:00:00. > :00:00.the better the chance of a rather wet and chilly day.
:00:00. > :00:33.It's totally unacceptable. Its about time someone it sorted pretty quick
:00:34. > :00:35.because there will certainly be more deaths.
:00:36. > :00:38.A legal challenge is started against plans to close
:00:39. > :00:42.an eating disorders clinic, which users say is "vital" to the region.
:00:43. > :00:46.How World War One changed lives here on the Home Front.
:00:47. > :00:49.And a bird's`eye view from the tallest Scots Pine
:00:50. > :00:53.in the country, right in the heart of Northumberland.
:00:54. > :00:56.In sport, both Durham and Yorkshire's cricketers have
:00:57. > :01:00.been breaking records. And as one of rugby union's all`time
:01:01. > :01:03.greats leaves the pitch in triumph, for the final time,
:01:04. > :01:15.we talk to his Tyneside mentor, who's been with him all the way.
:01:16. > :01:19.Patients waiting up to 12 hours for an ambulance to turn up.
:01:20. > :01:22.Claims that others have died while waiting to be treated.
:01:23. > :01:25.Paramedics not being properly CRB checked.
:01:26. > :01:28.This week on Look North we've a series of special reports,
:01:29. > :01:32.asking, what's going wrong at the North East Ambulance Service?
:01:33. > :01:35.We'll hear how the service is by far the worst in the country
:01:36. > :01:38.when it comes to serious incidents. We'll have exclusive access to
:01:39. > :01:40.paramedics, who admit they can't meet
:01:41. > :01:43.the needs of all their patients. And we'll reveal serious problems
:01:44. > :01:48.paramedics experience at accident and emergency departments.
:01:49. > :01:50.First tonight, three stories of dialling 999
:01:51. > :01:58.Here's our health reporter, Sharon Barbour.
:01:59. > :02:05.Geoff Pearson from Blackhill County Durham, when he horsemen from
:02:06. > :02:10.Peterlee and Stan Kelly from Hartlepool have never met. They
:02:11. > :02:21.share an experience. Waiting for an anti`lens. Geoff Pearson's mother
:02:22. > :02:25.fell at quarter past three, the hip. She was in excruciating pain.
:02:26. > :02:34.An ambulance was called at quarter past four. None came. She just could
:02:35. > :02:41.not move. She kept saying, when is the ambulance coming? One came at
:02:42. > :02:49.quarter to five `` I rang at quashed five. We were fourth on the list. It
:02:50. > :02:53.was after 7pm when the paramedics finally arrived, four hours after
:02:54. > :03:04.she fell, three hours after she called for an and villains. I could
:03:05. > :03:10.not believe it. How can there be that many people waiting for an
:03:11. > :03:17.emergency ambulance? When we got down there, there was HQ. There were
:03:18. > :03:23.loads of stretches in the corridor. You can't do anything. You have two
:03:24. > :03:30.wait for the professionals to arrive to sort the problem out. It was an
:03:31. > :03:33.anxious day, waiting three hours. I have never called an ambulance
:03:34. > :03:38.before. When you want one, it is not there. His mother is still in
:03:39. > :03:43.hospital, recovering from a broken hip. For Stan Kelly, waking up in
:03:44. > :03:50.the middle of the night unable to breathe was this terrifying for stop
:03:51. > :03:56.he had recently undergone triple bypass surgery and feared the
:03:57. > :04:00.worst. I woke up with bad deep breathing chest. I could not
:04:01. > :04:12.breathe. The doctor was called, then the ambulance, then the wait. They
:04:13. > :04:17.were saying I am not an emergency. You understand people in accidents
:04:18. > :04:23.are probably worst off than me. Despite repeated calls, it took four
:04:24. > :04:31.hours for the ambulance to arrive. I could have died. It is an absolute
:04:32. > :04:36.disgrace. It is getting worse. It's about time somebody got it sorted,
:04:37. > :04:46.pretty quick, because there will be more deaths. It should not happen.
:04:47. > :04:52.Stan's feeling of despair are shared by one each horsemen. He found his
:04:53. > :05:03.mother lying on the floor. I opened the door slowly. Her head was next
:05:04. > :05:09.to this debt she went backwards. He kept his mother Doris warm as he
:05:10. > :05:15.waited outside the ambulance to arrive. He expected it in minutes.
:05:16. > :05:23.She was in pain, her back and neck. I said, don't move, ambulance.
:05:24. > :05:32.Mobile phone, 909. He phoned again and again. He was told there were no
:05:33. > :05:36.ambulances available. Unfortunately, it is a bit at a busy time right
:05:37. > :05:42.now. Tuesday morning around half ten. You don't expect there to be a
:05:43. > :05:51.little emergencies, there were no pile`ups. `` a lot of emergencies.
:05:52. > :05:56.Paramedics eventually arrived and finally admitted, Doris spent the
:05:57. > :06:01.next week in hospital. She was not seriously hurt. If my mum had lost
:06:02. > :06:08.consciousness, had a heart attack, they would have come. We couldn't
:06:09. > :06:17.believe it. When you phone in ambulance, you don't know if it will
:06:18. > :06:19.be there. The North East Ambulance Service Sadie the highest performing
:06:20. > :06:24.service in the country which in most patients within eight minutes.
:06:25. > :06:29.Patients who do not have a life`threatening condition, do not
:06:30. > :06:41.have a national target. They aim to respond within 30 minutes. Those
:06:42. > :06:47.stories do seem shocking. Are they unusual? Let's get some context. If
:06:48. > :06:51.there is a life threatening emergency, a red corner, and
:06:52. > :07:00.ambulance should be with you within 30 minutes, a heart attack or
:07:01. > :07:09.stroke. But phone calls that are serious but not life`threatening,
:07:10. > :07:20.green phone calls,. There were 47,000. Of the serious but not life
:07:21. > :07:25.without basher positioning, there were 11,600. An ambulance should
:07:26. > :07:33.have reached those parents within the six minute. In April alone, many
:07:34. > :07:37.more patients waited more than half an hour and many waited several
:07:38. > :07:44.hours. It does seem a serious problem. It is a crucial service, a
:07:45. > :07:51.vital service to so many people, the whole of the North East. Let's look
:07:52. > :07:58.at some statistics. From Northumberland, to the North
:07:59. > :08:07.Yorkshire border and Tees border, that is 3200 miles. The anvil and
:08:08. > :08:18.service `` ambulance service covers 2.6 million people. To do that, it
:08:19. > :08:21.employs over 2000 staff. You have been given exclusive access
:08:22. > :08:26.behind`the`scenes. We will be hearing more all week. Yes, we will
:08:27. > :08:32.see how much pressure the paramedics are under. How much pressure ``
:08:33. > :08:40.pressure the call handlers are under and the boss of the North East
:08:41. > :08:44.Ambulance Service. He will give us an exclusive interview, before he
:08:45. > :08:49.leaves his job. We will also join the paramedics of a 12 hour shift on
:08:50. > :08:56.the front line to see how much push that are under. The pressures are
:08:57. > :09:03.that high, something has got to break. I hope it's not an increase
:09:04. > :09:09.in people dying. We hear it in the news and it's very upsetting or stop
:09:10. > :09:14.believe us, nobody wants anyone to die.
:09:15. > :09:16.Lots of comments on this topic already,
:09:17. > :09:30.You can join in the debate too, at the address on your screen now.
:09:31. > :09:34.Two patients have mounted a legal challenge against the closure of the
:09:35. > :09:36.eating disorders unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
:09:37. > :09:40.The nearest in`patient unit is in Darlington, but some could be
:09:41. > :09:45.People who use the unit say there was no consultation on
:09:46. > :09:48.the planned closure, and are taking the Northumberland and Tyne and
:09:49. > :09:52.Well, Adrian Pitches is at the RVI now.
:09:53. > :10:02.Why are these patients fighting so hard to keep the unit open?
:10:03. > :10:10.Quite simply, it is a life saver. These people, usually young, are
:10:11. > :10:17.seriously ill. They have anorexia and other eating disorders. They
:10:18. > :10:22.require tube feeding. They need other medical personnel. That is why
:10:23. > :10:26.it is sited here. There are ten beds here which have access to the best
:10:27. > :10:30.specialist care. That care looks like it will be withdrawn from this
:10:31. > :10:34.autumn and there has been a huge outcry from patients and their
:10:35. > :10:42.families. I spoke earlier to a former inpatients having the service
:10:43. > :10:46.here meant that the family could visit me here. My friends could come
:10:47. > :10:51.and see me and this allowed me to remain part of my normal community.
:10:52. > :10:56.This provided me with that extra support. Unfortunately, the
:10:57. > :11:00.treatment is gruelling, intensive and very demanding. You need that
:11:01. > :11:09.extra comfort and support around you. This service is clearly greatly
:11:10. > :11:15.valued by a parents and families. The nearest service is now in
:11:16. > :11:17.Darlington weather are 15 beds. If those are occupied, they need to
:11:18. > :11:24.travel to York, Leeds, Sheffield. They need that family around them.
:11:25. > :11:29.They are young, vulnerable people. That is why two the patient here
:11:30. > :11:34.have launched this legal action. They have sent pre`proceedings
:11:35. > :11:43.letters to NHS England and local branches to say that the grant ``
:11:44. > :11:49.grounds for this process is an inadequate procedure. Their main
:11:50. > :11:54.concern is that there is no communication. Guidelines were put
:11:55. > :11:58.down and decisions were made without any consultation. Patients were left
:11:59. > :12:03.wondering what was happening. Decisions were changed on a daily
:12:04. > :12:09.basis. This meant that very ill and honourable patients and anxious
:12:10. > :12:14.parents were left vulnerable a long time. The Northumberland and Tyne
:12:15. > :12:21.Wear mental health trust has said that it is airing out a proper
:12:22. > :12:25.consultation with parents and staff. They wouldn't give anyone to
:12:26. > :12:29.interview, but it this does reach the High Court, they will have to
:12:30. > :12:35.argue that court `` case before a judge.
:12:36. > :12:38.Remarkable stories about how the First World War changed lives,
:12:39. > :12:41.here on the home front, are being told in a TV documentary tonight.
:12:42. > :12:45.It reveals how a community project in Tynemouth is seeing the Great War
:12:46. > :12:48.through the eyes of those who remained at home, and
:12:49. > :12:57.it's created a map that shows, all too vividly, how it affected them.
:12:58. > :13:04.For a war that many think of as being fought over there, the impact
:13:05. > :13:10.at home with devastating. You will find graves on home soil, in
:13:11. > :13:15.Tynemouth for example. They sparked a local community project. By
:13:16. > :13:19.matching their address and date, they have created a map which
:13:20. > :13:24.reveals the horror of war for eight unity back home. The first day of
:13:25. > :13:31.the Battle of the sun with the day the period `` things really went
:13:32. > :13:37.wrong. It's impossible to ignore that there have been fatalities.
:13:38. > :13:42.Maybe there is some collective mourning which will help. Clearly
:13:43. > :13:46.there is a lot of pain here. This is the first time I have written the
:13:47. > :13:52.impact of the war so strongly displayed. It is amazing. There is
:13:53. > :13:59.an impact of one person dying at war, this is telling the story of
:14:00. > :14:04.the wife and the six children, what happened to them. The public have
:14:05. > :14:09.been coming forward with stories that have remained within families
:14:10. > :14:14.for a century. My grandfather should not have been in the First World
:14:15. > :14:21.War, he was 42 years old, too old. The maximum age was 39 years old.
:14:22. > :14:24.Martha and child, he said, Martha, here is mine berthed at it,
:14:25. > :14:28.Martha and child, he said, Martha, here is mine berthed make me look
:14:29. > :14:30.ten years younger. She altered it and he went to France. He was killed
:14:31. > :14:33.in 1916. ten years younger. She altered it
:14:34. > :14:37.and he went to France. He was Man never forgave herself for having
:14:38. > :14:44.done it. She said, I signed my father's death certificate. This was
:14:45. > :14:58.taken just before she forged the birth certificate. That is humongous
:14:59. > :15:06.remark yes. `` yes, that is my mum. So mother had the guilt and saw the
:15:07. > :15:11.consequences? Yes. This is something very precious to me, a small piece
:15:12. > :15:18.of French silk which was hand`painted. Don't forget me. How
:15:19. > :15:24.did they ever imagined they would be forgotten while they were away? That
:15:25. > :15:32.is just one of the stories in Dispatches from Tyneside at 7:30pm
:15:33. > :15:33.on BBC One. There will be more stories across our local radio
:15:34. > :15:43.stations all week. simple than that:
:15:44. > :15:45.a Scots pine tree, which has now been officially declared
:15:46. > :15:48.the tallest in the country. Standing at 40m,
:15:49. > :15:50.it's the same size as Newcastle's Grey's monument, twice the size of
:15:51. > :15:54.the Angel of the North in Gateshead, and almost two`thirds the height of
:15:55. > :15:56.Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge. And at 140`years`old,
:15:57. > :16:13.it's a fair age, as well, It takes Chris added team around 45
:16:14. > :16:19.minutes to climb to the top. Two day with the briefest of inspections, it
:16:20. > :16:22.is holding out well. Generally, it is in good condition. It has able to
:16:23. > :16:30.shelter from the other trees around it. It is showing its age are fairly
:16:31. > :16:37.well. These are Scots pine have been here for the 19 `` 1880s when the
:16:38. > :16:44.Cragside estate was developed. Some 7 million saplings went to the
:16:45. > :16:50.ground. The majority of trees were planted in the late 19th century. We
:16:51. > :16:55.know the height of this tree and its age, or 140 years old, because the
:16:56. > :16:59.staff kept details of the trees that were planted and where they went in.
:17:00. > :17:05.Lord Armstrong had 200 gardeners on his team. It took him three or four
:17:06. > :17:13.years to get all the trees planted. But yes, 7 million teas. `` trees.
:17:14. > :17:21.He was very thorough and he knew exactly where they were planted.
:17:22. > :17:25.Some have `` some plantations have been cut down for the timber. This
:17:26. > :17:31.one has been left alone on the hillside. This tree will continue to
:17:32. > :17:35.grow but at a much slower pace, so there is no chance of catching the
:17:36. > :17:36.Douglas fir on the other side of the estate which currently measured 61
:17:37. > :17:43.metres. Now there won't be many people
:17:44. > :17:46.in the world who haven't heard The adopted Geordie, who played the
:17:47. > :17:50.majority of his rugby at Newcastle Falcons, finally brought the curtain
:17:51. > :17:53.down on his outstanding career at Yes, Jeff, it was a fairytale endin
:17:54. > :17:59.for rugby's golden boy, The man who truly transcends
:18:00. > :18:03.his sport ended his playing days by winning two cups in a week,
:18:04. > :18:06.first Europe's top competition, the Heineken Cup, followed by the French
:18:07. > :18:10.Top 14, with his club Toulon. And I've been talking to
:18:11. > :18:13.the man who's been with Jonny all the way ` his mentor and coach,
:18:14. > :18:38.Steve Black, about an incredible It was marvellous for me. The French
:18:39. > :18:43.people actually played our national anthem the whole French crowd was
:18:44. > :18:51.singing. It was beyond belief. It was a spiritual moment. It went sort
:18:52. > :19:05.of quiet. The whole stadium was singing. They sang thank you Johnny.
:19:06. > :19:09.Unbelievable! In Paris, there was even a dropped goal reminiscent of
:19:10. > :19:14.the winner scored against Australia in 2003. With a tremendous highs,
:19:15. > :19:21.there have been crushing lows and injuries of the world 's most famous
:19:22. > :19:25.rugby player. I would suggest that when you love the game as much as he
:19:26. > :19:30.does, if someone take that away from you, that is going toward
:19:31. > :19:37.depression, isn't it? No doubt about it. He has handled it. It hasn't
:19:38. > :19:42.been easy for him, but he has handled it. He has always had great
:19:43. > :19:46.people around him, who love and support him, all the way through.
:19:47. > :19:51.What was his lowest point, do you think? After the World Cup, he
:19:52. > :20:00.became more than just a rugby player, he became a national icon.
:20:01. > :20:06.For a while, it hindered him I think. The outside world seemed to
:20:07. > :20:12.impose itself on him. He has grown so much. He is a very special man.
:20:13. > :20:16.Johnny will probably take up some kind of coaching role in the future,
:20:17. > :20:22.but Blighty will continue to work with him on a bright year project.
:20:23. > :20:28.We won't he likes of Jonny Wilkinson again. I certainly have never met,
:20:29. > :20:35.in all these years, world champions and all that kind of thing,
:20:36. > :20:37.dedicated as him. He is the true definition of the world dedicate ``
:20:38. > :20:41.word to dedicate. Olympic gold medallist Kat Copland
:20:42. > :20:44.made a successful return to Kat, from the Tees Rowing Club,
:20:45. > :20:48.was joined by Scotland's Imogen Walsh in the women's lightweight
:20:49. > :20:51.double sculls at the Kat took more than a year out
:20:52. > :20:55.of the sport, after winning gold But with her new partner,
:20:56. > :21:00.she made an impressive return to The pair, at the top
:21:01. > :21:05.of your screen there, taking bronze, after being narrowly edged out
:21:06. > :21:12.by the Germans and the Italians. On to cricket, and after a superb
:21:13. > :21:15.double century from Scott Borthwick, Durham eventually declared
:21:16. > :21:17.their first innings on a massive 568`9 in their County Championship
:21:18. > :21:27.match against Middlesex at Chester`le`Street after Phil Mustard
:21:28. > :21:29.was caught by Tim Murtagh off Toby Roland`Jones.
:21:30. > :21:32.Maximum batting points, then, for the home side whose bowlers then
:21:33. > :21:35.took Middlesex to task ` new signing Australian all rounder John Hastings
:21:36. > :21:38.bowling Chris Rogers for 1. And there were two wickets for
:21:39. > :21:40.Mark Wood and another for Ben Stokes before the rain came
:21:41. > :21:43.down with Middlesex on 69`4. The comedy festival Jesterval hits
:21:44. > :21:51.the Gateshead Quayside this week. From Friday, for eight days,
:21:52. > :21:54.some of the best regional and national comedians will perform
:21:55. > :21:56.in Baltic Square. Among them is Yorkshire man,
:21:57. > :21:59.Tom Binns, whose alter ego goes by the name of Ian D Montford ` also
:22:00. > :22:03.known as the Sunderland Psychic. Jeff followed Ian
:22:04. > :22:24.on to the city's streets, what a fearlessly lovely spirit.
:22:25. > :22:30.What. Andy? Mandy? Does that make sense to you? Is this an animal you
:22:31. > :22:39.have lost to the other side? I want to say Andy is a cat but I have been
:22:40. > :22:43.told nothing by the spirit. I love Tommy Cooper and the way you thought
:22:44. > :22:48.he would be rubbish and then he pulled it out of the bag. He is
:22:49. > :22:53.obviously a brilliant magician. I was trying to go for that, really.
:22:54. > :23:00.Instead of the traditional magic, I went for my breeding and the thought
:23:01. > :23:06.of things that you might have seen Darrin Brown is doing `` mind
:23:07. > :23:10.reading. He comes to the show and you think he is going to spoof this,
:23:11. > :23:20.then you see he is really good at this. I will do it again. Is it
:23:21. > :23:27.covered up? Are you scared of flying? It definitely coming
:23:28. > :23:32.through. I would say to you, there is someone in your future who will
:23:33. > :23:36.want to open doors for you. You must identify who that person is and
:23:37. > :23:44.avoid air travel with him. That is coming to me with the number two.
:23:45. > :23:57.Shall we have another look. Number two! Psychic! Why Sunderland? My dad
:23:58. > :24:01.was originally from Sunderland, but without an accent. He emigrated to
:24:02. > :24:06.Canada to work on a nuclear submarine. He had two very quickly
:24:07. > :24:12.loses accent otherwise there might have been a misunderstanding that
:24:13. > :24:15.led to Montreal blown up. I was always brought to Sunderland at
:24:16. > :24:22.birthdays and Christmas is to see family. That is no way to treat a
:24:23. > :24:29.kid on his birthday by being taken to the park. I had the letter L, not
:24:30. > :24:32.necessarily the letter it begins with. It could be a left at the
:24:33. > :24:38.beginning or end of the name or a letter that has been left out. I
:24:39. > :24:43.feel very strongly, a connection with a Lucy. Does that make sense to
:24:44. > :24:48.you? Is that a pet you have lost to the other side? I want to say Lucy
:24:49. > :24:53.is a dog. This Lucy used to work tell when she was happy? It is all
:24:54. > :25:18.in the mind! A very funny man . Tomorrow, just a little bit of
:25:19. > :25:21.sunshine and a fair few showers. This evening and overnight, it
:25:22. > :25:27.showers continue across the Northeast if you in Cumbria. Showery
:25:28. > :25:33.across the Yorkshire Dales. Most places will be quite mild tonight.
:25:34. > :25:38.All underneath a blanket of cloud. The low`temperature 11th of years,
:25:39. > :25:44.the low 50s in Fahrenheit. Tomorrow, still more showers to come. Tomorrow
:25:45. > :25:50.puddles. To the afternoon we should see more sign in the West, to choose
:25:51. > :25:53.the afternoon it is showery across much of the East Coast and we are
:25:54. > :25:58.expecting the temperatures underneath the rain clouds to be
:25:59. > :26:07.depressed on what we usually expect. Higher than today, though, 17
:26:08. > :26:13.Celsius at the best. Things are bright and dry across Cumbria. It
:26:14. > :26:18.stayed an settled with low`pressure swelling in from the Atlantic over
:26:19. > :26:22.the next few days. In Cumbria, we are expecting a wet day on
:26:23. > :26:29.Wednesday, a wash`out of the day in fact. Then, the rain for Friday to
:26:30. > :26:38.Brighton Belles. Temperatures most days around 15 degrees. A miserable
:26:39. > :26:43.day on the North East on Wednesday, to the north of the, the rain could
:26:44. > :26:47.linger on Thursday. Elsewhere, we see increasing amounts of sunshine
:26:48. > :26:50.and just the odd shower. Friday looks set to be a little bit warmer,
:26:51. > :26:55.with some sun before rain arrives later. On Saturday, it could be
:26:56. > :27:08.unsettled, even with the risk of thunder. Not good for you! I'm told
:27:09. > :27:16.you are getting married! Let's hope it clears up by the weekend!