:00:00. > :00:00.struggled with an Australian barrage all tour. Let's hope this guy has a
:00:00. > :00:08.lot more success with his deliveries. That is all from us.
:00:09. > :00:12.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. Health officials say a
:00:13. > :00:17.ground`breaking project in Hull is helping to reduce bed` blocking in
:00:18. > :00:20.hospitals. Thornton Court is a sort of halfway house between hospital
:00:21. > :00:22.and home, where frail and vulnerable people can learn to live
:00:23. > :00:25.independently again while still receiving the care and treatment
:00:26. > :00:32.they need. Our health correspondent, Vicky Johnson, has more details.
:00:33. > :00:35.Hello. Hello there. When Viv broke her hip, she was
:00:36. > :00:38.worried she would have to stay in hospital for weeks. Instead, she's
:00:39. > :00:42.been transferred to this special flat in Hull.
:00:43. > :00:44.There are some exercises you can do for me.
:00:45. > :00:50.Visits from physios and occupational therapists have quickly helped Viv
:00:51. > :00:58.get back on her feet. A home away from home. Gorgeous.
:00:59. > :01:02.I'll be sorry to leave, really, but I do want to get home.
:01:03. > :01:05.One of the scheme's main aims is to reduce pressure in local hospitals
:01:06. > :01:10.by discharging patients like Viv as soon as possible.
:01:11. > :01:13.We've worked really hard with the hospital and our local authority
:01:14. > :01:17.partners to make sure we're not bed` blocking, because that is not right
:01:18. > :01:23.for the individual who's sat in that bed. If you're ready to go home, if
:01:24. > :01:26.you want to go home, that's the best place for you to be, and this
:01:27. > :01:31.provides a sort of halfway house. Not quite home, but very homely.
:01:32. > :01:35.In the past, patients like Viv might have needed residential care until
:01:36. > :01:38.they were fit enough to go home. But 80% of those who've used this
:01:39. > :01:43.service have either needed no support or only minimal help when
:01:44. > :01:46.they've left. I think it's saved money for the
:01:47. > :01:49.whole system, that's health and social care, because people who have
:01:50. > :01:55.used the service here have spoken positively about it. They've had a
:01:56. > :01:58.chance to invite their family to see how well they're doing, use all the
:01:59. > :02:03.services, physios and the other therapists. They go home with a
:02:04. > :02:07.total care package. The local council and NHS say their
:02:08. > :02:11.collaboration on this project has been ground`breaking. It has already
:02:12. > :02:14.been so successful they plan to open another four bedsits, so that many
:02:15. > :02:21.more people like Viv can benefit from the scheme. Vicky Johnson, BBC
:02:22. > :02:23.Look North. Lincolnshire Police has appointed a
:02:24. > :02:27.new permanent Deputy Chief Constable. Keith Smy has been in the
:02:28. > :02:31.role since August on a temporary basis. He's now been confirmed in
:02:32. > :02:35.the position full time by Chief Constable Neil Rhodes.
:02:36. > :02:37.In just over an hour's time, fire`fighters across East Yorkshire
:02:38. > :02:41.and Lincolnshire will stage a five`hour strike. It's the seventh
:02:42. > :02:45.time since September that industrial action has been taken. It's because
:02:46. > :02:49.of a row between the Fire Brigades Union and the Government over
:02:50. > :02:53.pensions. People are being warned to take extra care because of the lack
:02:54. > :02:56.of cover. Hull City Council say jobs and
:02:57. > :02:59.services will be cut because of a large reduction in the money it gets
:03:00. > :03:03.from central government. The authority says it will have to find
:03:04. > :03:07.?48 million in savings over the next two years. Councillors are concerned
:03:08. > :03:13.that essential services will be hit, but the government says the city
:03:14. > :03:16.gets a fair deal. It's more difficult to make cuts
:03:17. > :03:19.with the amount of money that is already removed, because in a sense,
:03:20. > :03:23.the low`hanging fruit and the softer efficiency savings have already
:03:24. > :03:27.gone. This will mean a loss of jobs. This will mean a loss of services,
:03:28. > :03:30.and it's a direct result of those huge budget cuts from this coalition
:03:31. > :03:33.government. Local authorities get different
:03:34. > :03:36.amounts depending on where they are, what the need is. Somewhere like
:03:37. > :03:39.Hull actually gets more than the average in spending power, getting
:03:40. > :03:44.on for ?2,200 per dwelling for the entire area. So it's already above
:03:45. > :03:48.the average in terms of the money it has to spend.
:03:49. > :03:52.Christmas Eve services will go ahead at Boston Stump tonight ` less than
:03:53. > :03:55.a month after it was flooded. These were the scenes after the river
:03:56. > :03:58.Haven burst its bank. Organisers say temporary heaters and a sound system
:03:59. > :04:02.means that they'll be able to welcome the public into the church
:04:03. > :04:05.for two services this evening. Scunthorpe United have appointed
:04:06. > :04:09.Russ Wilcox as their new full`time manager. Wilcox had been in
:04:10. > :04:14.caretaker charge since Brian Laws was sacked a month ago. Since then,
:04:15. > :04:17.the Iron have won four and drawn one of their last five matches.
:04:18. > :04:28.Time now for the weather. Hello. A decent day for Christmas
:04:29. > :04:31.Day, but it is rather breezy out there at the moment. The strong
:04:32. > :04:33.gusty winds, gale`force winds potentially along the coast, will
:04:34. > :04:36.ease overnight. A few showers through this evening, but then it
:04:37. > :04:39.will become largely dry overnight. A frosty end to the night.
:04:40. > :04:43.Temperatures falling back to one or two degrees. There could be the odd
:04:44. > :04:46.icy patch into Christmas Day. Christmas Day itself looks like a
:04:47. > :04:50.very pleasant day. Dry and bright. Spells of sunshine. Most places will
:04:51. > :04:54.stay dry. The breeze will be lighter than it has been today. But it will
:04:55. > :04:56.be chilly ` six or seven degrees the high.
:04:57. > :04:58.That's all. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas Day. Look
:04:59. > :05:02.North is back on Boxing Day. it from us - we are back on Boxing
:05:03. > :05:15.Day at One o'clock. Merry Christmas. Hello. The weather has been a little
:05:16. > :05:20.kinder today to travellers and last-minute Christmas shoppers
:05:21. > :05:24.across England and Wales. Not as bad as we feared across Northern
:05:25. > :05:30.Ireland. We have a warning out across parts of Scott and for that
:05:31. > :05:34.strong wind through this evening. Up to 80 miles an hour across the far
:05:35. > :05:35.north of Scotland