02/06/2014 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

the better the chance of a rather wet and chilly day.

It's totally unacceptable. Its about time someone it sorted pretty quick

because there will certainly be more deaths.

A legal challenge is started against plans to close

an eating disorders clinic, which users say is "vital" to the region.

How World War One changed lives here on the Home Front.

And a bird's`eye view from the tallest Scots Pine

in the country, right in the heart of Northumberland.

In sport, both Durham and Yorkshire's cricketers have

been breaking records. And as one of rugby union's all`time

greats leaves the pitch in triumph, for the final time,

we talk to his Tyneside mentor, who's been with him all the way.

Patients waiting up to 12 hours for an ambulance to turn up.

Claims that others have died while waiting to be treated.

Paramedics not being properly CRB checked.

This week on Look North we've a series of special reports,

asking, what's going wrong at the North East Ambulance Service?

We'll hear how the service is by far the worst in the country

when it comes to serious incidents. We'll have exclusive access to

paramedics, who admit they can't meet

the needs of all their patients. And we'll reveal serious problems

paramedics experience at accident and emergency departments.

First tonight, three stories of dialling 999

Here's our health reporter, Sharon Barbour.

Geoff Pearson from Blackhill County Durham, when he horsemen from

Peterlee and Stan Kelly from Hartlepool have never met. They

share an experience. Waiting for an anti`lens. Geoff Pearson's mother

fell at quarter past three, the hip. She was in excruciating pain.

An ambulance was called at quarter past four. None came. She just could

not move. She kept saying, when is the ambulance coming? One came at

quarter to five `` I rang at quashed five. We were fourth on the list. It

was after 7pm when the paramedics finally arrived, four hours after

she fell, three hours after she called for an and villains. I could

not believe it. How can there be that many people waiting for an

emergency ambulance? When we got down there, there was HQ. There were

loads of stretches in the corridor. You can't do anything. You have two

wait for the professionals to arrive to sort the problem out. It was an

anxious day, waiting three hours. I have never called an ambulance

before. When you want one, it is not there. His mother is still in

hospital, recovering from a broken hip. For Stan Kelly, waking up in

the middle of the night unable to breathe was this terrifying for stop

he had recently undergone triple bypass surgery and feared the

worst. I woke up with bad deep breathing chest. I could not

breathe. The doctor was called, then the ambulance, then the wait. They

were saying I am not an emergency. You understand people in accidents

are probably worst off than me. Despite repeated calls, it took four

hours for the ambulance to arrive. I could have died. It is an absolute

disgrace. It is getting worse. It's about time somebody got it sorted,

pretty quick, because there will be more deaths. It should not happen.

Stan's feeling of despair are shared by one each horsemen. He found his

mother lying on the floor. I opened the door slowly. Her head was next

to this debt she went backwards. He kept his mother Doris warm as he

waited outside the ambulance to arrive. He expected it in minutes.

She was in pain, her back and neck. I said, don't move, ambulance.

Mobile phone, 909. He phoned again and again. He was told there were no

ambulances available. Unfortunately, it is a bit at a busy time right

now. Tuesday morning around half ten. You don't expect there to be a

little emergencies, there were no pile`ups. `` a lot of emergencies.

Paramedics eventually arrived and finally admitted, Doris spent the

next week in hospital. She was not seriously hurt. If my mum had lost

consciousness, had a heart attack, they would have come. We couldn't

believe it. When you phone in ambulance, you don't know if it will

be there. The North East Ambulance Service Sadie the highest performing

service in the country which in most patients within eight minutes.

Patients who do not have a life`threatening condition, do not

have a national target. They aim to respond within 30 minutes. Those

stories do seem shocking. Are they unusual? Let's get some context. If

there is a life threatening emergency, a red corner, and

ambulance should be with you within 30 minutes, a heart attack or

stroke. But phone calls that are serious but not life`threatening,

green phone calls,. There were 47,000. Of the serious but not life

without basher positioning, there were 11,600. An ambulance should

have reached those parents within the six minute. In April alone, many

more patients waited more than half an hour and many waited several

hours. It does seem a serious problem. It is a crucial service, a

vital service to so many people, the whole of the North East. Let's look

at some statistics. From Northumberland, to the North

Yorkshire border and Tees border, that is 3200 miles. The anvil and

service `` ambulance service covers 2.6 million people. To do that, it

employs over 2000 staff. You have been given exclusive access

behind`the`scenes. We will be hearing more all week. Yes, we will

see how much pressure the paramedics are under. How much pressure ``

pressure the call handlers are under and the boss of the North East

Ambulance Service. He will give us an exclusive interview, before he

leaves his job. We will also join the paramedics of a 12 hour shift on

the front line to see how much push that are under. The pressures are

that high, something has got to break. I hope it's not an increase

in people dying. We hear it in the news and it's very upsetting or stop

believe us, nobody wants anyone to die.

Lots of comments on this topic already,

You can join in the debate too, at the address on your screen now.

Two patients have mounted a legal challenge against the closure of the

eating disorders unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

The nearest in`patient unit is in Darlington, but some could be

People who use the unit say there was no consultation on

the planned closure, and are taking the Northumberland and Tyne and

Well, Adrian Pitches is at the RVI now.

Why are these patients fighting so hard to keep the unit open?

Quite simply, it is a life saver. These people, usually young, are

seriously ill. They have anorexia and other eating disorders. They

require tube feeding. They need other medical personnel. That is why

it is sited here. There are ten beds here which have access to the best

specialist care. That care looks like it will be withdrawn from this

autumn and there has been a huge outcry from patients and their

families. I spoke earlier to a former inpatients having the service

here meant that the family could visit me here. My friends could come

and see me and this allowed me to remain part of my normal community.

This provided me with that extra support. Unfortunately, the

treatment is gruelling, intensive and very demanding. You need that

extra comfort and support around you. This service is clearly greatly

valued by a parents and families. The nearest service is now in

Darlington weather are 15 beds. If those are occupied, they need to

travel to York, Leeds, Sheffield. They need that family around them.

They are young, vulnerable people. That is why two the patient here

have launched this legal action. They have sent pre`proceedings

letters to NHS England and local branches to say that the grant ``

grounds for this process is an inadequate procedure. Their main

concern is that there is no communication. Guidelines were put

down and decisions were made without any consultation. Patients were left

wondering what was happening. Decisions were changed on a daily

basis. This meant that very ill and honourable patients and anxious

parents were left vulnerable a long time. The Northumberland and Tyne

Wear mental health trust has said that it is airing out a proper

consultation with parents and staff. They wouldn't give anyone to

interview, but it this does reach the High Court, they will have to

argue that court `` case before a judge.

Remarkable stories about how the First World War changed lives,

here on the home front, are being told in a TV documentary tonight.

It reveals how a community project in Tynemouth is seeing the Great War

through the eyes of those who remained at home, and

it's created a map that shows, all too vividly, how it affected them.

For a war that many think of as being fought over there, the impact

at home with devastating. You will find graves on home soil, in

Tynemouth for example. They sparked a local community project. By

matching their address and date, they have created a map which

reveals the horror of war for eight unity back home. The first day of

the Battle of the sun with the day the period `` things really went

wrong. It's impossible to ignore that there have been fatalities.

Maybe there is some collective mourning which will help. Clearly

there is a lot of pain here. This is the first time I have written the

impact of the war so strongly displayed. It is amazing. There is

an impact of one person dying at war, this is telling the story of

the wife and the six children, what happened to them. The public have

been coming forward with stories that have remained within families

for a century. My grandfather should not have been in the First World

War, he was 42 years old, too old. The maximum age was 39 years old.

Martha and child, he said, Martha, here is mine berthed at it,

Martha and child, he said, Martha, here is mine berthed make me look

ten years younger. She altered it and he went to France. He was killed

in 1916. ten years younger. She altered it

and he went to France. He was Man never forgave herself for having

done it. She said, I signed my father's death certificate. This was

taken just before she forged the birth certificate. That is humongous

remark yes. `` yes, that is my mum. So mother had the guilt and saw the

consequences? Yes. This is something very precious to me, a small piece

of French silk which was hand`painted. Don't forget me. How

did they ever imagined they would be forgotten while they were away? That

is just one of the stories in Dispatches from Tyneside at 7:30pm

on BBC One. There will be more stories across our local radio

stations all week. simple than that:

a Scots pine tree, which has now been officially declared

the tallest in the country. Standing at 40m,

it's the same size as Newcastle's Grey's monument, twice the size of

the Angel of the North in Gateshead, and almost two`thirds the height of

Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge. And at 140`years`old,

it's a fair age, as well, It takes Chris added team around 45

minutes to climb to the top. Two day with the briefest of inspections, it

is holding out well. Generally, it is in good condition. It has able to

shelter from the other trees around it. It is showing its age are fairly

well. These are Scots pine have been here for the 19 `` 1880s when the

Cragside estate was developed. Some 7 million saplings went to the

ground. The majority of trees were planted in the late 19th century. We

know the height of this tree and its age, or 140 years old, because the

staff kept details of the trees that were planted and where they went in.

Lord Armstrong had 200 gardeners on his team. It took him three or four

years to get all the trees planted. But yes, 7 million teas. `` trees.

He was very thorough and he knew exactly where they were planted.

Some have `` some plantations have been cut down for the timber. This

one has been left alone on the hillside. This tree will continue to

grow but at a much slower pace, so there is no chance of catching the

Douglas fir on the other side of the estate which currently measured 61

metres. Now there won't be many people

in the world who haven't heard The adopted Geordie, who played the

majority of his rugby at Newcastle Falcons, finally brought the curtain

down on his outstanding career at Yes, Jeff, it was a fairytale endin

for rugby's golden boy, The man who truly transcends

his sport ended his playing days by winning two cups in a week,

first Europe's top competition, the Heineken Cup, followed by the French

Top 14, with his club Toulon. And I've been talking to

the man who's been with Jonny all the way ` his mentor and coach,

Steve Black, about an incredible It was marvellous for me. The French

people actually played our national anthem the whole French crowd was

singing. It was beyond belief. It was a spiritual moment. It went sort

of quiet. The whole stadium was singing. They sang thank you Johnny.

Unbelievable! In Paris, there was even a dropped goal reminiscent of

the winner scored against Australia in 2003. With a tremendous highs,

there have been crushing lows and injuries of the world 's most famous

rugby player. I would suggest that when you love the game as much as he

does, if someone take that away from you, that is going toward

depression, isn't it? No doubt about it. He has handled it. It hasn't

been easy for him, but he has handled it. He has always had great

people around him, who love and support him, all the way through.

What was his lowest point, do you think? After the World Cup, he

became more than just a rugby player, he became a national icon.

For a while, it hindered him I think. The outside world seemed to

impose itself on him. He has grown so much. He is a very special man.

Johnny will probably take up some kind of coaching role in the future,

but Blighty will continue to work with him on a bright year project.

We won't he likes of Jonny Wilkinson again. I certainly have never met,

in all these years, world champions and all that kind of thing,

dedicated as him. He is the true definition of the world dedicate ``

word to dedicate. Olympic gold medallist Kat Copland

made a successful return to Kat, from the Tees Rowing Club,

was joined by Scotland's Imogen Walsh in the women's lightweight

double sculls at the Kat took more than a year out

of the sport, after winning gold But with her new partner,

she made an impressive return to The pair, at the top

of your screen there, taking bronze, after being narrowly edged out

by the Germans and the Italians. On to cricket, and after a superb

double century from Scott Borthwick, Durham eventually declared

their first innings on a massive 568`9 in their County Championship

match against Middlesex at Chester`le`Street after Phil Mustard

was caught by Tim Murtagh off Toby Roland`Jones.

Maximum batting points, then, for the home side whose bowlers then

took Middlesex to task ` new signing Australian all rounder John Hastings

bowling Chris Rogers for 1. And there were two wickets for

Mark Wood and another for Ben Stokes before the rain came

down with Middlesex on 69`4. The comedy festival Jesterval hits

the Gateshead Quayside this week. From Friday, for eight days,

some of the best regional and national comedians will perform

in Baltic Square. Among them is Yorkshire man,

Tom Binns, whose alter ego goes by the name of Ian D Montford ` also

known as the Sunderland Psychic. Jeff followed Ian

on to the city's streets, what a fearlessly lovely spirit.

What. Andy? Mandy? Does that make sense to you? Is this an animal you

have lost to the other side? I want to say Andy is a cat but I have been

told nothing by the spirit. I love Tommy Cooper and the way you thought

he would be rubbish and then he pulled it out of the bag. He is

obviously a brilliant magician. I was trying to go for that, really.

Instead of the traditional magic, I went for my breeding and the thought

of things that you might have seen Darrin Brown is doing `` mind

reading. He comes to the show and you think he is going to spoof this,

then you see he is really good at this. I will do it again. Is it

covered up? Are you scared of flying? It definitely coming

through. I would say to you, there is someone in your future who will

want to open doors for you. You must identify who that person is and

avoid air travel with him. That is coming to me with the number two.

Shall we have another look. Number two! Psychic! Why Sunderland? My dad

was originally from Sunderland, but without an accent. He emigrated to

Canada to work on a nuclear submarine. He had two very quickly

loses accent otherwise there might have been a misunderstanding that

led to Montreal blown up. I was always brought to Sunderland at

birthdays and Christmas is to see family. That is no way to treat a

kid on his birthday by being taken to the park. I had the letter L, not

necessarily the letter it begins with. It could be a left at the

beginning or end of the name or a letter that has been left out. I

feel very strongly, a connection with a Lucy. Does that make sense to

you? Is that a pet you have lost to the other side? I want to say Lucy

is a dog. This Lucy used to work tell when she was happy? It is all

in the mind! A very funny man . Tomorrow, just a little bit of

sunshine and a fair few showers. This evening and overnight, it

showers continue across the Northeast if you in Cumbria. Showery

across the Yorkshire Dales. Most places will be quite mild tonight.

All underneath a blanket of cloud. The low`temperature 11th of years,

the low 50s in Fahrenheit. Tomorrow, still more showers to come. Tomorrow

puddles. To the afternoon we should see more sign in the West, to choose

the afternoon it is showery across much of the East Coast and we are

expecting the temperatures underneath the rain clouds to be

depressed on what we usually expect. Higher than today, though, 17

Celsius at the best. Things are bright and dry across Cumbria. It

stayed an settled with low`pressure swelling in from the Atlantic over

the next few days. In Cumbria, we are expecting a wet day on

Wednesday, a wash`out of the day in fact. Then, the rain for Friday to

Brighton Belles. Temperatures most days around 15 degrees. A miserable

day on the North East on Wednesday, to the north of the, the rain could

linger on Thursday. Elsewhere, we see increasing amounts of sunshine

and just the odd shower. Friday looks set to be a little bit warmer,

with some sun before rain arrives later. On Saturday, it could be

unsettled, even with the risk of thunder. Not good for you! I'm told

you are getting married! Let's hope it clears up by the weekend!