06/08/2013 Look East - West

the programme tonight: Here to save lives that some private ambulance

workers brought in to cover for the East of England Amublance Service

are sleeping in tents. They say it is the only way to make ends meet on

their allowances. The educational skills gap being blamed for stifling

economic growth in our cities. Taking the pressure off A&E.

Corby's official centre gets its opening. And her daughter was killed

by a driver with their eyesight. Now Jackie McCord backs new campaign

were drivers eyesight is tested every two-year is.

Hello and welcome. It has emerged that some ambulance crews in this

region are sleeping intense to save money. The workers are employed by a

private ambulance company to cover shifts. Staff say the �35 a day

loans is not enough. For some the only way to make ends meet is to

camp. Nestled in a shaded spot at this

campsite is a tent which is home to a man who works on the medical

front-line. The ambulance worker who owns this tent has left it behind

for a week because he has gone back home to the Midlands. Holiday-makers

around here admit they were surprised to discover paramedics

sleeping in tents. We were very shocked to see it was ambulance

people staying in the tents. We saw one comeback late one evening, make

himself a cup of tea and go straight to bed. The East of England

ambulance service ambulance trust has several contracts. A worker says

it is hard for them to find cheap accommodation and for meals on a

daily allowance of �35. It does not surprise me. Highfield to see how

you can travel from another trust area and have an hotel room or a B&B

on those rates. An Internet search shows that the cheapest hotel room

that could be found was... The ambulance staff have been using this

site since early July. It can be a lot of fun but it is not great day

in, day out. You may want to unwind after a tough shift. The agency

should look carefully at how much support it is giving its staff.

East of England Amublance Service say the provide a loans is above

Service staff are paid �10 50 an hour and they cost is behind the

decision to camp. Is this a practice the government is

aware of? I asked by health Minister Doctor Dan Poulter early -- earlier

this evening. It is not a practice I am aware of and one that I find

concerning. First from a staff welfare point of view. And the fact

it is difficult to provide high quality patient care if you have not

had a good night's sleep. I do not think a tent is a good place for our

health care member of staff to spend the night. Whose fault is this? Is

it the private company or East of England Amublance Service?

Ultimately the contracts are given by the ambulance trust and this is

something they will have to look at seriously. A couple of months ago we

had the marsh report which was a damning report into management and

suggested among other things they need to invest more in the front

line and employ more front-line paramedics because too much money

was being spent in the back office. This reinforces this message. In the

meantime they need to look seriously at some of the contracts were coming

-- giving out, both from the welfare of these staff and patients. Is the

government pushing the ambulance trust down this route to get cheaper

cover? Not at all. The NHS is getting more money through the life

of this Parliament. A report highlighted there has been gross

mismanagement in East of England Amublance Service. Many senior

managers have moved on but a challenge is making sure the money

they ambulance service receives is spent on investing in the front line

and more ambulances and an more front-line paramedics. We have some

fantastic paramedics in the East of England, they need to be backed up

by better management. We assess East of England Amublance Service for a

statement, but it did not refer to the issue of staff sleeping in

tents. It is hoped a new health centre for

Corby will help reduce waiting times at A&E in the area. The town does

not have its own hospital which means patients need emergency care

-- need emergency care have had to travel to Kettering general, a

hospital regularly criticised for missing its A&E targets. The message

is if you do not need an ambulance to take you to hospital, if you do

not need nine a name, then you should consider the urgent care

centre. Because we can deliver that level of care. The benefit of the

centre is it is designed to reduce the pressure on Kettering general.

1000 fewer people went to Kettering last month because they were treated

here. My son has used that centre and said it is very good, very

efficient and quick. I think it is marvellous because Kettering A&E as

horrific. You would not cause they are unless you were dying! Has the

centre being good for you? Yes, it is a lovely place. It is one of the

fastest-growing towns in the country, does it need a hospital of

its own? What the surgeon -- health centre provides is high-quality

care, keeping people out of hospital and safe in their own homes which is

where people should be and most people want to be. They need to know

the gas safe -- the RCA. There is scope to grow the centre and it is

hoped once funding becomes available, other services may be

added. We would like to see in Corby and expansion of services. We would

like to see an expansion of more day case procedures. The good keys --

news is that the centre has met all its waiting time targets. It is

through the coming winter when the real impact and work of the Centre

will really be known. Pupils results could be holding back

businesses in Peterborough and Northampton according to a study by

the independent research group centre facilities. It says smaller

businesses make up 99% of all firms in the UK. But they can only succeed

if they can find employees with the right skills. Many see exam results

as key. But in Peterborough and Northampton fewer than 50% of

students achieved five or more GCSEs at grade C or above. It places them

in the bottom ten towns and cities in the UK.

For more than 30 years they have been servicing the motor community

in Peterborough. When it comes to finding workers, it has not always

been easy. We have recently tried to recruit for a technician, we were

specific about the skills we wanted. We had a lot of applicants and none

of them are the skills we were asking for. But it is not just

Peterborough. In Northamptonshire, despite the council working to raise

standards and for assisting technical colleges, it is still an

issue that business leaders want to address. It is disappointing that it

has not done so well. I am convinced it is on an up hill trajectory and

we in the business world will want to do all we can that -- to make

sure young people can achieve all that they can achieve. This job

centre highlights the challenges. can only do hands-on jobs like

gardening. They have got work that they want us to do, but it is

whether we are capable of doing that work. It has been difficult to get a

job. I have had difficulties getting a job in the past. Luckily my dad

got me a job. The city insist they are doing all they can. We spoke to

the council about the report and easy a record 1400 businesses were

set up in the city last year. They say that UCSC grades are improving

and that soon that and new skills centre will be set up in the city.

For this Peterborough company, they favour finding apprentices to train

them in the way of working. In Cambridge, the education picture

is very different. It is in the top ten places for exam results with

more than 60% of pupils getting five or more high grade GCSEs. The number

of small businesses developing here is also high. The Centre for cities

report found in areas with a highly skilled workforce were more

entrepreneurial. Today a workshop -- road show in Cambridge was trying to

an courage more people to start up their own business.

This bus is rolled into town to encourage people to set up their own

business. Upstairs, others are getting free expert tips on how to

get moving. I am starting up a new business and web design and we have,

long to get some advice on marketing and finding customers. It has been

really helpful. Alison Taylor got her business off the ground last

year. After a steep learning curve it is going well and she has simple

advice. Write a business plan, go to the bank and talk to them about it.

Talk to anyone you would think you would want an opinion on your idea.

She has benefited from the Cambridgeshire market. Do the

aspirational targets you make it easier here? I think it is by

networking. It is the idea that there is the fragility out there. If

people are around peers, and interesting things, it will work.

is hoped the networking done here will prove to provide another drive

for Dion and yours here. The Royal Train could leave its home

in Wolverton in Milton Keynes after more than 150 years. Railcare who

currently look after it, went into administration last week. Network