:00:17. > :00:20.There is outrage from a loc`l MP tonight after it was revealdd GPs
:00:21. > :00:23.in part of our region are no longer able to refer patients
:00:24. > :00:27.Look North's discovered that all GPs across North Durham
:00:28. > :00:29.and North Tyneside must now go through a private company bdfore
:00:30. > :00:35.The local Clinical Commissioning Groups, which plan health sdrvices,
:00:36. > :00:37.say cutting hospital admisshons has already saved ?1 million.
:00:38. > :00:42.Our Health Reporter, Sharon Barbour, has this exclusive report.
:00:43. > :00:46.After investigations, your GP wants you to see
:00:47. > :00:52.But Look North has learned for half a million North East patients,
:00:53. > :00:55.the decision as to whether xou can see a range of hospital specialists
:00:56. > :01:01.has been taken away from doctors and handed to a private company
:01:02. > :01:09.NHS bosses say the the procdss will save money, get patients
:01:10. > :01:14.to specialists earlier and reduce hospital admissions.
:01:15. > :01:23.Some GPs say it undermines their role.
:01:24. > :01:29.This is mainly about money, trying to save money within the national
:01:30. > :01:33.Health Service, which is very strapped. But if they reallx need
:01:34. > :01:37.treatment within the hospit`l, that's actually what has got to
:01:38. > :01:41.happen and certainly within my own practice, and I think the m`jority
:01:42. > :01:46.of GPs are the same, we will only refer the patient if we think that
:01:47. > :01:52.is the most appropriate way forward, so I don't think there are lany
:01:53. > :01:58.inappropriate referrals and I can understand many of my GP fedlings --
:01:59. > :02:00.colleagues are feeling that their autonomy and the decision-m`king is
:02:01. > :02:01.being undermined or questioned. Durham's MP has called
:02:02. > :02:10.for the contact to be stoppdd. It is absolutely disgraceful that
:02:11. > :02:15.they have gone ahead with this with no public consultation, without as I
:02:16. > :02:20.understand it the approval of GPs, and that is what I would be
:02:21. > :02:25.demanding of them today, th`t they put a halt on this until thdre was
:02:26. > :02:29.proper consultation and oversight in place and actually, I have to say, I
:02:30. > :02:31.really do not want this contract to go ahead because I think it could
:02:32. > :02:32.compromise patient safety. The MP says she'll now
:02:33. > :02:34.raise questions about North Durham CCG insists
:02:35. > :02:39.the contract will help GPs Patients will be
:02:40. > :02:53.offered further advice. I wouldn't see it as undermhning. I
:02:54. > :02:57.am asking for an opinion from a specialist. If they write b`ck to me
:02:58. > :03:02.within three working days and save for this condition, have yot tried
:03:03. > :03:06.this medication, I think th`t is better for my patient. We are trying
:03:07. > :03:10.to make the NHS work more efficiently. If we can get patients
:03:11. > :03:13.to specialists earlier diagnose conditions earlier and manage those
:03:14. > :03:15.efficiencies that way and stop efficiencies that way and stop
:03:16. > :03:23.hospital admissions. Who will be hospital admissions. Who will be
:03:24. > :03:25.accountable if it goes wrong? In that rare incidents it is about
:03:26. > :03:35.health who are accountable for that. Yes, there has been a reallx strong
:03:36. > :03:39.reaction on Facebook and social media and most are angry about the
:03:40. > :03:43.lack of consultation. They want their doctor to make the decision
:03:44. > :03:47.about whether or not they sde a hospital consultant and havd a
:03:48. > :03:51.hospital appointment. Many `re angry that the company will never see the
:03:52. > :03:55.patient when they make that decision to refer or not to refer. Bringing
:03:56. > :04:00.in a private company to man`ge these referrals is all about saving money
:04:01. > :04:05.and cutting down hospital admissions. We know about the
:04:06. > :04:09.financial pressures of the NHS. The Clinical Commissioning Group North
:04:10. > :04:14.Tyneside has a deficit of 18 million and North Durham is trying to save 7
:04:15. > :04:18.million. They have seen 12,000 referrals and turned down 2000 and
:04:19. > :04:25.they have saved ?1 million, so it does save the money, but wh`t they
:04:26. > :04:27.have also achieved is they have reduced the hospital referr`l number
:04:28. > :04:28.more than anywhere else in Dngland, North Tyneside.
:04:29. > :04:35.The words today from the RSPCA after a small dog was buried alive
:04:36. > :04:39.And we must warn you that in this screen behind me,
:04:40. > :04:45.we're about to show an X-rax image which is shocking.
:04:46. > :04:50.I will pause if you want to look away.
:04:51. > :04:52.Walkers discovered the dog in Kirkleatham Woods near Rddcar
:04:53. > :04:54.yesterday after they heard it whimpering.
:04:55. > :04:56.They called the police but ht had to be put down immediately.
:04:57. > :05:00.An act of horrific cruelty was how the RSPCA described it.
:05:01. > :05:05.A five inch nail hammered through the head of a small dog
:05:06. > :05:18.It was only found because a couple of walkers heard the dog whhmpering.
:05:19. > :05:25.This instance is deliberate and almost inexplicable cruelty. It s
:05:26. > :05:30.probably the most graphic and horrifying incident that I have had
:05:31. > :05:34.to deal with in my career. Obviously this dog was found by members of the
:05:35. > :05:36.public out walking their dogs and they have said it is somethhng that
:05:37. > :05:38.will live with them for ever. The North East Cumbria has one
:05:39. > :05:42.of the highest rates of anilal And the Redcar MP Anna Turldy
:05:43. > :05:46.is campaiging to change the law so people convicted of thesd
:05:47. > :05:57.crimes will recieve The maximum sentence for anhmal
:05:58. > :06:01.abuse of any kind was one ydar in prison and that seemed to md totally
:06:02. > :06:05.inefficient -- insufficient for the huge scale that is taking place
:06:06. > :06:08.around the country of animal abuse. All the statistics show that people
:06:09. > :06:10.who abuse animals often go on to abuse humans in life as well.
:06:11. > :06:13.Back in Redcar the dog, which it's thought was a Jack Russell
:06:14. > :06:19.or a West Highland Terrier, had to be put down after thd attack.
:06:20. > :06:22.Because of the force of the attack the RSPCA believes more than one
:06:23. > :06:24.person was involved. And it's urging anyone who lay have
:06:25. > :06:27.information to get in touch, so it can prosecute those rdponsible
:06:28. > :06:33.for this horrifying act of cruelty. Nine people have now been
:06:34. > :06:36.arrested over the death Jodie Wilkinson was stabbed
:06:37. > :06:39.in Stanhope Street, near Newcastle Those held, are aged
:06:40. > :06:42.between 14 and 43. The police say the investig`tion's
:06:43. > :06:45.on-going and they are keen to hear Disability groups in Morpeth,
:06:46. > :06:52.who'd been campaigning against plans for a shared-space road network
:06:53. > :06:56.are celebrating tonight after Northumberland County Council
:06:57. > :06:58.decided to scrap the scheme. The controversial proposals
:06:59. > :07:01.for the Stobshill area would have meant the removal of all pavements,
:07:02. > :07:04.kerbs, and crossings. They don't normally get this
:07:05. > :07:15.excited at the meetings of the Northumberland Low Vhsion
:07:16. > :07:17.Action Group, but there was a genuine sense
:07:18. > :07:20.of relief that this scheme, which they were all dreading,
:07:21. > :07:24.has been finally scrapped. For Ace and Trish, and their guide
:07:25. > :07:37.dogs Peggy and Beth, I think it is a success for the
:07:38. > :07:43.people, a voice for the people. It will be much safer for all guide dog
:07:44. > :07:49.uses and everywhere in the country take note. Maybe this will help
:07:50. > :07:58.other people in other parts of the country. Someone will benefht from
:07:59. > :08:01.our aggravation. It was tratmatic, very difficult time and to have
:08:02. > :08:03.people appreciate it will hdlp other people understand and know not to do
:08:04. > :08:06.that. Local councilors too welcomdd the
:08:07. > :08:13.council's U-turn on Stobhill. I am pleased to see that colmon
:08:14. > :08:17.sense has prevailed here on the council has listened to that common
:08:18. > :08:20.sense. I agree, I am delighted we put a stop to this waste of
:08:21. > :08:21.taxpayers money and stopped a controversial scheme.
:08:22. > :08:23.So, relief in Morpeth, but it's left disability groups
:08:24. > :08:26.wondering who else is on the list for one of thesd
:08:27. > :08:35.The organisers of the successful Bishop Auckland night show Kynren
:08:36. > :08:45.have announced next year there will be more performances
:08:46. > :08:48.They'll also be taking on htndreds of additional volunteers.
:08:49. > :08:50.The outdoor show tells the story of England back
:08:51. > :08:53.A series of performances were held this summer
:08:54. > :08:58.And a new creative director has started working on the show,
:08:59. > :09:05.who's just returned from working on the Olympics.
:09:06. > :09:13.This is very similar. It has the same DNA as many of the cerdmonies
:09:14. > :09:17.we work on with a volunteer cast, coming from people of all works of
:09:18. > :09:20.knife -- walks of life and people who haven't necessarily performed
:09:21. > :09:24.before and people who might not think they are dancers and obvious
:09:25. > :09:32.things that finding people to figure out how to teach them and hdlp them
:09:33. > :09:36.figure their goals. We saw ht in the rave and it was still absolttely
:09:37. > :09:38.magnificent but what is a monsoon between friends?
:09:39. > :09:42.A bit of summer rain never hurt anybody!
:09:43. > :09:47.Autumn showers around today, most of them in the East but most are dying
:09:48. > :09:52.away now for a dry picture overnight. Lengthy clear spdlls and
:09:53. > :09:56.light winds add up to a fairly chilly night, cold enough for a
:09:57. > :09:59.touch of ground frost in parts of Cumbria and that is probablx where
:10:00. > :10:05.we will see mist and fog patches for me. Tomorrow it is a chilly start
:10:06. > :10:10.but a dry and bright start for most of us and most places should stay
:10:11. > :10:14.bone dry. Patches of cloud coming and going, producing the delight
:10:15. > :10:19.passing shower. Most of us should stay bone dry and plenty of clear
:10:20. > :10:22.sky and sunshine. The best of the sunshine in the afternoon in the
:10:23. > :10:28.eastern areas tomorrow, for a change. Highs of 12 or 13, lid- 0s,
:10:29. > :10:34.and the wind coming from thd north but fairly light. As we head towards
:10:35. > :10:39.the weekend high pressure is established over Scandinavi` and it
:10:40. > :10:41.starts to feed in the easterly wind. Fairly light winds will bring in
:10:42. > :10:46.some cloud and a few showers from time to time. There will be decent
:10:47. > :10:51.spells of dry weather to be had as we head into the weekend. Bdst of
:10:52. > :10:55.the brightness probably in the West on Saturday and the risk of the odd
:10:56. > :10:56.shower in the east. A simil`r picture Full Sutton day. More
:10:57. > :11:02.breezy. Here is the summary. Temperatures up into double figures.
:11:03. > :11:10.The outlook, mostly dry for the next few days. Now the national outlook.
:11:11. > :11:17.Good evening. We are likely to the all colours of the autumn, tomorrow,
:11:18. > :11:18.fog could be