:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to the late edition of Look East.
:00:07. > :00:10.Protests outside a pioneering health centre - as inside a legal battle
:00:11. > :00:13.Early intervention - how one council's bringing
:00:14. > :00:16.people together to protect vulnerable children.
:00:17. > :00:32.First tonight, a protest was held outside
:00:33. > :00:35.Corby's Urgent Care Centre today amid a legal battle which could
:00:36. > :00:41.Conditions like broken bones, cuts and sudden back
:00:42. > :00:43.pain are treated there, things too urgent to wait
:00:44. > :00:46.for a GP appointment but not serious enough for A
:00:47. > :00:49.We told you last night there's a row between the people who run it
:00:50. > :00:56.It's run by Lakeside Plus Limited, a private health care company.
:00:57. > :01:00.They are paid to run it by the NHS Corby Clincial Commsioning Group,
:01:01. > :01:07.They commission the health services for around 73,000
:01:08. > :01:11.patients in the area, with a budget of ?88 million.
:01:12. > :01:20.The row about the future of this centre has now become a very public
:01:21. > :01:26.At its centre, the amount paid to treat each patient.
:01:27. > :01:29.The managers here say that they only get ?44.50 per patient,
:01:30. > :01:33.below the required NHS level of 57, and because of that,
:01:34. > :01:38.they can no longer continue running this service.
:01:39. > :01:40.And at a rally this morning, it was clear whose side
:01:41. > :01:47.I just feel that Corby Commissioning Group should be putting their hands
:01:48. > :01:51.in their pocket and paying a fair price for a good service.
:01:52. > :01:55.Very surprised and very disappointed when
:01:56. > :02:00.I heard the news and that the commission weren't paying.
:02:01. > :02:02.People of Corby need this place, it's been wonderful.
:02:03. > :02:06.We've well-deserved it, I'm Corby born and bred
:02:07. > :02:10.and we've fought a long time to have something here.
:02:11. > :02:13.Yesterday, when the management announced it
:02:14. > :02:15.couldn't run this centre beyond March, the Clinical
:02:16. > :02:21.their contract runs until the end of November, something hotly
:02:22. > :02:27.They say they have a contract which clearly states
:02:28. > :02:31.The CCG went on to say the centre will remain open
:02:32. > :02:39.Today, in an extraordinary twist, the centre
:02:40. > :02:43.accused the CCG of misinformation and spin.
:02:44. > :02:45.The wording that they've used in their release
:02:46. > :02:48.doesn't reflect the true situation and so that's what we are
:02:49. > :02:56.saying, it is misinformation because it's not right.
:02:57. > :02:58.It is spin because what they are doing is implying
:02:59. > :03:00.something that isn't actually accurate
:03:01. > :03:02.in terms of securing the future
:03:03. > :03:07.of an urgent care service for the population of Corby.
:03:08. > :03:09.Presumably you're talking to them about the transfer
:03:10. > :03:12.of the centre, are they engaging with you about the future
:03:13. > :03:23.The centre says because of this lack of communication, no plans
:03:24. > :03:26.It's a situation the local council says is
:03:27. > :03:31.We shouldn't be doing this in public,
:03:32. > :03:34.they should be sorting this out so that residents can feel secure
:03:35. > :03:38.and know they have that service after March the 31st.
:03:39. > :03:41.The council has offered to mediate between the two sides.
:03:42. > :03:47.But there's now just days left for an agreement to be put in place.
:03:48. > :03:52.Well, Tom Pursglove is the local MP for Corby and has been
:03:53. > :03:55.working with both parties to resolve the deadlock.
:03:56. > :03:59.He says he's convinced the centre will stay open.
:04:00. > :04:02.I was very reassured to hear yesterday that the urgent care
:04:03. > :04:05.centre will not be closing on the 31st of March,
:04:06. > :04:09.This is a hugely valued service in our area, in fact,
:04:10. > :04:12.I welcomed the Secretary of State for Health to come and visit because
:04:13. > :04:15.personally I think Lakeside Plus have been doing a very,
:04:16. > :04:21.This is a top quality service so it makes absolute sense, in my view,
:04:22. > :04:24.for them to continue to provide that service beyond the 31st of March
:04:25. > :04:27.and so I would encourage everybody to get around the table
:04:28. > :04:35.Because the CCG won't tell us what their contingency plans are.
:04:36. > :04:37.Well, I'm a little bit in the dark on this as well.
:04:38. > :04:40.The CCG have said to me that there will be no interruption
:04:41. > :04:43.in service whatever happens and I'm determined to hold them to account
:04:44. > :04:47.But it does seem patently obvious to me that the best way
:04:48. > :04:50.forward is to settle these contractual disputes that there are
:04:51. > :04:55.at the moment because Lakeside Plus have been doing a very good job.
:04:56. > :04:58.Does it worry you that lots of money is being spent on lawyers and
:04:59. > :05:00.contractual battles that could be spent on care?
:05:01. > :05:03.I always think that if you can avoid going to lawyers
:05:04. > :05:06.that is absolutely the best thing to do.
:05:07. > :05:09.What I want to see is as much money as possible spent on
:05:10. > :05:15.We've seen quite significant increases in the health
:05:16. > :05:17.spending budget from government during this parliament
:05:18. > :05:22.I'm not complacent, there's always more to be done.
:05:23. > :05:24.But rather than spending money on lawyers, let's get around the
:05:25. > :05:27.table, let's get these parties together, let's talk about these
:05:28. > :05:29.contractual difficulties that there are and try and find
:05:30. > :05:31.a way forward because that's what's
:05:32. > :05:34.in the best interests of the local people in Corby
:05:35. > :05:38.and people who rely upon this service.
:05:39. > :05:41.Next to a pioneering project aimed at protecting vulnerable
:05:42. > :05:44.The early intervention scheme brings all the agencies
:05:45. > :05:46.involved together earlier and it's resulted in a 50% drop
:05:47. > :05:49.in cases of children needing protection plans.
:05:50. > :05:53.Mike Cartwright has been to meet some of those helped.
:05:54. > :05:56.So, how's things going since I saw you two weeks ago, Angelina?
:05:57. > :06:02.Angelina, a mum with two young kids who was in desperate need of help.
:06:03. > :06:10.Donna, her social worker, helped to dramatically change her life.
:06:11. > :06:12.I was going through a lot, hiding a lot of things.
:06:13. > :06:20.My children would see some things that they shouldn't have seen
:06:21. > :06:25.and, you know, I woke up and realised that they don't need
:06:26. > :06:29.to see that any more because my boy was hitting me thinking
:06:30. > :06:38.Now he kisses Mummy and he says, "I want to be like you, Mummy.
:06:39. > :06:41.Her ability to parent her children was a concern.
:06:42. > :06:43.They were violent, I mean, very violent where
:06:44. > :06:45.they would be very abusive, pinching, biting, kicking and mum
:06:46. > :06:49.Like she said, she had been a victim of domestic abuse.
:06:50. > :06:52.And that's why it is so important for our domestic
:06:53. > :06:55.abuse worker to be involved and come on board and support mum with that.
:06:56. > :06:58.We have seven children within this family...
:06:59. > :07:02.Child services, substance abuse workers,
:07:03. > :07:08.Helping parents to improve their home life
:07:09. > :07:14.It's all here around the table so it's
:07:15. > :07:17.a much more open and honest approach to the way that we're working
:07:18. > :07:19.with families and they feel that because they know
:07:20. > :07:21.that we're all talking to each other
:07:22. > :07:24.and communicating and they know that there is a team of people
:07:25. > :07:29.rather than separate pockets of individuals.
:07:30. > :07:31.A success in Hertfordshire, Luton and Peterborough,
:07:32. > :07:34.among four authorities to adopt the model.
:07:35. > :07:36.I suppose instead of turning up with a
:07:37. > :07:39.clipboard to say to families you're just not good enough
:07:40. > :07:41.and we are now thinking about putting your children
:07:42. > :07:44.giving families one more chance to engage.
:07:45. > :07:46.I've gone from having no confidence and thinking
:07:47. > :07:56.Let's talk about how nice your shoes are.
:07:57. > :08:03.A mum and her children, a second chance to be a family.
:08:04. > :08:11.Mike Cartwright, BBC Look East, Hertford.
:08:12. > :08:13.So how does what's happening in Hertfordshire fit
:08:14. > :08:19.Anna, is early intervention being used elsewhere?
:08:20. > :08:25.Not widely enough according to a government report out this week. It
:08:26. > :08:29.found too much local authority money is being directed to children who
:08:30. > :08:33.are already suffering abuse or neglect. Fewer resources are going
:08:34. > :08:39.to early intervention and to supporting families like we have
:08:40. > :08:43.seen in the report. For every ?1 spent on preventative help, ?4 is
:08:44. > :08:47.being spent on reactive child protection work. Children who are
:08:48. > :08:50.already suffering. What they are saying is later intervention can
:08:51. > :08:54.result in more children going into care. It is not the local
:08:55. > :08:57.authority's fault. The number of Children In Need is rising and the
:08:58. > :09:01.amount of money they have is falling and they have fewer resources so not
:09:02. > :09:06.enough staff. The other thing that came out in the report is across the
:09:07. > :09:09.country, there are widely differing approaches to child social care.
:09:10. > :09:16.What is the government going to try and do about this? One of the things
:09:17. > :09:18.is funding, looking at encouraging investment in early intervention and
:09:19. > :09:22.prevention. They are going to look at why there is such a variation in
:09:23. > :09:26.child social care across the country. They are also good to look
:09:27. > :09:30.to strengthen duties on schools, health services, police and other
:09:31. > :09:33.agencies. Exactly as they have done in Hertfordshire. Thank you.
:09:34. > :09:35.Road policing units in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire
:09:36. > :09:36.and Hertfordshire say they're still catching drivers
:09:37. > :09:38.using their mobile phones despite tougher penalties
:09:39. > :09:41.Today police fined the third foreign HGV driver
:09:42. > :09:44.caught using a mobile since the first of March.
:09:45. > :09:47.Anyone caught using their phone behind the wheel will now
:09:48. > :09:54.receive a fine of ?200, and six points on their licence.
:09:55. > :10:03.I'll leave you now with a look at the weather with Alex Dolan.
:10:04. > :10:10.The weather is going to be quite settled over the next few days
:10:11. > :10:12.well into the weekend and beyond with high pressure
:10:13. > :10:15.For now, it's still the brisk north-easterly wind and that will
:10:16. > :10:18.mean temperatures don't drop as low as they perhaps could do.
:10:19. > :10:20.There are some areas of clear sky but also
:10:21. > :10:23.some cloud coming in as we go through to the night,
:10:24. > :10:25.so perhaps four, five Celsius our lowest value for tonight.
:10:26. > :10:28.We start the day tomorrow with this area of high pressure
:10:29. > :10:30.establishing itself across the British Isles so perhaps a
:10:31. > :10:33.little bit of cloud first thing but lots of bright weather, some fine
:10:34. > :10:35.spring sunshine and those winds easing, still coming from the
:10:36. > :10:37.north-east but it should feel slightly warmer tomorrow
:10:38. > :10:41.So, temperatures are likely to get to around 12,
:10:42. > :10:44.And it stays fine and dry with some lovely spring sunshine
:10:45. > :10:49.The national weather's coming up but here's the outlook.
:10:50. > :10:52.And another fine, warm, sunny day on Saturday.
:10:53. > :10:56.A little more cloud around on Sunday and that could mean for a
:10:57. > :11:04.part of the weekend. 1415 degrees. Still quite breezy. Here's Thomas
:11:05. > :11:05.with the national