28/03/2014 BBC Newsline

find debris. That's all from the BBC News at Six

Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.

The deaths of 11 patients, including five babies, are being investigated

by the Northern Health Trust. This is not good enough. We

apologise to the family, families involved. Clearly a failure on our

part. A mortar bomb is defused in a major

security operation in West Belfast. A breakthrough by Queen's

scientists. Drugs could replace preventative surgery for people at

risk from cancer. Tributes are paid to the writer Sam

McAughtry, who has died after a long illness. I am happy to stay. But I

would be happier still for the Irish. I enjoyed being Irish.

The football match which could decide the Irish League title. We

look ahead to tomorrow's big game. And we may be going into British

Summer Time this weekend, but the weather is lagging behind a little.

The Northern Health Trust has tonight apologised to the families

of 20 patients whose care it admits fell below standard. Of those cases,

11 involved deaths, including five babies. The incidents which occurred

between 2008 and 2013 took place in hospitals across the Health Trust's

area. Shortly we'll be hearing from the Minister, Edwin Poots. But

first, this report from our health correspondent, Marie-Louise

Connolly. It is not the first time the

Northern Health Trust has been the focus of criticism. Amid concerns, a

team was appointed in 2012 to improve its performance. As a

result, a number of cases have emerged where the care provided to

patients fell below standard. These are described by medical

professionals as serious adverse incidents, and today the minister

spelt out details. In total, he said 20 cases have emerged.

The Trust is now carrying out a review of procedures surrounding

obstetrics and gynaecology. It plans to implement any recommendations.

Since the review began, the reporting of serious adverse

incidents within the Trust has increased by 50%. This is not good

enough. Suddenly, we apologise to the families involved, it is clearly

a failure on our part. A serious failure? Yes, a serious failure,

something we are addressing, we have addressed, and continue to work on

to make sure it does not happen again. The Trust is also completing

a review of about 35,000 x-ray reports from a hospital in

Coleraine. To date, nine patients have been recalled. That review is

now being extended across the entire Health Trust, involving 48,000 x-ray

reports from 2013. It is a culture which takes a while to develop. Why

was it not in place five years ago? I cannot answer that. But it is

serious. All I can say is that we are now, and have been, for many

months, addressing that, to turn it around. The BBC understands not all

of the deaths were reported at the appropriate time to the coroner. The

other health trusts also are carrying out reviews of serious

adverse incidents saw them number could increase. -- so, the number.

In these 20 cases, it is not yet clear whether any of the 11 deaths

were avoidable. But the very possibility is something that any

medical professional, or indeed Minister, will take seriously. For

the majority of people who attend the Northern Health Trust,

undoubtedly, the outcome is successful. But no one is disputing

that for these families, this is a very distressing time.

The Health Minister, Edwin Poots, is with me now. The Northern Trust as a

hands up, we are at fault approach, they have admitted failure. Where is

the governance? We identified that the governance was weak. We set up a

team shortly I came into office, it identified problems, and we have

then put it to senior directors. It is those senior directors who have

identified these issues who have brought the matter to my attention

earlier this week, and I told the public straightaway. The public

would expect there is a checking system, does that exist or more

people ignoring it? There was such a system but the reporting of these

serious adverse incidents were not followed in the way that should have

happened. Last year, since we put in the new directors, we have twice as

many of these incidents that have been reported. So, there is a

culture, things do go wrong in hospital but it is important that

when they do go wrong, they are reported, we identified if they were

avoidable, and actions that can be taken to avoid those things

happening in the future. The Trust said there needs to be a change in

the culture in the reporting of problems, but what does that mean?

Surely most people would say that there is a system in place, you are

here to that system or not. Who is accountable for not making the

checks? Everything in hospitals is not black-and-white, sometimes

decisions are made which are compromised because of the

circumstances people are put in. Very often they get it right,

sometimes they get it wrong. When things go wrong, we need to reflect

on it, as to whether we could have done better for that patients. That

meant for that patient. Those reports are important to ensure that

we provide the best care possible to people. We cannot provide perfect

care but we can provide safe care. The Trust said today its safety

record is good. Many people, to the hospitals that are on the other side

and they do save lives. But what do you think is at the heart of this?

Is to do with staff morale, is it bad management? We are looking at a

period of almost six years when these incidents have happened. The

numbers involved are not necessarily shocking, given the number of people

who have passed through the hospital. But for each individual,

this is massive. Whenever some of you gets it wrong, it can lead to

death, and the consequences for that are terrible. This is the third

review of this particular trust, are you not worried about its very

future? I think this trust is in a much better place it -- than it was

a year ago. We have moved things on immensely. We have people who are

working very well within the Trust and we have seen a cultural change

taking place. You have had several reviews. How worried are you about

what comes out? I want to get to the facts, and when I find the fact I

will tell the public. We will identify and we will use the proper

resources to identify that, and people with the appropriate Norwich

will carry that out on our behalf. What do you think this is doing with

regard to the confidence of the public in our hospitals? What I find

remarkable is that in spite of the media concentration on health

issues, the conversations I have with the public, who do have

confidence in the health service. I also note from the mailbag that

comes in with complains about the hospital system, they are not

spiralling. So there is strong evidence that the public to believe

they have a good health service. Even 99% of the time operating good

is not good enough. It can have a major impact on individuals, that is

devastating for those individuals. We await the results of the other

review. Now, thank you. The police found a mortar bomb and a

command wire during a major security operation in West Belfast overnight.

Homes on the Glen Road were evacuated. Two weeks ago, dissident

republicans fired a mortar bomb at a police patrol on the Falls Road. Our

home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.

An undercover surveillance operation is believed to have led to the

seizure of a mortar bomb last night. Lee's believe they may have foiled

an imminent attack. The device was found by police found a man walking

in this area of West Belfast at around 11pm last night. They seized

a holdall containing a home-made mortar bomb and command wire. A

22-year-old man was arrested and is being questioned in Antrim. Army

bomb experts made it safe and it was taken away for forensic examination.

Their work road closures and several families were moved from their

homes. The alert ended short after 8am this morning. People have been

too many years of conflict and they must now move on. I just know that

people wanted to stop. The seizure comes two weeks after the dissident

group fired a mortar at a police vehicle on the Falls Road. A father

and three children were badly shaken in debris. The device was also an

improvised mortar and was detonated by command wire. However, it is

understood the incidents are not being linked. A different dissident

republican organisation is believed to have been responsible for the

device found here last night. A man with known dissident

republican links has died a week after he was injured in a gun attack

in North Dublin. Declan Smith, who was originally from Belfast, was

shot by a gunman as he dropped his child at a creche in Donaghmeade

last Friday. The 32-year-old was wanted for questioning about the

murder of two men in Belfast in 2007.

You're watching BBC Newsline, still to come on the programme...

The GAA takes steps to tackle one of its biggest problems, the curse of

the cruciate. A man charged with a double murder

has appeared at the magistrate court. He is accused of killing

Catholic work men in North Belfast 20 years ago.

44-year-old Eamonn Fox and 24-year-old Gary Conde were gunned

down in N. Queen St outside a building site in 1994. The UVF

claimed responsibility for the killings. Appearing in the dock,

charged with the murders, 48-year-old James Smith of North

Belfast. He is also accused of trying to kill another man and of

having a submachine gun with intent to endanger life. Smith only said he

denied all the charges. In court, Mr Smith's defence lawyer asked a

police officer if the main evidence against the defendant was from a

supergrass. He replied he had other evidence, including DNA linking the

accused to the crime. The lawyer argued for bail, as Mr Smith, who

had previously been given a life sentence for murder, had not been

known to the police since his release 14 years ago under the Good

Friday Agreement. Bail was refused. Around 30 of his supporters were in

the public gallery and as they left, they shouted, you give IRA men

bail, call it justice. Cancer researchers at Queen's

University have made a discovery that means women at high risk of

breast and ovarian cancer could in the future be treated with drugs,

rather than surgery. At present, women who carry a mutation in the

BRCA1 gene are predisposed to have an 85% risk of breast cancer and 45%

of ovarian cancer. Helen Jones reports.

Caroline's extended family. Despite the smiles, seven people in this

photograph carried the BRCA1 gene. Caroline, her four sisters and one

of the two brothers. Her niece Sarah has also tested positive. There are

whole world started to fall apart when one of the sisters was being

treated for breast cancer. She had to cope with cancer, then she got

the bad news of the gene, then she had to have more surgery to protect

yourself from the gene. That included a bilateral mastectomy

and the removal of ovaries. She was coping with that, we were supporting

her, and we were being tested and, one by one, it was coming back

positive, positive, positive. Each of the five sisters opted for

surgery, but research being carried out by Queen's University Belfast

could provide an alternative. What the research means for women is

that we may be able to use drugs we already have available to reduce

oestrogen levels and prevent current -- cancer forming.

That means we may be able to prevent it with drugs rather than giving

surgery. These are reversible dogs, so they could prevent -- possibly

have these drugs for an amount of time to prevent cancer, come off the

dogs and have children and go back on to help prevent cancer in the

future. I consider myself done and dusted, I

am all right, I am wanting to be there for children. Now with them

approaching the age where they can test and know if they are carrying

the gene and I am really excited to know that they don't immediately

have to go, God, surgery. The drug will now go right on trial.

Still to come on the programme before 7pm...

A famous building restored to its former glory.

The writer and storyteller Sam McAughtry has died. He was 90. He

was also known for his campaign against the bombing of the Dublin to

Belfast train. Our arts correspondent, Maggie Taggart, looks

back at his life. Sam McAughtry was born in 1923 and

lived in Loyalist north Belfast. He was from a mixed religion family and

was scathing of bigotry on both sides. He joined the Royal air force

as a teenager and later worked as a labourer and a civil servant. There

followed a career in writing and broadcasting. He was a joy to work

with. I think he was a very important

writer in many ways. He would never have claimed to be, you know,

writing high literature or anything like that, but he was a very good

writer, very compassionate, and above all very, very honest and

direct. He was a member of the Labour Party and also the Irish

Senate. in 1989 he led the peace train

movement which campaigned against the frequent bombing of the Dublin

to Belfast railway line. I greet you in peace from the city of Belfast.

He was described as a thinking man, great ambassador who treated all

people equally no their social class.

-- no matter their social class. One of Londonderry's famous

buildings may be restored to its former glory.

The Waterside Railway Station has been vacant in recent times. But it

could be given a new lease of life and turned into a modern transport

hub, as our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish, explains.

There is no doubting the popularity of the old Waterside Station. From

Victorian times until relatively recently the building and the old

carriages were used by commuters going to and from work or taking a

leisurely train journey in and out of the city. Now, after a recent

public consultation, there are ambitious plans to turn this disused

listed building into a modern transport hub, with the backing of

the Minister. It will bring together all aspects of transport, rail, bus,

walking, cycling. I think there is already the

Greenway that has been developed, the Peace Bridge is there, we are

continuing to build on the legacy of the UK City of Culture.

Commuters on this city bound train will welcome any upgrade to current

facilities. I think it will be lovely, I remember it as a station

years ago and it will be nice. It is good to see things coming back

to life, old buildings. Anything that conserves the old

areas and brings them up so that people can use them is great.

There has been a multi-million pound investment on the Derry- Coleraine

line securing long-term sustainability.

Passenger trips increased to around 1.5 million journeys on the line in

2011-12. Campaigners say it makes sense to invest. We do not want a

confusion of a transport hub with buses and bicycles being used as an

excuse for not getting on with the job.

Of giving Barry a moderate rail service that it needs -- of giving

Derry the moderate rail service that it needs.

The fact remains that no money has yet been pledged towards this

project, and that remains the challenge for the Transport

Minister. Will Linfield or Cliftonville win

local football's Irish League? The answer to that question will be

much clearer by this time tomorrow. Stephen Watson is here.

It should be, Donna, it should be. With just five more fixtures to

fulfil in the Danske Bank Premiership, Linfield hold a narrow

two point lead over champions Cliftonville. Tomorrow the top two

meet at Windsor Park in an encounter which will have a major bearing on

the destination of the Gibson Cup. It's a game which has boiled over in

the past, and the winners may be the side that keeps their cool.

Mark Sidebottom reports. Right footed, takes a deflection and

it goes in! Tomorrow, it is probable one team will take a tumble.

What is certain is that David Jeffrey has a point to prove. News

of his exit from high office came just six weeks ago. Since then,

Linfield have won six games on the bounce. For now, restraint and

reflection are the order of the day. It will go down to the wire, I would

have thought. But it certainly makes for good

viewing. And for those who lambast the Irish League, I tell you what,

not bad for a small league from Northern Ireland.

It is in! It is Mark Smyth. We have had a lot

of big games in the last number of years, and we normally play best

when there is pressure run the game.

It should be a good game committed will be a good atmosphere, good

advertisement hopefully for the local game. The Gibson Cup will not

be won or lost tomorrow but those in blue are fighting for their manager

to become the club was Michael most successful of all time.

Those in red are chasing their own history. -- the club's most

successful. For now, this bottle remains caught, but only

temporarily. Ulster rugby today revealed a new

signing for next season. He is a new tight head prop. Wiehahn Herbst will

join this summer on a three-year deal from Sharks, the South African

side. He is a project player who could play for Ireland in the

future. Ulster's huge Heineken Cup

quarterfinal against Saracens is just over a week away now, but first

they have to jump the hurdle of Cardiff Blues away in the Pro 12

tomorrow. Ruan Pienaar doesn't travel to Wales but Stephen Ferris

starts for the second game in succession. And prop Tom Court will

reach the milestone of his 150th appearance for Ulster in what is his

final season with the side. It is going to be a really special

day and obviously one I will really remember. To consider some of the

other guys who have reached 150 it is something that has been a big old

for me this year, to push on and hit 150. -- a big goal for me. I don't

want to detract from the other boys this week, we have to make sure they

get there and get their heads in the right place. It is about getting

over there and doing a job against Cardiff, getting everything in place

leading into next week. That match is live on BBC Two.

Before Ulster's European quarter final next Saturday, there's a

sell-out boxing event at the Odyssey. Headline fighter Carl

Frampton meets Hugo Cazares in a world title final eliminator, a

fight we can reveal tonight will have full live coverage on BBC Radio

Ulster from 9:30pm next Friday. Today Frampton came face to face

with his opponent for the first time in Belfast.

I have dreams about becoming a world champion, and the fight is there

with Santa Cruz, but I have to get over Hugo Cazares at first, years

the only one we are thinking about at the moment. Everything we have

done as Cazares in mind. Very important to get this one out of the

way first. We are fighting a two-time world champion, this guy

from Mexico. At 36 he is a veteran Committee

punches very hard, he carries his speed with them.

Karl will be in fantastic condition, I believe he will win

emphatically. As Gaelic football's National League

returns to action this weekend, the GAA has take steps to tackle one of

its biggest problems. Many of the game's stars have suffered serious

knee injuries which have led to long periods on the sidelines. But the

association hope that prevention of damage to the anterior cruciate

ligament, or ACL, will be the best cure. Thomas Kane reports.

The curse of the cruciate strikes again. It has ended many seasons,

led to surgery and months of rehab for some of the sport's biggest

names. A routine ACL takes most people nine

months. That would be the bog-standard accelerated programme.

That is under the condition they have no other damage done. For some

people it could take up to two years and we have some people who damage

everything inside the knee and that rehab process may mean that they

will never return to sport. They may just get back to walking again.

Serious knee injuries are not necessarily on the increase in

Gaelic games but this sport's specific warm up approach with an

accompanying video has taken advice from top experts in the area. It is

aimed at minimising the number of players are affected. It has to

work, people have to enjoy it. It gets boring if you are doing the

same thing over and over again. You have to see it helps performance and

this warm up, if you do it well, not only will reduce the risk of injury

but will help you perform and move better. The advancement in the

medical techniques and technology in recent years has hugely benefited

those with ruptured ligaments. MRI scans are much more available

and we would see patients with an MRI scan at the clinic, therefore

that expedites their treatment pathway.

That is a good thing for their long-term mobility associated with

their injury. Player welfare has been central to

this programme, focusing not just on their short-term fitness but their

long-term health and ability. That is making my niece saw just watching

that. Now the weather.

Welcome it is not the worst weekend coming up but not very exciting,

either, especially as we spring forward into British summertime.

There is a lot of cloud in the forecast, some rain at times and it

starts quite breezy, as well. There is a positive - it will get milder.

Julie J, often cloudy with some wet spells this morning. -- a chilly

day, often cloudy. The easterly breeze once again

gathering tonight to bring cloud, showers coming into Antrim and

County Down, spreading across most parts for a time overnight. We may

have briar patches, and other batch of rain spreads later into the

night, some heavy. It will be frost free, most places sitting around

four or five Celsius. Tomorrow is another breezy day, and smells of

rain, particularly during the morning. We have a band of rain in

the south moving north as we go through the morning, some at this

stage could be very heavy, even the odd rumble of thunder. Dry spells in

behind but in the afternoon there is a chance we could have another

finger of rain heading into the southern counties in particular

County Down, Armagh, across into plenty Tyrone. Further north you

could avoid this one and stay dry. I had a brightness for the East but

generally cloudy skies. It is a milder day, ten, 11, even 12

Celsius. Tomorrow night we have cloud and still a risk of showers,

particularly for central and western areas. A mild night, though, and as

we head into Mother's Day on Sunday it starts quite cloudy and damp,

hopefully becoming a little bit drier possibly brighter in the

afternoon with highs of 13 or 14 Celsius. But we are one hour shorter

run Sunday, the clocks go forward one hour tomorrow night. That is it,

have a great weekend, thank you for watching.

Goodbye.