today at 5pm, record numbers of patients in england spent longer than the target waiting time in a&e in december. and january could be the worst performing month since waiting time records began, according to figures leaked to the bbc. every patient stacked on a trolly in the corridor not getting to the ward is, for us, a system failure. we'll have the latest figures, and we'll be talking to a nurse about the situation on the frontline of the nhs. the other main stories on bbc news at 5pm. calls for the government to reverse its decision to end a scheme to bring unaccompanied child refugees to the uk. one of donald trump's most controversial cabinet nominees, jeff sessions, has now been sworn in as us attorney general. a report into safety failures, which forced 17 edinburgh schools over construction work. and, the story of the australian man trapped for hours, and how yoga helped save his life.

it's 5 o'clock. our main story is that record numbers of patients spent more than four hours in accident and emergency units in england in january, according to figures leaked to the bbc. during a difficult winter for the nhs, january seems to be the worst performing month in the past 13 years. the figures also suggest record numbers of people waited longer than 12 hours for a hospital bed, once they'd been seen in a&e. the bma said the prime minister could no longer "bury her head in the sand" over increasing pressure in the nhs. and it accused the government of failing to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. for months now, accident and emergency departments across england have been struggling. last week, the bbc was given exclusive access to the royal blackburn hospital, where the pressure on a&e was plain to see. we need beds and staff. it's just like banging your head you need a bed. definitely. it's distressing. it's really distressing for people. queueing for five hours in a corridor. it's not what you expect from a country like ours, is it? we need to get some blood from you. more patients and a shortage of beds mean longer waits, and officialfigures from nhs england, published this morning, show that december was the worst month on record for waiting times in a&e. the pressure this winter is greater than it's ever been. it has been a steep climb this year but the thing that has changed the most has been not the 2% or 3%

increase in demand, but it's the 40% increase in the delays in moving patients, helping them get back home and into the community. now new, provisional data forjanuary, leaked to the bbc, suggests that picture has got even worse. this data appears to show that, last month, just 82% of patients were transferred, admitted or discharged within four hours, the worst performance since the target of 95% was introduced in 200a. 780 patients waited for more than 12 hours for a bed after being admitted to hospital — again, the worst figures on record. and more than 60,000 patients faced a wait of between four and 12 hours, more than in any month since 200a. the nhs in scotland is coping better, but performances in wales and northern ireland is even worse than in england, symptoms of the pressures building right across the health and social care system.

demand is increasing. we don't have the resources to match it but, even worse than that, many of these figures reflect patients who are not coming in with something relatively minor but needing sorting out and then going home again. it reflects the experience of people coming in needing acute hospital admission. every patient stacked on a trolley in a corridor, not getting to the ward they need to be in, not getting the treatment they need is, for any of us, an individual system failure. nhs sources acknowledge the system is facing unprecedented demand. these latest figures suggest there is little sign of a respite. janet davies is the chief executive of the royal college of nursing and is here with me now. first of all we have the official figures for december, we have an official figures leaked to the bbc forjanuary. they all go in the same

direction which is a system at breaking point. what are your members telling you 7 breaking point. what are your members telling you? our members feel it is at breaking point. it's very difficult when you're actually trying to provide the best care possible, in the conditions people are being forced to work in. it really is because the whole system isn't working together, and the lack of funding for the growth in health and social care, is now beginning to create problems. people are getting older, their needs are more complex. what our members are saying is, the important thing for them is to provide good quality care. nurses in particular love theirjobs, and the satisfaction they get from doing a good job and seeing people recover, and you get that instant feedback, that's almost impossible in some areas at the moment. nurses in amd and elsewhere in the system say they are coming home having worked later, as much as 1a, are coming home having worked later, as much as1li, 15 hours, coming are coming home having worked later, as much as 1a, 15 hours, coming away knowing they haven't provided the ca re

knowing they haven't provided the care they really want to. we've heard stories about nurses triaging people in a toilet. that is a human story that affects our nurses. they are the people facing our patients, oui’ are the people facing our patients, ourfamilies, and are the people facing our patients, our families, and having are the people facing our patients, ourfamilies, and having to explain this is almost impossible to explain why someone is having to wait for so long. we need to sort it out. it's not about a sticking plaster, it's about a whole look at the system. ministers throughout this week have been saying there is more money going in, spending in some areas is that record levels. today they are saying government has insisted the vast majority of patients are being seen and treated quickly and they don't want people to have a different impression. we know that. most people's experiences very positive, but that's not very helpful if you are one of the few percent that isn't. every story is a human story. what we need to do is

have a really big rethink, how much are we willing to spend on health and care, what does that system look like? we go from initiative to initiative, it doesn't solve the underlying problem. the nhs has been so underlying problem. the nhs has been so successful, we are living longer, we can cure things we couldn't care before. we've never had that sustained great in the funding for such an important thing. 2.i wanted to raise. we get two versions of this when people discuss it. the first is people saying we have the problem of people who should be going to their gp but they aren't, they are going to that a&e department. the second point, until you have social care properly dovetailed with a&e hospital services, this crisis isn't going to be resolved. those two things interlinked? they are totally interlinked. it is because the system is so difficult to navigate. it's wrong to bring people and where they choose to go. these are people

who need help and don't necessarily know where to go to. it's wrong to blame individuals. we need to look at what is care, what is social care, what is health care. there's very little difference. we need to see the whole system together. at the same time as putting money into the same time as putting money into the nhs, not enough i would say, cuts to local government mean that preventative care which would stop people becoming ill in the first place, reduced. and also, social care, funded by local authorities. very difficult, significant cuts in social care, which actually it isn't really social care, it is care that keeps people healthy, keeps people well and stops them from getting into the nhs system. a final point, we've been discussing figures that affect england specifically. of course you have members in scotland, wales, all four nations of the uk. are you getting a different picture from scotland, wales and northern ireland? it's a common problem but it's different. in some areas the

services are more integrated. they are alsojointly services are more integrated. they are also jointly funded. it's slightly different in countries but there is a common pressure. we are all living longer and also riding with very complex conditions, that is the same across the uk. —— surviving with very complex conditions. thank you. just a quick reminder. we're looking at the state of health services in the uk all this week for the bbc‘s nhs health check. you can follow the coverage online too, at bbc.co.uk/health. there are lots of different figures there, including the figures we've been reporting on and there is a comparison chart to do with the help service in england, scotland, wales and northern ireland. —— the health service. ministers are facing an angry response to their decision to end a scheme which allows vulnerable

refugee children to come to the uk. 350 young people will be offered sanctuary under a project devised by the labour peer lord dubs, but campaigners had expected up to three thousand children to be allowed in. the home secretary amber rudd told mps that continuing the scheme risked encouraging people traffickers. a legal challenge to the closure of the scheme will go ahead tomorrow, as our correspondent dan johnson reports. they may not make as many headlines, but these children of europe's migrant crisis have not gone away. refugees are still on the move, still searching for a new home, and around 90,000 of them are youngsters with no family. under pressure from the uk to do more, david cameron promised to bring some of them here. campaigners hoped 3000 would benefit, but the government has announced the scheme will end, having re—homed 350. that has angered some people including mps. they are heading back to calais, back to dunkirk, back to the mud, the danger, back into the arms of the people traffickers and smugglers, the exploitation, abuse, prostitution rings and back

into the modern slavery that this parliament and this government has pledged to end. we have a different approach to where those most vulnerable are. we believe that they are in the region, that is why we have pledged to accept 3000 children from the region and we are committed to delivering on that. well, i'm a refugee. i came to england at the age of six. having been rescued from nazi germany, he knows what it means to be a refugee. i'm very disappointed. i was in greece a month ago, desperate conditions in the refugee camps, a lot of children, some unaccompanied, bitterly cold and miserable. we owe it to them. this afternoon the premise to a nswered this afternoon the premise to answered that criticism. what we are doing in terms of refugees is

absolutely right, on top of the significant financial support and humanitarian aid we are giving to refugees in the region of syria. a commitment of £2.3 billion, the second biggest bilateral donor. the first young refugees arrived last october. 200 have been re—homed so far. another 150 will come before the end of next month. news that more will not follow has been described as a betrayal of vulnerable children like these and of british values. the home secretary said there was a risk of encouraging people traffickers. she has restated the government's commitment to other schemes, bringing thousands of refugees to the uk directly from camps in the middle east. dan johnson, bbc news. let's speak to our chief political correspondent vicki young. your sense of where this is going today? i do get any sense that the government is going to back down on this, despite the anger we heard in the house of commons and the house

of lords today. i think that's partly because the government is stung by the criticism, yes it isn't doing anything, but there are a bottle is to say we have a lot of schemes helping people. they've been putting out to the press some of the numbers, talking about the syrian vulnerable persons resettlement scheme. they talk about the vulnerable children's scheme. they talk about the vulnerable child ren's resettlement scheme, the gateway protection programme, and the idea that nothing is happening that britain isn't helping these vulnerable children. they want to make the point it's happening right now, saying that they've brought more than 300 refugees to the uk in the last two weeks alone, and over half of them we re weeks alone, and over half of them were children. they've also talked about the money, saying yes local authorities are being given funding. they've said before, when the so—called dubs amendment came in, it had to be in consultation with local authorities, that they had the money and the places to help these children. there's no doubt that the kind of criticism, especially from

people like lord dubs with that incredible personal story he has, is a problem for the government. we've heard today from the archbishop canterbury. he said he wants the government to rethink this. he said, we must resist and turn back the worrying trends we are seeing around the world. i think that, coming from opposition mps as well, saying donald trump is doing certain things in america they don't want britain to go done the same route. thank you. four men who were part of a gang that sexually exploited teenage girls in rochdale are facing deportation to pakistan. the men, who are british nationals of pakistani origin, were jailed for between six and 22 years. immigration judges have rejected appeals against plans to strip them of their british citizenship. president trump's nominee for the supreme court has described the president's attacks on the judiciary as "demoralising" and "disheartening". neil gorsuch‘s comments were made to a democratic senator and later confirmed by his office.

during the day, one of president trump's most controversial cabinet nominees jeff sessions has been sworn in as attorney general. more than 30 years ago mr sessions was denied a position as a federal judge following accusations of racism, claims he's always denied. 0ur correspondent richard lister sent this report. jeff sessions was finally sworn in today. he was the first senator to endorse donald trump's campaign, and will now run hisjustice department. these dangerous times require a determined attorney general. this is whatjeff is. he understands the job is to serve and protect the people of the united states, and that is exactly what he will do, and do

better than anybody else can. civil liberties groups reacted with outrage, when president trump nominated senator sessions, his taken a tough line against immigration and the rights of minorities. 30 years ago, the senate refused to confirm him as a judge, after he was accused of using racist language to a black colleague. he denied that, but admitted describing land might legislation ensuring african—americans land might legislation ensuring african—america ns could vote land might legislation ensuring african—americans could vote as "intrusive". he has since said it was necessary and he supports it. in considering him for attorney general, democrats raised these issues, but also insisted he was too close to the president to be able to give him independent advice. after the confirmation vote, he reached out to them. i appreciate the full debate that we've had. i want to thank those who, after it all, found sufficient confidence in me to cast their vote, to confirm me as the

next attorney general of the united states of america. emma kratz aren't convinced. in a blistering twitter attack senator ebba elizabeth warren said... another of trumps's nominees made some outspoken comments of his own. judge neil gorsuch was apparently unhappy with john's criticism of the judge who suspended his travel ban, expressing his displeasure to a democratic senator. he expressed to me that he is disheartened by the tomorrow rising, a par and comments made by president trump, about the judiciary. that may win neil gorsuch

some support as they prepare for his confirmation process. but will also bea confirmation process. but will also be a tough battle, as democrats do all they can to obstruct mr trump's agenda. despite president trump's enthusiastic participation, shares in the social networking site twitter have fallen more than 10%, as the company reported its slowest quarterly revenue growth since going public. the president's daily tweets did little to boost users or ad income, as the company reported a loss of a $167 million in the final three months of 2016, which is close to double the amount they lost in the same period a year earlier. this is bbc news at 5pm, the headlines. as we've been reporting, record numbers of patients in england spent longer than the target waiting time in a&e in december. leaked figures suggest january was even worse. calls for the government to reverse

its decision to end a scheme to bring unaccompanied child refugees to the uk. as we've seen, one of donald trump's most controversial cabinet nominees jeff sessions donald trump's most controversial cabinet nomineesjeff sessions has 110w cabinet nomineesjeff sessions has now been sworn in as us attorney general. in sport, mps have passed a vote of no—confidence in the fa. it follows a debate in the commons on the fa's failure to reform itself. elsewhere, the fa's failure to reform itself. elsewh north is included 2 ' that their six. 2 ' that their sign: nations welsh team that their six nations match in cardiff on saturday. dan biggar is also due to start in the side. while england have made two changes, jack clifford is in the tom wood and he now replacesjonny may on the wing. more on those stories just after 5:30pm. president vladimir putin has sent condolences after a russian air strike accidentally killed three turkish soldiers in northern syria. the soldiers were supporting syrian rebels in efforts to capture the city of al—bab from so—called islamic state.

joining us now is our istanbul correspondent mark lowen, do we know what actually happened? what the turkish military says i szfiaisoldiers '” ww” what the turkish military says i refuge in a building in 'r£"" northern when struck. the kremlin was islamic fiat; 7 was islamic fiat; around - was islamic fiat; around the i so—called islamic state around the town of al—bab, which has been held by is and besieged by turkish forces we re by is and besieged by turkish forces were some time, for several weeks. three turkish soldiers died inside the building, and 11 more were injured. vladimir putin has

more terms of ‘ cooperation ‘cooperation in ‘ cooperation in syria. ‘cooperation in syria. what ‘ cooperation in syria. what a ‘ coop a ation in syria. what a ‘ coop a year in syria. what a ‘ coop a year makes. . what a ‘ coop a year makes. it's lat a ‘ coop a year makes. it's just difference a year makes. it's just over a year now since the two countries almost came to a military confrontation, when a russianjet was shot down over turkish airspace in november 20 15. they were backing opposite sides in the syrian war. they have recently, there has recently been a rapprochement between the two as they have pledged to cooperate to drive out the jihadists. i do think today's military accident will derail the ties. that was the point i was going to raise. the response to the incident, we mentioned the fact russia has apologised, how would you characterise the turkish response? turkey said that three of its soldiers had been martyred, that's the word it always uses hair. it expressed its sadness from the military. it has taken quite a big

military. it has taken quite a big military hit in the operation to try to recapture al—bab from is. 70 turkish soldiers have died in the ground offensive to try to recapture al—bab. if that continues, morale amongst turkish soldiers will begin to slip even further. support for the turkish ground offensive could begin to take a hit as well. but is not what the turkish government wa nts. not what the turkish government wants. they are intent to carry on trying to recapture al—bab and push further down into other is territory. clearly it is a fierce and deadly struggle. thank you. an independent report into safety failures that forced several edinburgh schools to close has highlighted a lack of proper scrutiny of the construction work. it's also criticised the council and the partnership which managed the building contracts, as well as the construction company. the city of edinburgh council said lessons would be learned. the problems began injanuary 2016, when a structural wall at 0xgangs primary school collapsed during a storm. 17 schools, including ten primaries, five secondaries and two

additional—needs schools, were shut because of concerns over the standard of construction. around 7,600 pupils were affected by the closures. once the repairs were complete, city of edinburgh council launched an investigation into the standards of construction. 0ur correspondent catriona renton is in edinburgh and has been looking at the report. tell us more about it. it was that brick wall behind us there but part of that came tumbling down, in the high winds in january of that came tumbling down, in the high winds injanuary 2016. today's report has brought a number of conclusions. nine tonnes of masonry fell into that playground. of the the report says, it this was a matter of timing and luck that there we re matter of timing and luck that there were no fatalities or injuries. it

happened at 7am. had it been later, the playground would have been full of young children. fulton were found in the construction of all of the schools. edinburgh council commissioned this 250 page report from john parry. he has considerable experience in the public sector. some of his findings were that he confirmed the collapse of the war was due to poor construction and inadequate supervision. he says it's clear responsibility for the defects in the build lie with the main contractors. he said this wasn't the result of the isolated incompetence ofa result of the isolated incompetence of a rogue subcontractor. edinburgh council has said they will learn lessons. this is its chief executive. there's a number of lessons we are going to take. there are 66 recommendations, we are going to go through each one of those, and see which of those apply to the council as the client. and we can take those onboard immediately, as we are doing with some things already.

so, intrusive inspections and clerk of works, and everything else going forward from the recommendations. but we aren't the only ones. this is going to have to be taken on by quite a large number of organisations going forward, we believe. 0ne one of the things that professor coe highlighted was that there were wide implications for the rest of the uk construction industry. there were four further incidents like this in scotla nd four further incidents like this in scotland in the past five years. 0ther scotland in the past five years. other schools have found faults in their walls. he says ultimately, the merit of a building depends on the tradesmen. there is growing concern about the quality of some of the tradesmen. the enquiry raises significant questions about quality and safety for the construction industry across the uk. thank you for the detail on the report. joining me now from glasgow is larry flanagan, general secretary of the educational institute of scotland, the largest

teaching union in scotland. thanks for coming in. your broad response first of all to the findings? we think it is a very comprehensive report, we had called for that level of enquiry. we are grateful for the comments around the fa ct grateful for the comments around the fact that this could have been a very serious incident. i think we would agree with the report that the lack of supervision around construction is a key element and that has implications across the whole of the industry. because previously, companies were allowed to self regulate and a change in the law allowed for self—regulation. this would seem to suggest that doesn't work very effectively. the point is, as i heard a person mentioned earlier, if this was to do with one group of people or one contractor, or one subcontractor, you might be able to understand what might have happened. but because it

affects far more, it's surely potentially a much bigger issue. absolutely. we actually called for an enquiry not simply into edinburgh but across the country. i think the report suggests it's perhaps beyond the funding model and more applicable to the industry as a whole. i think the funding model is pa rt whole. i think the funding model is part of it. one of the arrangements that they made here is that effectively the building programme is given over to the private sector element of that partnership. we think the council has taken its eye off the ball a bit. they should be much more hands on in terms of supervision of the project. i think there are issues around the funding model. as the report makes clear, there are also issues more broadly across how construction operates, how it is supervised and how we ensure public buildings are safe places. but you're basically saying you think that had these projects

been entirely within the public sector, not tendered out in any way, you think it would minimise the risk of something like this happening? yes, i think if the edinburgh city council had employed the old clerk of works model, where they inspected the projects under supervision, there would be a tighter regime around contract compliance, ensuring the builders were doing but they we re the builders were doing but they were asked to do. that model disappeared when a uk government led change of education allowed companies to self red in it. the level of subcontracting within the construction industry makes that a challenge. i think there needs to be stronger regulation coming from the local authorities, in terms of a clerk of works approach. just pick you up on a point you alluded to earlier, what are your members telling you about any concerns or the level of concern they might have about other buildings? we have asked

councils across the country to review the buildings which were built under similar models. this may be particular to one company. this report seems to suggest they're actually might be more typical of the industry as a whole. and therefore even where some superficial inspections have taken place, we think on the back of the report, across the country councils need to revisit these public—private partnerships, and ensure the buildings are safe for students and teachers. thank you. that was the chief executive of the chief teaching union in scotland. we will have the headlines in a moment and catch up with the dane's sport. there will be rugby news. —— catch up there will be rugby news. —— catch up with the daily‘s sport. here is the weather. it has felt

cold out there. a blanket of clouds with the exception perhaps of north—west scotland and south—west wales and cornwall. the overall emphasis is with this cloudy theme to continue into the big end. the easterly breeze, showers overnight tonight. —— continue into the weekend. it will be a cold, light frosty start to tomorrow and a few icy stretches. they will be a risk through the day. further north and west, some brightness, but scotland and northern ireland are the favourite spots for any sunshine, but that will be particularly warm. a pretty great but dry weekend awaits for most, a light dusting of snow in eastern alias for saturday. this is bbc news.

the headlines. record numbers of patients spent more than four hours in a&e in england injanuary according to figures leaked to the bbc — making it the worst performing month in the past 13 years. calls for the government to reverse its decision to end a scheme to bring unaccompanied child refugees to the uk. one of donald trump's most controversial cabinet nominees, jeff sessions, has now been sworn in as us attorney general. a report into safety failures which forced 17 edinburgh schools to close criticises the council for a lack of scrutiny over construction work. then the last 30 minutes the fa has

received a vote of no—confidence from mps. ministers are getting involved because as tory mp damian collins bridget, turkeys will not fought for christmas, and will not reform itself. the chair of the culture, media and sport committee said it should introduce legislation next season if it is not successful in getting the fa to reform itself. jc approach has described the move as premature. the roof will be opened for the big six nations kick off between england and wales on saturday. that suits england who asked for that to be the case today. there has been positive team news from the welsh camp as they look to end england's winning run. another training session for england

as they look to stretch this winning run in cardiff at the weekend. another change in force in their starting line—up. the third comes to starting line—up. the third comes to start in the back row. that area is where england castle inexperience in comparison to wales. 0ut comparison to wales. out on the wing jeff noel will start the match and he and geoff clifford are expected to bring width and peace. the coach said england should not be daunted by that special cardiff atmosphere where england must indeed expect the unexpected. we are prepared for any shenanigans that might go on. we are looking forward to it. it is a great opportunity. we are disappointed to be played against france last week. it is a great agility to play of the great stadiums of the world. what other shenanigans you are prepared for? i do not go. they have got courts,

they have got daffodils. who knows? canning? well england change in the 0pen air today canning? well england change in the 0pen airtoday and canning? well england change in the 0pen air today and that is how the game will be played on saturday. eddiejones decided game will be played on saturday. eddie jones decided he game will be played on saturday. eddiejones decided he wanted the stadium roof opened in cardiff. that says rate, but not what wanted. george north has been named in the wales tea m george north has been named in the wales team for that match in cardiff. the side are hoping, that both he and fly half dan biggar, will be fully fit. north, picked up a leg injury in wales' win over italy. although he did carry on playing, while biggar couldn't complete the game, due to a rib problem. coach rob howley has made two changes. prop rob evans, and tomas francis, take over from nicky smith and samson lee. but he'll have to wait and see if both north and biggar will be ready in time. we have tried to prepare as best as we can. those two players will be given every opportunity to be fit.

they are too experienced players, they are imported players for us. george in the wide channels and down, for his experience and leadership. we will give them every opportunity to be fit. great britain, have beaten latvia, to make it two wins out of two, in their fed cup, round robin group. both heather watson and johanna konta, won their singles matches in straight sets. so britain had an unbeatable, 2— 0 lead, heading into the doubles rubber which they've also won. the final pool c fixture, is against turkey tomorrow. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in sportsday at half past 6. let's get more now on the safety failures that forced several edinburgh schools to close. an independent report has highlighted a lack of proper scrutiny of the construction work

and criticised the council and the partnership which managed the building contracts, as well as the construction company. the city of edinburgh council said lessons would be learned. there were dozens of recommendations and council leader said they would work their way through those recommendations. joining me now from edinburgh is msp kevin stewart, the ministerfor housing and local government. what is the most worrying part of this report? this is an extremely concerning report. ispoke this report? this is an extremely concerning report. i spoke to the chief executive of the city of edinburgh council last night to get stu d e nts edinburgh council last night to get students that the children in these 17 schools are safe. i got that assurance from home last night. my overriding concern is to make sure that safety is absolutely paramount. 0ne that safety is absolutely paramount. one of the issues raised, as you know better than anyone, is that under this funding pattern there are other buildings that are produced.

what are your concerns about safety across the board here? when this came to light, the scottish futures trust, in partnership with other public bodies took part in testing in other buildings that were designed similarly, and at the same time, to make sure that they were absolutely safe. this afternoon i have written to every local authority in scotland to remain them of their duties when it comes to building standards and safety. to highlight the findings of this report. and to ensure that they carry out their duties to make sure that buildings are completely and utterly safe. what would you say to pa rents utterly safe. what would you say to parents watching who would be understandably concerned about safety in schools where they accou nts safety in schools where they accounts may be, about buildings which were built within this framework, because people seem to be

focusing on the funding framework for these buildings? what is your message to parents? my message is this. but government has just recently caught sight of that report, however we to action as soon as the edinburgh situation came to light. we will look very closely at all of the recommendations of the report. these buildings were built under the previous building standards regime. when the snp took power in 2007 we looked closely at building standards, which led to a new act in 2009, which is much more robust. the issues that i have that concerns me most about the report are issues of noncompliance. whether that be from the construction industry, orfrom

that be from the construction industry, or from the council building standards department. i wa nt to building standards department. i want to make sure that councils and other public bodies across the country make sure that any project is compliant with every aspect of building standards legislation. because the pointers, minister, as you know, parents might take a very different view. this was to do with one set of workers, one company, one subcontractor, that would be understandable, but because it is not, because it is a major problem, that despite concerns are far more acute. as i said at the very beginning, for me safety is absolutely paramount. that is why we took action when the edinburgh situation came to light. the report obviously has gone into further debt. there are recommendations and that report that we need to look at very closely. people within government buildings standards division who are very professional will go through the port with a fine

tooth comb and we will take any action that we need to, to ensure the safety and security of people. beyond that there are duties which fall to local government and to other public bodies, and that is one of the reasons why i have written to all of them to make sure that they have carried out all of the necessary checks, to make sure that their buildings are safe. do you accept, just a final point, do you accept, just a final point, do you accept a point made earlier to us on this programme that had these buildings built under the old—fashioned system, buildings built under the old —fashioned system, where buildings built under the old—fashioned system, where you had a clerk of works, and the local authority has more ownership of the building process, that this would not have happened at all? what i would say is, that there should have been far more mandatory checking during the course of that construction work in edinburgh. the contract between the city of

edinburgh council, the edinburgh schools partnership, and the construction companies, is something that i have not seen, but what i would expect from such a contract is for there to be a huge amount of mandatory checking as work progresses. it seems from the report that that was not the case when these schools where belts. i would urge everyone to ensure that contracts are written in such a way to ensure that that mad today checking takes place, and that eve ryo ne checking takes place, and that everyone complies with the regulation that is their —— to ensure that that mandatory checking ta kes ensure that that mandatory checking takes place. across the bbc this week we've been looking at the pressures the nhs is under. we've met rural gps working long hours, seen how cuts are affecting mental health provision, and investigated alternative ways to fund the service. today for our nhs health check we follow a day in the life

of kathryn carruthers, a matron at a busy emergency care unit in north london. it is chock—a—block. all those patients you can see are waiting, and there is probably more patients, more patients here, and more patients all down the corridor here. everybody is trying, but sometimes trying isn't enough, and you feel that everything is gridlocked, and that can be very frustrating. my name is kathryn carruthers. i'm the matron for ambulatory emergency care here at northwick park hospital. we're part of the emergency division. we try to see patients that need urgent care, and get treatment without the requirement for admission. a&e have already rung this morning to see if we can take some patients that have been down there for quite some time.

we're at 100%. staffing is a huge challenge. we don't always have the number of staff that we would like. ok, so we'll go to ed. it is busy. lots of staff, and patients on trolleys, and relatives, who look fed up. they have been waiting, you can tell. good morning. i'm kathy, i'm the matron. i know you have been here for a very long time. for me, currently, this is probably the worst i have seen the nhs. when it is completely relentless, i think you do drain staff. got a real problem, actually. there is a woman who hasjust moved, and she has a bowel obstruction, and she's been here all night in a chair.

it is absolutely full, and nowhere to examine patients. which is not the hospital's fault, it does its absolute best. mayhem in there. sorry, do you mind if i take this call? hi, colin. two orthopaedic patients, a chap in a chair. i had to wait, and wait and wait. oh, well. looks like i'm moving now. you are not allergic to any medicine? it is almost the end of the day. my department ticked along quite nicely. i don't think it is sustainable to continue this amount of pressure. i am off training. i'm at an athletic club, before going home and seeing to the rest of the family. and then back to do it all again. back to do it all again tomorrow. that day in the life of a matron in a busy north london hospital. these

are the headlines. record numbers of patients in england have spent longer than the target time. it suggests january could be the worst month in 13 yea rs. calls for the government to reverse its decision to end a scheme to bring an unaccompanied child refugees to the country. 0ne refugees to the country. one of donald trump's most controversial nominees, jeff sessions, has now been sworn in as us attorney general. downing street has played down suggestions that the house of lords could be a bolshevik does not back the bill to trigger article 50 —— that the house of lords could be abolished if it does not back the bill.

a resounding victory for the government as mps voted overwhelmingly for it to begin the brexit negotiations. snp mps struck a defiant note singing the eu anthem, ode to joy. a defiant note singing the eu anthem, ode tojoy. but the bill no passes unscathed to the house of lords. downing street has played down an earlier suggestion that could be calls for the abolition of the lords if peers try to frustrate the lords if peers try to frustrate the legislation, but they are facing tough warnings. the message was clear and tough warnings. the message was clearand an tough warnings. the message was clear and an ambiguous, the british people want us to leave the eu, and they want us to get on that. but the lords, who are unelected, try to subvert or distorts the outcome of that referendum, that would be constitutional even a difficult place. but ministers accept that the lords do have a role to play, and opposition peers have said they will try to make changes to the bill.

it has always been clear from the labour group it has always been clear from the labourgroup in the it has always been clear from the labour group in the house of lords we are not going to block, we are not going to react, but we are not going to be intimidated into not debating and looking at it in the normal way as we do every other bill. last night's fought exposed the deep divisions in the labour party. more than 50 labour party mps defied the leader's instructions and voted against the bill. jeremy corbyn now has to find replacements forfour corbyn now has to find replacements for four shadow corbyn now has to find replacements forfour shadow cabinet corbyn now has to find replacements for four shadow cabinet ministers who resigned and decide what, if any, action to take against more who resigned and decide what, if any, at jfiifif' take against more yes, 5 his yes, 22-52 is is yes, é is a leadership. yes, there is a difference of opinion from mps who represent strongly remain constituencies and felt they should present their constituents. i understand that, however it was a national referendum, and a national decision, and a national results. theresa may has been meeting the

italian prime minister. she is hoping to get parliament's approval to start formal brexit negotiations with eu leaders by the end of march. then the tough talking will really begin. as we know, the brexit process and the vote in the house of commons this week has caused more division in labour ranks. where does that leave jeremy corbyn? in labour ranks. where does that leavejeremy corbyn? he has had to fill some morejobs. the list has just come out. let us join our chief article correspondent. what has he done? this is generally corbyn's forced to reshuffle, quite astonishing, injust 18 months. he has had 32 shadow cabinet resignations or sackings, and 35 shadow ministerial resignations. he has acted quickly to replace the three from the shadow cabinet who resigned in protest. they did not wa nt to resigned in protest. they did not want to follow his order to vote in favour of article 50. he has done a

bit of reshuffling. he has moved rebecca long bailey to fill clive lewis's position in business. christina rees will be shadow secretary of state for wales, peter dowd will be shadow chief secretary to the treasury. he would've been keen to keep the ratio of 50% of the shadow cabinet being female, it looks like he has probably done that, but he still has this issue of other frontbenchers, not that, but he still has this issue of otherfrontbenchers, not shadow cabinet figures, but others who did stand down in order to vote on a different way to the way that he had ordered. he still has to fill those posts. what we do not know, but it does seem likely, is that the other shoe disobeyed him, under normal circumstances they would have

been sacked, it seems that they may been sacked, it seems that they may be able to stay in place, but that includes three party whips. these are the people who enforce what the leader wants. they tell other mps who to vote. 0n leader wants. they tell other mps who to vote. on this occasion three of them actually defied their own three line whip. but the extraordinary events really. it has been a difficult time forjeremy corbyn. he showed leadership by saying that he felt the party had to respect the referendum result and not block or frustrate or delay the triggering of article 50 in any way. but it has caused him a lot of problems. thank you for the update, and the latest from jeremy corbyn's office. president trump is continuing to defend his travel ban, tweeting polling results suggesting it's one of his most popular policies so far. he made immigration one of his key campaign promises, and one of the areas where mr trump gained particular support was the western state of montana. aleem maqbool has been there to find out what people make of the president's first few weeks. i believe that what we've seen with our president is a phenomenal performance so far. this is a man who couldn't be

happier he voted for donald trump. he is heavily involved in local politics and he is a preacher. his christian compassion though does not extend to those he feels are a threat to his way of life. there you go, kids. keep you warm. if they come among us and then try to enact something, say sharia law... who is trying to do that? if groups of radical islamic people begin to show up who will eventually attempt to harm our women, those militant people need to understand that the woman of montana are armed. hollis says those who are protesting against donald trump's immigration policies do not represent the real america. this is a local rally in support of refugees. not a bad turn out for a weekday lunchtime in the snow

perhaps. but these are certainly not the loudest voices on this issue in montana right now. the state has one of the most high—profile anti—democrat campaigns and before the elections and one of the biggest anti—refugee protests in the country. the anger for many is directed mainly at muslims. something local politicians are tapping into, some would say even fuelling. after days of debate the state senate has just passed a bill to say sharia law cannot be applied in montana. send them. after more than four years of vetting they landed in montana. nervous, shy about talking on camera, adjusting to a different world, and into a storm of anti—immigrant sentiment.

what is striking in montana is all the focus on immigration is happening in an entire state the size of germany, with a population ofjust1 million, where fewer than 20 refugee families have been resettled since the mid—905. but as far as many here and across america an australian man has survived after spending hours struggling to keep his head and nose above water after his digger toppled into a dam. daniel miller had been using the excavator at his remote farm north of sydney, when the rim gave way, and he was pinned down by the three—tonne machine. he said he adopted a yoga pose and spent the whole time thinking

about his wife and two young children, until a neighbour heard his shouts. i went to a very rational place. i thought, i could just give up, there's no way, not letting my daughter... thinking about how they're going to find me face down in a dam, dead, that wasn't going to happen. not without a fight. then i went to a very almost robotic state ofjust count to 60. don't think about six hours, think about 60 seconds. but the yoga pose, he did not quite explain that. let me remind you that

tomorrow we will be looking at the film releases in the film review. and we will have bbc news at six in a few minutes. here is the weather. if you are heading off to wales this weekend, perhaps to watch the six nations cup, you really would have liked this kind of weather. this was yesterday, with some warmth and a window of sunshine. 0n the north—east it was a bitterly cold day and that is the story for today. the cloud has drifted further west and that means it has been disappointing widely across the country. across parts of east anglia and norfolk temperatures are sitting at around one celsius through the afternoon. that cold theme continues overnight. showers coming in off north sea. there could be sweet and

store mixed in there. temperatures will fall away in rural spots, just above a as m if of i and cornwall 7 n n 7 7 n of i and cornwalland n 7 7 n northern 2&2 might 71,1447; 7,7 on to cling on to some sunshine. do not warm :—,:st =:i 5:21.3-22151 i? 3c: across ' ’ tuned = suffolk, =::l’%"% it 77" t" 7777" m” tuned = suffolk, be? it will ’" "w" w” suffolk, lincolnshire, where it will 54:77:77— suffolk, lincolnshire, where it will fie bitterly cold, and still a steer bitterly cold, and still a scattering of showers. northern ireland, much of scotland, looks likely to be dry and sunny. not particularly warm. the risk of showers across the northern isles. as we go through the night with clear skies temperatures are likely to fall away, as low as —10 celsius, at the same time more enhanced showers pushing and of the north sea. that could lead to school

cumulus is at higher ground, maybe even a light dusting at law levels. —— this could lead to snore accumulating at higher ground. cloudy and grey, we do it all again on sunday. perhaps the risk of showers eases on sunday. but there is a glimmer of something coming to change the story. what this area of low pressure it will squeeze the ice bash together, winds will strengthen, but the winds are likely to push up from a south easterly direction, so hopefully something a little milder next week is, we have planned more this winter than ever before and that planning has worked in most places. most hospitals have managed to cope but, some places are under intense pressure. we'll be looking at the difficulties in a&e here and how they do things in the german health service.

also tonight: the government denies abandoning the vulnerable after it stops a scheme allowing unaccompanied children into the uk. i don't really want to keep complaining because he might end up going to me, "if you keep complaining, out you go". claims a new law to stop so—called revenge evictions by private landlords isn't working. no career bounce for a generation of young men —