Tyne Tees County Durham News

More than 80% of calls to the NHS 111 service were answered within 60 seconds, according to NHS England's latest figures released today. The report found:

• In April, there were 566,532 calls to the 111 service, with 94% (of these calls from people directly dialling 111.
• In the same month, 87% of answered calls made to NHS111 were answered within 60 seconds. Of all calls offered 4% were abandoned after waiting longer than 30 seconds.

• Average length of a call episode for data up to and including April was 8 minutes 09 seconds, with 79% of callers receiving a triage and 6% of answered calls called back.

• On average 27% of call time was handled by clinical staff for all calls up to and including April.
• For the period between April 2011 to March 2013, 92% of callers were very or fairly satisfied with their NHS111 experience.

You can read the full report here.

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• NHS
• NHS 111

The A19 southbound is closed - queueing traffic due to an overturned car between the A1046 Haverton Hill Road (Portrack Interchange) and the A1130 Levick Crescent.

The car was travelling on the northbound carriageway when it flipped over onto the southbound carriageway.

The road is expected to remain closed for several hours. Police have extended the closure back to the Portrack Interchange.

Diversion is via the A66.

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• A19
• County Durham

A parachutist has been rescued after landing in a tree in a busy town centre in County Durham.

The man appeared to have been blown two miles off course during his descent.

He landed in the tree in St Cuthbert Road in Peterlee where he was trapped in high branches for over an hour.

The operation to bring him safely down was carried out by Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

The parachutist was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital. His injuries are not believed to be serious.

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• County Durham

A woman died in a house fire in County Durham when firefighters were unable to save her because of the belongings she had hoarded in her home.

66-year-old Ann Bradshaw had packed the rooms of her house in Newton Aycliffe almost up to the ceiling.

This meant that despite the fire service rescuing her 37-year-old son, it took them 30 minutes to reach Ms Bradshaw and she died at the scene.

Coroner Andrew Tweddle recorded a verdict of accidental death and told an inquest that the amount of stuff in the house was staggering.

"The conditions were quite extreme on a number of levels.

"The physical state of the property with the amount of stuff is quite staggering and made the job of the firefighters quite difficult and dangerous."

He also said that despite people making light of the issue, people who hoard are putting themselves at grave risk.

Fire and Rescue services sent four engines to the blaze just before 1pm on May 14 last year, and were first alerted to the fire after smoke was seen coming out of a vent in the roof.

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• County Durham

The A66 westbound is closed due to large amounts of mud on the road from A1150 (Great Burdon Roundabout) to A67 / Yarm Road Roundabout.

The road has been closed since Wednesday night, because mud has run onto the road from nearby waterlogged fields.

Diversion: leave the A66 at Long Newton and use Mill Lane and the A67.

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• Darlington
• County Durham

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• County Durham
• Durham

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• Durham
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• floods
• County Durham