Podcast appearances and mentions of gerry northam

Each year the number of deaths in every hospital in England is recorded and compared with national averages for the range of patients and conditions treated. The results are published by a company called Dr Foster in The Hospital Guide. The Guide has a solid reputation. Its findings are studied and used by leaders of the NHS. Dr Foster's statistical expert says that high mortality statistics should act as a 'smoke alarm' raising investigation of standards at a hospital. The Care Quality Commission praises Dr Foster's "powerful analysis of hospital trusts" and the Health Secretary says: "We expect all hospitals to examine this data carefully and take action wherever services need to improve". But some leading statisticians question the reliability of mortality statistics as an indication of clinical quality. And they believe that many pockets of poor practice go undetected in hospitals with good mortality scores. Critics also see the publication of such data as an invitation to the press to distort the available evidence by calculating numbers of 'needless deaths' within the NHS. Such calculations have in fact been produced and then given widespread publicity. The NHS Medical Director calls them "clinically meaningless and academically reckless". But they continue to make the front pages. Gerry Northam reports from hospitals which have "worryingly high" mortality statistics according to Dr Foster and asks how much this really shows about their quality of care. Producer : Ian Muir-Cochrane Editor : David Ross.

A year after the horsemeat scandal there are calls for a new police force to fight food fraud amid concerns that organised crime is increasingly targeting the sector because there are huge profits to be made at the expense of the consumer. Prof Chris Elliott, who was commissioned by the government to investigate the UK's most serious food scandal in recent years, says criminals are committing more food fraud because there's little risk of detection or serious penalties if they're caught. Gerry Northam investigates the extent of food fraud across the UK and reports from Brussels on whether the EU has learned enough lessons from last year's scandal. Producer: Carl Johnston.

Graphene is a super-strong and super-conductive material. Gerry Northam looks at its move from the laboratory to the commercial world.

The Work Programme is the Government's flagship scheme designed to help the long term unemployed off benefits and into lasting jobs. But how well is it working - both for those at whom it is aimed and for the private companies who are paid to deliver it? Official figures paint a patchy picture and some companies have already been sanctioned for not meeting targets. Their record has been particularly poor for claimants whose illness or disability makes it hard to find a job. Despite this, the Chancellor recently announced an addition to the scheme - called Help to Work - which places new demands on those the Work Programme has failed to move into employment. But, with the economy still struggling in many areas, is it asking too much? Gerry Northam investigates. Producer: Sally Chesworth.

The government is stepping up its support for HS2, the high-speed rail project due to link London and Birmingham by 2026 with extensions to Manchester and Leeds by 2032. The cost is officially estimated to be £42.6bn and could rise to more than £51bn if, as expected, the scheme incurs VAT. Opponents foresee further increases and have predicted an eventual bill of £80bn for taxpayers.Who stands to gain from the project and who will be the losers? The government has published detailed maps of the route to be taken by the first stage, leading to calamitous falls in the value of many nearby properties. Towns and cities which are near the route but not linked to HS2 fear that their economies will suffer as businesses are attracted to Birmingham and the northern ends of the line. Current fast train services are due to suffer drastic cuts in the wake of HS2 and some major development plans are now deemed to be at risk.Meanwhile, economic advisers in the three major cities are planning for billions of pounds worth of benefits as travel-times and congestion on the existing network are reduced.Gerry Northam reports from areas which expect to benefit from HS2 and those which could lose out and asks what lessons can be learned from the impact of Britain's first high-speed rail project - HS1 in Kent.Producer: Ian Muir-CochraneEditor: David Ross.

The way in which oil is traded on commodities markets is coming under close scrutiny. Last month, officers of the European Commission raided the London offices of BP and Shell along with Norway's Statoil company and the leading price reporting agency Platts. They said they were investigating claims of collusion to manipulate the prices of oil and biofuels on the international markets. A leading city insider tells File On 4 that the price-reporting mechanism for oil is 'wide open to abuse' So are petrol prices being kept artificially high by hidden forces beyond the normal workings of supply and demand ? Gerry Northam investigates and asks whether British regulators are proving slow to recognise the potential problem. Producer: David Lewis.

In the wake of the Mid-Staffordshire hospital scandal, investigations are going on at 14 other hospitals in England identified as having above average death rates among their patients. But why has it taken so long for enquiries to begin? Should the Department of Health and the hospitals regulator, the Care Quality Commission, have sounded the alarm much earlier? It took a lengthy public inquiry to get to the bottom of failings in Mid-Staffordshire. Complaints of dangerous clinical practice and shoddy nursing standards were overlooked while whistle-blowers were treated as mere troublemakers and threatened with reprisals if they went public with their concerns. Evidence is now emerging of a similar pattern in other places. Gerry Northam examines the list of hospitals now under investigation and hears from doctors, nurses, patients and bereaved relatives. Have NHS managers done enough to address concern about high death rates? How could it happen that the hospital reported to have the highest rate of excess mortality in the country - 20% above the expected level for its population of patients - was given a full seal of approval only three months earlier by the official regulator? Producer: Rob Cave Reporter: Gerry Northam.

21 years after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, Britain is trying to cut the cost of the European Union. As the institution comes of age, Gerry Northam asks whether the EU's spending on itself has become excessive and - if so - whether member states do anything about it. In Brussels, hundreds of millions of pounds have been found for projects described by Eurosceptics as "self-aggrandisement". An art deco showpiece is being transformed into a new headquarters for the European Council at a cost of around 300 million Euros (£250m). A further 55 million Euros (£46m) is going to create a House of European History - a museum celebrating European integration. A new 20 million Euros (£17m) visitors' centre at the European Parliament, called the Parlamentarium, has been dismissed as a multimedia tribute to itself. Meanwhile alarm has been raised that money the United Kingdom designates as aid for developing countries is being diverted by Europe to encourage Turkey, Serbia and others to join the Union. MPs claim this money directly disadvantages Britain. Critics say Europe's expansion comes with an unnecessarily large price tag. Are they right? Reporter: Gerry Northam Producer: Chris Doidge.

In April next year, the SNP government in Scotland will merge 8 existing constabularies to create a single national police force. This is intended to bring efficiency savings by cutting out duplication of functions and gaining the economies of scale. But the move is proving controversial amid fears that it will damage local accountability and lead to worsening services in some areas. Next month in England and Wales elections will be held for 41 Police and Crime Commissioners to oversee a continuing patchwork of local forces. The Westminster government sees the Commissioners as signs of its commitment to 'localism'. But seven years ago, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of police said the fragmented network of local forces was 'not fit for purpose'. So, given the cuts the police are facing, is it time for a radical re-organisation south of the border? Gerry Northam investigates. Producer: Nicola Dowling.

In the first of a new series, Gerry Northam investigates the rising number of so called "green on blue" attacks in which Afghan soldiers and policemen have turned their guns on British and other international troops. With more than 50 NATO troops killed in insider attacks this year, is enough being done to protect those working as mentors? The US has invested over $50 billion on developing independent Afghan security forces but according to a US Government audit, the majority of Afghan troops remain heavily reliant on American help and support. Even widespread illiteracy remains a problem. Meanwhile the impact of the recent attacks is huge - undermining the trust that's needed between the Afghan forces and the coalition troops getting them ready to take over the security in 2014. So how reliable is the screening of new Afghan recruits? And, with continuing questions over their loyalties and capabilities, can there be an effective withdrawal in two years' time? Presenter: Gerry Northam Producer: David Lewis.

Figures released this month reveal almost 9000 new tuberculosis cases in the United Kingdom last year, the highest level since the 1970s. The disease has risen by more than a third in the past decade. In parts of London, Birmingham and other cities it is already at the level of high-risk countries in the developing world. Yet in most of the rest of Europe TB rates have been steadily falling in recent years. Health experts have found that cases of TB remain static among people of all ethnicities who were born in Britain. They attribute the national rise in cases to migration from some former British colonies in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian sub-continent. Airport screening of migrants, using a chest x-ray, identifies only active cases of the disease in the lungs. It misses the much more numerous cases of latent TB which can progress to become active at any time. An estimated 10,000 cases of latent TB arrive undetected in the UK each year. A nationwide survey of NHS blood-test screening programmes shows that the areas with populations most at risk are also those with least effort put into screening for latent disease. Patients' groups also question the level of GPs' awareness of the many manifestations of tuberculosis, citing cases of repeated missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis which have left patients suffering as the disease advances with sometimes fatal consequences. Gerry Northam investigates the resurgence of a condition once thought to be all-but eliminated from the UK and asks if the NHS is failing to tackle it. Producer: Gail Champion Reporter: Gerry Northam.

Ministers want to extend secret hearings to Britain's civil courts - so judges can deal with the increasing number of cases involving the intelligence services. Justice Secretary Ken Clarke says it is the only way that judges can hear the testimony of spies working for MI5, MI6 or GCHQ. Getting them to give evidence in open court is not an option, he says. A small number of courts already hold secret sessions to consider appeals from individuals facing deportation on evidence compiled by the security services. But how well does the system work? File on 4 hears evidence from lawyers who are concerned about the quality of some of the testimony given behind closed doors. And the programme has learned of a growing number of closed justice cases being heard in Employment Tribunals where people are claiming they were sacked because they pose a risk to national security. Because the Tribunals are hearing evidence in secret, the claimants are unable to get further details of why they were dismissed. Gerry Northam explores the operation of secret justice in British courts and asks whether its extension to more cases would be in the national interest. Producer: David Lewis.

Multi-lingual, a good listener and a surprise choice for arguably the biggest job in British sport - manager of the England football team.Hodgson has coached football teams in eight different countries during a career which has lasted 36 years. He is said to have revolutionised the techniques of some players - he took Switzerland to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup. He's much better known in Italy than the UK after his time at Internationale Milan.At Fulham he was regarded as an eccentric but clever choice as they avoided relegation before reaching the 2010 Europa League Final. Hodgson is not into mind games and isn't known for saying things for impact - like some other Premier League managers. Some say he is bereft of ego and a gentleman, others that he can be as passionate and defensive as the rest. He has a rigorous approach to preparation - players at Liverpool complained about the complexity of his training schedules. A great lover of literature he is said to have read the works of nearly every Nobel prize winner - not intimidated by taking on the works of foreign authors. Gerry Northam profiles the man friends say has a complex character - on the one hand obsessed with football, on the other never happier than when away from the beautiful game.Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

With The Hunger Games topping cinema box-office charts, Gerry Northam profiles Suzanne Collins, the children's author who wrote the best-selling books on which the film is based. Her trilogy, set in a post-apocalypse America, is said to have been inspired by a combination of Greek myth and reality television as well as Collins' own upbringing as the daughter of an air-force officer who served in Vietnam. So how much do we know about the woman behind the phenomenon now being described as the US equivalent of Harry Potter? Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

The Berlin Wall, guarded for 28 years, saw many violent deaths and many ingenious escapes. Gerry Northam reports. Things Unseen. For people who have a faith, and those who just feel there’s more out there than meets the eye.

Andrew Harding's in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia -- how impressed have they been there with the international gathering in London aimed at restoring stability to their country? Gerry Northam's in Japan where, a year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, they're wondering whether to dump nuclear power altogether. David Willis is looking at a ninety-year-old murder mystery in the Hollywood hills. An extraordinary tableau's revealed in a Cairo bar: Sara Hashash meets a soldier who, on his days off, joins demonstrators throwing stones at the military! And Aleem Maqbool is finding out why a town in Pakistan's north-west is known as Little Britain.

The Justice Secretary Ken Clarke wants more jobs for convicts. He told his party conference: "If we want prison to work, then our prisoners have got to be working". He encourages private companies to open workshops inside prisons, where inmates would be 'properly paid' for hard work, would pay their due of taxes and help fund victims' support. Mr Clarke points to a metal factory in a Merseyside prison where prisoners work a 40 hour week and learn skills which could make them more employable on release. He argues that this will also make then less likely to return to crime. But is this plan practicable? Prison Governors say that two-thirds of their inmates were unemployed before they started their sentences and that they are generally reluctant to engage in meaningful work. They say many of them can hardly read and write. Governors also fear that moving jobs inside prison would mean taking opportunities away from law-abiding job-seekers outside. And they complain that it would prove costly in terms of staff time. One prison reform group which set up a pioneering graphic design studio inside prison says the project was popular and effective among prisoners but was forced to close following hostility and obstruction from officers. Gerry Northam asks if the government is overstating the possible advantages of its policy, and investigates whether it can be made to succeed at a time when the Ministry of Justice faces funding cuts. Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

Household gas and electricity bills are set to soar, leaving millions at risk of 'fuel poverty' and vulnerable to cold as winter approaches. The government's hopes for recovery in UK manufacturing industry are also threatened in key sectors by rocketing energy prices. Some small and medium-sized businesses have already been pushed into liquidation and there are fears that others will follow. Politically, attention is now focusing on the behaviour of the so-called Big Six energy companies which supply 99% of the gas and electricity used in British homes. The regulator OFGEM accuses them of 'complex and unfair pricing policies'. It wants to increase competition by making it simpler for customers to decide to switch suppliers. It finds that prices go up like a rocket but fall like a feather. And it wants greater disclosure of corporate accounting systems, to check for excessive profits. Gerry Northam examines claims from some industry insiders that the Big Six are behaving as the banks did before the credit crunch - threatening economic recovery while believing they are too big to fail. Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

On the Berlin Wall's 50th anniversary, Gerry Northam looks at its political context and its human consequences.

On the Berlin Wall's 50th anniversary, Gerry Northam looks at its political context and its human consequences.

The Government's strategy to boost local enterprise in England began poorly. The Director of the CBI criticised it as 'a shambles' and Business Secretary Vince Cable admitted it was 'Maoist and chaotic'. Now 36 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have been established with the aim of supporting economic growth and innovation and encouraging a network of Enterprise Zones. But some experts remain sceptical. They claim that the policy has failed to put business interests first and that in some parts of the country it has been hijacked by local politicians. Others complain that areas of deprivation have been overlooked in favour of more affluent neighbours. There is also concern that the strategy is not implementing the government's policy of localism. Can LEPs deliver the economic fruits they promise? Or will some just fizzle out, as one insider fears? Gerry Northam reports. Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane Editor: David Ross.

For two decades, the Private Finance Initiative has been a controversial way of building new hospitals, schools, roads and prisons. Well over £200bn of taxpayers' money has been committed to the companies managing these projects. The coalition government describes some PFI contracts as 'ghastly' and wants some of this cash back. One cabinet minister says 'the people on the other side must have been laughing all the way to the bank'. But, while public services are facing cuts, PFI payments are guaranteed under watertight contracts. So experts say the government can win only small amounts in rebates. Much of the money has already gone offshore. Huge profits have been made by selling and reselling many contracts in a secretive 'secondary market' - with none of the proceeds returning to the taxpayer. Gerry Northam investigates gaps in HM Treasury's knowledge of this trade and asks if PFI represents value for public money. Producer: Rob Cave.

Gerry Northam profiles Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, co-chair of the Conservative party and the first Muslim government cabinet minister. Producer: Gail Champion.

Under the Prime Minister's project for The Big Society, the coalition government wants charities to have much greater involvement in the running of public services. At the same time, substantial cuts are expected in official regulators which check that charities are competent and honest. Recent financial scandals have shown the vulnerability of even the most prestigious organisations to systematic fraud. The Charity Commission admits that a quarter of charities fail to file their accounts on time, covering a combined annual income of £6 billion. The Commission also says that in future allegations of fraud may no longer be automatically investigated. Meanwhile, other national charities are facing rebellions from lifelong local supporters over planned reorganisations designed to win huge public contracts. Gerry Northam asks if we can be confident that charities are fit and honest enough to take responsibility from the public sector. Producer: Sally Chesworth.

The planned withdrawal of British and other foreign troops from Afghanistan relies on the Afghan army and police to take over security duties. Since 2002, the USA has spent $27bn - over half of its total reconstruction fund - training and equipping Afghan forces. The aim is to build up an army of 171,600 people and a police force of 134,000 by October 2011. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants national forces to be in complete control of the country by 2014. But these targets, and the loyalty of some personnel, are called into question by recent killings carried out by members of the Afghan security forces: *20 July 2010: two US weapons trainers were shot dead by an Afghan soldier *13 July 2010: three British soldiers were attacked by an Afghan soldier who shot one dead in his bed and fired a rocket-propelled grenade which killed two others *3 November 2009: three British soldiers and two members of the Royal Military Police were shot dead by an Afghan policeman. An investigation published in June 2010 by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that officials had often overstated the readiness of Afghan forces, rating some units as first class when they were incapable of fighting the Taliban on their own. It also reported high levels of desertion, corruption and drug abuse. Gerry Northam asks if the transition to Afghan control is really on track. Producer: David Lewis Editor: David Ross.

What are the practical and moral issues around this alternative energy source? Gerry Northam reports.

Gerry Northam investigates claims that bio fuels - once believed to be the answer to global warming and dwindling oil stocks - are instead leading to heightened pollution, environmental havoc, deforestation, and worsening poverty and hunger.

In Guatemala four years ago, 80 million documents were discovered. They contained evidence of police atrocities during Guatemala's civil war. In programme 2 of this series, Gerry Northam continues his tour of the archives.

In Guatemala four years ago, 80 million documents were discovered. They contained evidence of police atrocities during Guatemala's civil war. In programme 2 of this series, Gerry Northam continues his tour of the archives.

In Guatemala four years ago, 80 million documents were discovered. They contained evidence of police atrocities during Guatemala's civil war. In programme 2 of this series, Gerry Northam continues his tour of the archives.

In Guatemala four years ago, 80 million documents were discovered in a warehouse. They contain evidence of police atrocities during Guatemala's 36 year long civil war. Gerry Northam investigates the story of the archive's chance discovery.

In Guatemala four years ago, 80 million documents were discovered in a warehouse. They contain evidence of police atrocities during Guatemala's 36 year long civil war. Gerry Northam investigates the story of the archive's chance discovery.

China says hosting the Olympics has accelerated national reforms, technological advances and greater freedoms overall but Gerry Northam investigates claims that life has gotten worse for China's poor.

As the world counts down to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Gerry Northam investigates China's claims of 'vigorous growth in the public practice of religion' but he discovers people are still being persecuted and oppressed for practising religion.