stories reported almost daily since the City Hospital's A&E

closure last year. In January, an email leaked to the BBC revealed

senior managers advising there was a shortage of hospital beds and

that patients should be discharged where possible. Those on the

frontline say no one is attempting to fix a system that's broken.

are dealing with what be described as the symptom, the numbers, and

not the disease, why does this happen? That is why the College of

Nursing has called on the Department of Health, commissioners

and hospitals to do this for some time. As well as the public,

doctors are also appealing for help. Stormont's Health Committee has

received this letter. In it, the doctor says things are really awful

here. Patients wait on trolleys in corridors and reception areas for

hours. I have seen junior doctors in tears and staff shouting at each

other. The Health Board has told BBC Newsline that from today, a new

plan has been triggered to ensure targets are met by June. We have

renewed effort in the running of the emergency departments and have

a commitment from organisations and we will police this aggressively to

make sure we get to a different place within three months. While

expected that people will die in accident and emergency departments,

the question is, how long was this man left lying on it? As nurses are

expected to carry out observations every 30 minutes, that answer will

be available in his own hospital notes. Just before we came on air,

I spoke to Colm Donaghy, the chief executive of the Belfast Health

Trust. He's unable to speak about specific cases, including the death

of this elderly man. However, he was prepared to talk about the

problems in A&E, or the emergency department, which he calls ED, and

why things there seem to have broken down. I do not believe the

system has broken down. I have to say that we have been under

pressure at times in the department but it has not broken down. We will

continue to improve but the processes and the care that we give

to patients, in the emergency department and outside, because we

have to understand that this isn't just how people are cared for, it

is about the patient pathway and the demand for emergency

departments and people who are attending. And also the hospital

processes and also discharge at our primary and community care. With

respect, you say the system has not broken down and you are not times

under pressure. But for months you have been breaching targets. We

have been told by someone in the trust that on no fewer than eight

occasions in December there have been over 110 patients in the

accident and emergency in the Royal Hospital on Friday and Saturday

nights. What more has to happen for urgent, immediate action to be

taken to relieve that pressure? are absolutely right. There are

very high attendances at times and we do prepare for that but I would

say that in terms of how we make changes, they have to be made in

co-operation with the primary care colleagues and also what the

community services as well, so it isn't just about the hospital

system and the hospital emergency departments, it is about the wider

system and we are putting in an improvement plan to deal with those

issues. Why not reopen the accident and emergency department of the

City Hospital? The reason we had to make the change very quickly at

Belfast City Hospital was because of quality and safety reasons and

the fact that we did not have enough staff for three emergency

departments and we still do not have enough staff for that. What we

have been able to do is ensure that the staff who work here in the

Belfast City Hospital now work in both the Royal Hospital and the

Mater Hospital and our doctors and consultants work until 10pm at

night and they were working until 6pm and now it is 10pm, we have

seen a DRS in the Royal Hospital from midnight until 8:00am, which

we did not have met both departments open. Colm Donaghy from

the Belfast Trust. Marie-Louise Connolly has been across this from

the beginning of the year and she would be keen to hear your own

views. There's been a largely hostile reaction to an independent

review which says MLAs should get an 11% pay rise. Many Assembly

members have taken to the airwaves to say they, too, are opposed to a

salary increase. The proposals would see MLAs' basic salary rise

to �48,000. Those who are ministers or senior members of committees

already earn significantly more than that. In comparison, official

figures suggest that the average full-time salary in Northern

Ireland is �23,882. The average full-time wage in the best-paid

group, the professional occupations, is �36,629. However, research

carried out on behalf of the independent review suggests that

someone with a similar job to an MLA earns on average �48,500. For

further comparison, we've looked at some job ads in today's papers.

They include vacancies for a project manager with experience in

managing contracts of more than �1 million. That job has a maximum

salary of just under �39,000. Joining me to discuss this are

recruitment consultant Ciaran Sheehan and Advice NI's Kevin

Higgins. If I can start with Kevin, an extra five grand in the Saturday

starting from April, that leaves a bad taste with many people?

suppose it pay freezes are the norm within the advice sector with

uncertain futures. And increasing workloads with people affected by

joblessness and rising costs and living. The other thing is, we have

people coming through the doors and they are reliant on social security

and want to top up end comes. Yes, people would be slightly envious

looking at this but I suppose what I would say is that there is a big

job of work approaching MLAs in terms of the legislation, the

Welfare Reform Bill, so if they get stuck into that and do good work,

we would not begrudge this. Before almost related pay? Perhaps. They

have work to do in terms of this, which impacts on practically every

household. If they get stuck into that, make real change, good

changes, then certainly we would not begrudge that. You might change

and a penny if that happens. You are recruitment consultant working

in the private sector. How does this compare with the private

sector? In context, 11% sounds excessive in the current climate

and that is equivalent to any senior management salary across

private companies. For the amount of responsibility and for the

invasion in their personal life, that isn't excessive. The average

professional salary is �36,629, they would be on over �12,000 more

than that. P BO need to have above average performers in the Assembly

and they deserve that money. If you consider the responsibilities they

have come up budget responsibilities, the pressure in

driving public services, that is good value. Classroom assistants

and nurses would say that they work and make sacrifice is also, are

then not as important? They absolutely are. But they need to be

real about the situation. We are trying to drive efficient public

sector services were everybody benefits and we are trying to

create jobs. We need the people with the responsibility to take

those decisions. I am not apologising for their pay, but we

need good calibre people to drive government here and you want to

show that the Government makes a difference and most of all, people

want to see performance management. There is an issue where government

has not seen to deliver and that is a problem. If it is linked to

performance, there is no issue. I would like to see a serious issue

which is do we need less of them? We need an argument for good value

and good delivery. Kevin, you have not seen performance that merits

this pay rise at the moment. Should they forgo this pay rise and there

would be more solidarity with people? I suppose that will be a

decision for them and I know they say it is out of their hands, but

in some ways, is this an increase or sleight of hand? On the one hand

it is an increase but there is a decrease in allowances. I have

looked out pension credit and state pension increases and actually,

that is for older people on benefits but that has been funded

through cuts to the pension credits, which is Savings Credit, so there

is light of hand. Giving with one and taking away with the other.

Perhaps MLAs are not in the one boat with that. This might be

something that is happening more as well. Gentleman, thank you for

joining us. Still to come on the programme. The young people setting

tomorrow's news agenda. And the local actor with more than a

passing interest in today's 2.40 at All this week on BBC Newsline,

we've been investigating the cruelty being inflicted by badger-

baiting gangs. The badger is a protected species and killing one

can lead to a prison sentence. The main tool used by the gangs are

their dogs, terriers which are sent underground to pin the badger in

its sett. These dogs can also suffer terrible injuries and

tonight we focus on their plight. I must warn you that from the start

you may find some of the images coming up disturbing. Gordon Adair

has this exclusive report. These pictures are not like any family

snaps you will see. They can actually all of them for legal

reasons and also because some are simply too horrific. Those who left

these pictures at the chemist might pay a higher price for those prints

as the police have their details. Sadly, these pictures are far from

isolated. The amount of damage or costume -- future might have

discomfort. Recently, we told you about how this terrier had been

seized by police and handed to the USPCA. The experts are convinced

from the type of injuries that the dog was used to fight badgers.

About you would be down in its own set, it would have a low angle,

that is why it is the lower jaw. The injuries with another dog tend

to be less of terrain and less soft tissue damage than in this case.

This would be consistent with what we have seen with badgers. Badger

baiting at any time is bad enough but this time they have young and

the mother will be ferocious in protecting that. The dog gets

ripped to shreds, I have seen dogs with lower jaws missing completely.

What has been unearthed by the USPCA is especially dog sheet where

the dog has pertained at one end and a captured badger at the other.

There is no way of knowing how many people are involved in badger-

baiting like this, but there is a suspicion that in the recent past,

these could attract large numbers of people, some travelling to and

from mainland Britain to test their dog. If the dog is booked into one

end, faced down by a badger and then re-emerges, that dog is deemed

to be of no use. One source told me that at times he had seen dogs that

were turned killed on the spot by their udders and on one occasion,

simply put over the head with a shovel. No gang will keep a dog

that is no use and when those dogs get to the end of the season, if

those dogs are severely damaged, and they cannot fight next season,

they will be just killed. De UN said kill badgers become valuable

currency. And suspicion is that rogue vets have hard at their

services to the diggers. Qualified surgeons know what has happened to

those animals and they should be lifting the phone immediately and

alerting the PSNI of what they have seen. If, as we suspect, they're

being paid to do this, shame on them. N estate and, at the Royal

College said it could not comment on the police have a third party

but added that there is an expectation that all bets abide by

the lough. Injured dogs have been found across the country. These

animals were recently seized in Portadown. These were in Rostrevor.

The RSPCA and police have been working to rescue as many dogs as

possible, but housing them is another challenge. The charity is

worried that on a least two occasions since Christmas there

have been attempts to break into their own kennels to steal back

dogs which could become evidence in forthcoming court cases, but

despite this, with more information coming forward, the USPCA insists

it will continue to seek the prosecution and destruction of all

those involved in badger persecution across Northern Ireland.

Our Facebook page has been inundated with reactions to this

investigation. People are shocked and horrified. On tomorrow night's

programme, we'll be hearing from the Environment Minister, Alex

Attwood, about the measures the Executive is taking to stop badger-

baiting. The Assembly Member for Strangford, Mike Nesbitt, has

announced he's standing for the leadership of the Ulster Unionist

Party. The other MLA in the race so far, John McCallister from South

Down, has said if he won he would pull the party out of the Executive

and go into opposition at Stormont. But Mr Nesbitt says he does not

think that would be his plan. are a business out to make a profit,

like any others, but our happens to be in power rather than pounds and

we do not have enough power, we are not profitable, so I would be

reluctant to jump into opposition. Mike Nesbitt. Hundreds of young

people from more than 40 schools across Northern Ireland have been

taking part in the BBC's School Report. It's a UK-wide project

giving young people a chance to engage with news. In County Antrim,

a group of budding young reporters broadcast their very own live news

programme on the big screens at the City Hall in Belfast, in

Londonderry and over the internet. Our district journalist, Ciara

Riddell, spent the day with them. In the news from, the young team

are handing out assignments and building the running order for the

day. 16 youngsters from four schools in County Antrim are

involved in today's live news programme, under the guidance of

their mentor, used reporter Karen Atkinson, learning the tricks of

the trade. This is really good because we started the media club

in the scale and now we are here, so it's great. The I do is to

encourage young people to engage with news and affairs and give them

skills and experience in broadcasting. At 2:30pm, a live

programme goes on air and it runs smoothly. Welcome to BBC News

School Report. It has been a great experience, I was doing the weather

and I had to research at myself and write it up, it has been a great

experience and something I will take away with me. It went really

well. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The easy and

journalists are making plans to do it again next year. -- these young

journalists. Watch out, Sarah! Don't joke! The Irish hockey team

is winning 1 - 0 against Chile in Dublin in the Olympic qualifier.

And Riverside Theatre one the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham today,

which meant one have been a loner. -- won had the honour. Another one

of those great days. The day belonged to this man, James Nesbitt.

Just before we hear from you, we were with you throughout the race,

the only camera on you as your horse -- your horse crossed the

line. Let's look at your reaction. In full flow, Riverside Theatre!

Running really well! Riverside Theatre is getting out! Riverside

Theatre on the nearside! Tremendous finish! How does that fair?

unbelievable, but best ride I have ever seen. You're are in a state of

shock, the adulation is years, Riverside Theatre for Coleraine.

am delighted. You have some hours to take stock, this must be

remarkable? Extraordinary, I have not taken stock at all, big bucks

has just one, the day belonged to Ruby Walsh and Paul as well. But it

was incredible, I felt very comfortable this morning, he ran

very well at Ascot and had won the right with injury. He just was not

travelling well during the race. You were jaded yourself. How does

it feel to have done it? Incredible, I am very lucky to be involved in

horse on a ship. I have been coming here for over 20 years and I never

thought I would have a horse as good as theirs and to have one that

ran as strongly as that and has courageously, with one of the great

rides. Barry Geraghty. This is a privilege. It could be quite a

weekend for Coleraine, Kenny Shiels in the Scottish Cup final. They

will take on Celtic and Neil Lennon and Nikki Gregg has been to meet

the other Coleraine man at the heart of the action... Be it on the

training pitch or analysing the opposition, Kenny Shiels is leaving

nothing to chance as he bids to mastermind Kilmarnock's first ever

League Cup victory. That involves weighing up a major selection

dilemma. His son, midfielder Dean, is serving a league suspension on

games either side of the final. Parachuting him back into the

starting lineup for the showpiece would raise an inevitable issue.

try to make sure that we do not make changes that sand towards

favouritism so I have to be careful. That is the worst thing about

having a son playing. He is a top goalscoring midfielder in the SPL

and that just epitomises then, he is creative and scores goals.

recent form has been rewarded with a recall to the international squad.

Dean was a standout in Northern Ireland's defeat to Norway last

month. His loan spell at Kilmarnock is due to end this summer. As for

working with Dad? Well, he's simply the gaffer. We all have a job to do

and we are all going in the same direction and we want to be

successful. Apart from the fact that he is my father, on the pitch,

he is the manager first and foremost. The odds might be stacked

against Kilmarnock here at Hampden Park on Sunday but as the club's

assistant manager knows, you can never rule out an upset. Jimmy

Nicholl was at the helm when Raith Rovers done Celtic in the 94 League

Cup Final. Massive underdogs. As we all know. It was just keeping the

boys settled. Keep them believing. Beating Rangers home and away in

the league for the first time in the club's history has certainly

helped confidence. Overcoming the other side of the Old Firm would

make it a breakthrough season. James, he will want to wish Kenny

all the best? Absolutely, it should be fantastic. It is good for Kenny.

All the best. I was at Coleraine last week when they beat the crews

finally! That was great. Who will tomorrow's Gold Cup belong to? Long

run? I love them both, the stable is in fine form. But I am thrilled.

Never set the ETA is where I started, I played the artful Dodger

of 34 years ago. It holds a very special place in my heart. Because

of this when, other people will have heard of Riverside Theatre and

if they're going through the triangle they might trouble it!

to the people of Coleraine, I hope you were on a horse. I hope I can

go back now! Back to Belfast. Whereas the party? No, no, I am

working... No, not until Sunday. Goodbye! There had to be some drink

at the end of it for Jiminez but! There has been a transition today

and after four days of gloom, we have seen some changes. There was

some brighter some places this morning, this photograph was taken

at Castlerock this morning. Red Sky in the morning, sealers warning.

The rain arrived about one hour later. That was the other change,

we lost the brightness as a football crowd edged in to bring

some rain to northern and western areas. Although that has eased down,

we still have some cloud this evening and tonight so eventually

we will see the rain returning from the south-west and spreading across

all parts. Some of that is likely to be persistent as well, maybe

breezy in a few spots but it is still mild and frost-free with

temperatures at seven or eight degrees. Tomorrow looks like it

will be fairly wet to start the day before we eventually see some

improvement. Reigning across many areas tomorrow morning for the rush

hour but it will be central and eastern areas catching the heaviest

bursts so bear that in mind, there could be surface water and sprayed

on the roads. That rain will shift away, clearing along the east coast

for May Day and leaving some cloudy skies but hopefully it'll brighten

and temperatures should get up to 11 degrees. It will brighten up in

the afternoon, across Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry with

scattered showers. Able he's away tomorrow evening and that will

leave and dry night tomorrow night and clear skies, colder with

temperatures close to freezing. Quite widespread ground frost and