today at six: the impact of coronavirus in care homes — new estimates of the number of residents who've died. the care watchdog says deaths in england may have doubled in just five days. it is a vulnerable part of our community, if you like, and we are targeting all of our efforts to make sure that we protect and safeguard as best we can the most vulnerable in our society. 78—year—old christine mullin was in a care home when she was infected with coronavirus and died in hospital. her dauighter remembers a life well lived. she loved seeing her grandchildren, she loved going out for meals out. you know, she was looking forward to... like, mother's day, we were going to take her down to rochdale to see family.

also tonight... parliament is back in business. but not as we've known it. mps made their contributions online — putting ministers under pressure over testing and protective equipment. leading cancer experts say thousands of patients are missing out on treatment. the number of urgent referrals is down by three quarters. the show must go on — but did sporting gatherings like cheltenham lead to a spike in infections? we'll look at the evidence. it doesn't look particularly professional, but at least i know it's protecting me, and it's the best i can do. the gp who's taken to wearing overalls — how the coronavirus has changed the way she's looking after her patients. and coming up on bbc news: snooker‘s world championship makes plans to go ahead injuly, but will fans be allowed into the crucible?

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. we're getting a clearer picture today of the scale of the impact of coronavirus on care homes across the uk. the office for national statistics and the care quality commission will publish exact figures next week, but here's what we know so far. just over a thousand residents had died in care homes up to the 10th of april. but in the five days after that, the regulator believes the total could have doubled — up to 2,000 in england alone. the picture in scotland is clearer — it's been confirmed that 651 people died in care homes last week.

now, away from care homes, more than 18,000 patients have died from the coronavirus in hospitals — that's a jump of 763. our first report tonight is from our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. ca re care home by care home, we have been told of many lives lost in recent weeks. from the 0aklands nursing home in hove to kassel toy in milton keynes, and on to st ives lodge on the outskirts of london. 0fficial figures have lagged behind this reality. today's announcement suggesting a doubling of deaths in england in five days underlines the pace of what has been happening. it adds urgency to the ongoing calls for more help and more protective equipment. we need to get the testing across the board in social ca re testing across the board in social care facilities across the country. and we need to be pursuing the preventative agenda with much more vigour than we have been. the care

regulator in england has altered the way it collects information about people who have died in residential and nursing homes. since april the 10th, it has asked if the death is linked to confirmed or suspected coronavirus. its preliminary findings suggest about 1,000 people could have died in homes in five days. she was lovely, my mum. she was, she had the start of dementia, but she wasn't severely disabled with that. christine mullin was moved from her care home to hospital where she died. her death will be reflected in nhs figures. but for herfamily, like reflected in nhs figures. but for her family, like many reflected in nhs figures. but for herfamily, like many others, the central question is whether vulnerable residents have been well enough protected. i think the elderly people obviously from the beginning were said to be the most vulnerable cohort of people with this virus. and they should have been focused on immediately as a priority for prevention of the spread of the virus and protection.

in scotland, it is estimated a third of covid deaths are in care homes. the first minister insist that is not inevitable. and england, the government says it is doing all it can to protect people. in a virus that targets the elderly and the vulnerable, do you see that as inevitable? no, i don't think anything is inevitable. we are fighting tooth and nail, driving every sinew to make sure we minimise the life lost in all context. we are conscious that there is a challenge with care homes, i have said that in my earlier remarks, but we are doing everything we can, the situation is improving, we are getting the ppe to those places that need it. care staff who are still struggling to get the protective equipment and testing they need will want ongoing reassurance that those premises will be fulfilled. alisonjoins me now. he raised the question yourself, are these most vulnerable people being looked after as well as they can, what are the figures tell us?” think the figures are if you like

catching up with what we have been hearing daily in terms of the nhs. 0ne hearing daily in terms of the nhs. one of the problems throughout this in terms of getting a sense of what is happening in care homes is that the figures, there has been nearly a two week time lag in official statistics. ctc‘s figures, which are preliminary at this stage, we will them published fully next week, they are an attempt to get much more up—to—date findings and they show the speed at which the coronavirus appears to be going through care homes. —— cqc. probably at the same rate that was happening in the community at the time, but we have not been able to measure that properly before or there has been a time lag. certainly as far as those in the care sector are concerned, we have been slow to actually get the support they feel that, slow to get the support and the protective equipment, the testing, the recognition that has perhaps been given elsewhere in terms of what is going on. so, they want to see much

more of a priority on what is happening in the care sector. alison, thank you very much. health experts are warning that thousands of cancer cases are being missed each week due to the impact of covid—19 on nhs services. cancer research uk says referrals for urgent hospital appointments or checks have fallen by 75% in england, and they warn that around 200,000 people per week across the uk are no longer being screened for bowel, breast and cervical cancer. this report from our health correspondent, lauren moss. taking part in a fundraising video for charity. mum of two laura fla herty for charity. mum of two laura flaherty from wigan has been clear of cervical cancerfor flaherty from wigan has been clear of cervical cancer for four years and hopes every day that it will never return. she was diagnosed following a routine screening when she was just 29 and had to have a hysterectomy. i said, i can't die,

i've got two children. they were two and six, and ijust kept thinking, they won't remember me. laura was due herfirst they won't remember me. laura was due her first annual screening this month to check that she is still free of cancer, but it has been postponed. how long could you be waiting for your next screening?” don't know. you start thinking, what about khmer if it is there? it takes about khmer if it is there? it takes about 12 months to go because i haven't been checked in 12 months and now i don't know when i will be seen. “— and now i don't know when i will be seen. —— what about if it is there? doctors are concerned this could lead to thousands of cancer patients being missed. the consequences are really quite severe, most of the model is working on this across the uk show the excess of deaths is going to be way greater than we are going to be way greater than we are going to be way greater than we are going to seat with covid—19. and you have to remember as well, we are often dealing with a patient cohort which is much younger. cancer research uk says it will take a monumental effort to get screening and diagnostic services back to

normal and the charity is calling for more clinics to be set up away from covid—19 patients. and anyone who is concerned about possible cancer symptoms is still really urged to contact their gp. breast, bell and cervical screening programmes had been paused in northern ireland, wales and scotland. nhs england is advising urgent treatment continues, but there are some delays. max in reading was diagnosed with skin cancer after a mole was removed. further surgery and investigation she was due to have suspended and she was due to have suspended and she is now considering paying to haveit she is now considering paying to have it done privately. it's not just skin cancer, it can kill you. so to be not able to have the treatment i feel i should be getting, i didn't really have any choice but to do something else about that. but, yes, it is scary. the government insist the nhs is still open for non—boston macro care. it is hoped patients missing out now won't become the unintended

casualties of the virus —— non—covert care. lauren moss, bbc news. the government has promised 100,000 tests a day for covid—19 will be carried out by the end of the month. at the moment, around 40,000 tests a day are available but only half that number — almost 23,000 — are being carried out. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth, has been speaking to carers across the country about the challenges they face in getting a test. inside the country's closed off care homes, it is a fight to keep the virus from the most vulnerable. testing is key, knowing who has got it to stop the spread, keep people safe. ca re workers it to stop the spread, keep people safe. care workers can now get tested, but staff at this home in bath have been told they would have to travel to worcester, three hour round trip. if you are suffering from signs of covid—19, you are basically going to be made to drive halfway up the country. many care where like and don't drive at all. it would be impossible for me. you

can get to worcester? no, not at all at the moment. the manager says he needs to know if staff can safely work. they are front-line staff, they need to be protected. yes, we can get stuff tested, but to test them, we have to drive 80 miles each way to get to the nearest test centre, which is not practical. across the country, similar cases. ca re across the country, similar cases. care is directed to test sites miles away. 20 seven drive—through centres are open with more due soon, but some seem quiet, hard to reach without a car. some days, less than half the number of tests on offer are actually being carried out. health secretary was asked again today about more local provision.” am really pleased we have managed to out this testing to staff in care homes. he is absolutely right that that can helpfully be done to immobile units and to be the home testing kits that are increasingly available. especially for care homes that are not close to one of the drive—through centres. that are not close to one of the drive-through centres. care providers welcome efforts to

increase testing, but they warned those given care at home can't be forgotten, concerned carers are self—isolating without being tested. 0nly self—isolating without being tested. only a handful of care workers in each district, each local authority area, have had the opportunity for tests. some of them have had to travel quite substantial distances. take aimee, his daughter started showing symptoms last week. as a home care worker, she needed to know if it was the virus, but was told she would have to travel more than 250 miles from cumbria to stansted airport because her daughter is under 18. it is airport because her daughter is under18. it is not airport because her daughter is under 18. it is not appropriate to ta ke under 18. it is not appropriate to take a sick child who is possibly infected with coronavirus halfway across the country. and it is clearly against government guidance on reducing movement and virus spread. after social media storm, a local hospital stepped in to offer a new‘s daughter test. she is waiting for the result. the government says it is working to make sure everyone across the country can get one, but

so far, provision is patchy. care welcome the fact more tests are available, but say they must get access to them. alex forsyth, bbc news. the new labour leader, sir keir starmer, has used his first prime minister's questions to strongly criticise the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. the house of commons chamber was sparsely populated for its first virtual session, with more than 100 mps taking part online. sir keir told dominic raab — deputising for the prime minster — that the government had failed to deliver the number of coronavirus tests required, and had not provided enough personal protective equipment for health workers. 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, has the story. time for the serious business of prime minister's questions. but not quite as you know it. not borisjohnson, but dominic raab leaving number 10. the usual hour, but not the usual look of the green benches. order! order. i'd like to welcome everyone, both membersjoining us remotely

from their constituencies up and down the uk, and members here in the chamber. and a new opposition leader in position for the very first time. with question after question on the government's handling of the coronavirus, kit for medics, the number of tests and the pace of the response. there's a pattern emerging here. we were slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on protective equipment, and now slow to take up these offers from british firms. the prime minister has said this is a national effort, and he's right about that. so, in that spirit, can i ask the first minister to commit to working with the opposition, to identify and take up these offers from british manufacturers? i don't accept his premise that we've been slow. we have been guided by the scientific advice, the chief scientific adviser, the chief medical officer, at every step along this way. if he thinks he knows better than they do, with the benefit of hindsight,

then that's his decision, but that is not the way we have proceeded, and it's not the way we will in the future. with mps also keeping their distance, plenty of them, like plenty of us, were working from home. we've just started the session. i can hear the speaker speaking. balancing tablets on trainers for a decent shot. crossing theirfingers, hoping the technology would work. looking forward to making history. very excited and, to be honest, probably a little bit nervous, too. it did, mostly... i hope the secretary of state can make the most of that question, the line did go down. this virtual parliament grappling with a crisis that's all too real. the government's taken some huge decisions on all our behalf during this crisis and, in the main in there, there was broad support for most of the dramatic measures. but on some vital specifics, the opposition's impatience is starting to show. parliament had been away for a few

weeks and its absence mattered. now it's back and the political pressure will rise too. not least on the man in charge of the health system. matt hancock, happy to pose for a pat outside number 10. far too soon for any final verdict, but tough judgments, day by day. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. so, as we've just heard, the government remains under pressure over the supply of personal protective equipment for health and careworkers in england. an raf plane carrying protective gear from turkey arrived here overnight, but ministers say there's a global shortage. more than 8,000 businesses have responded to an appeal to manufacture products locally, but the government says not all those offers can be taken up. here's our health editor, hugh pym. personal protective equipment for health and care workers is in great demand around the world, with a massive increase in what health systems require because of the pandemic. and the nhs is no different. there's been a rush to secure supplies, and there have been reports of shortages.

some gp practices say they aren't getting adequate supplies through official channels. unfortunately we did run out of these completely in the last couple of days so i had to go out and buy some of those... gps here feel especially vulnerable because they run a coronavirus assessment centre. it's just quite terrifying, because it's notjust a risk to yourself — it's a risk to everyone around you, and we all know the bad effects that covid can carry, so it'sjust scary, it's almost like you feel like you didn't really sign up for this. some hospitals have adequate quantities of ppe, but others say they're down to only a few days' worth of supplies. and staff say the uncertainty can be unnerving. another added stress is the lack of a sort of honesty and transparency, and i think it is very difficult to be going to work and being asked to see a patient without adequate ppe, and then to be hearing, you know, that there is adequate ppe. i don't think that's the situation we want to be in. one trust in lincolnshire revealed

just how much ppe they get through. at three main hospitals they use almost 73,000 items each day. things like surgical masks, gloves and gowns. based on the trust's size and the number of coronavirus patients it's dealing with, bbc analysis suggests the total daily usage at english hospitals would be in a range of 10—16 million items per day. the government says around 1a million units have been distributed daily in recent weeks in england. since the virus threat became clear, the uk authorities have struggled to find enough supplies overseas, and experts say there's a lesson there. we relied on being able to buy all these things from low—cost countries, low—cost sourcing countries, like china, on the assumption that they would always be available. so we've lost our domestic industry in many areas that are really important for government, for different parts of the government. companies like this one in yorkshire are keen to help. it has started making more

than 10,000 face shields each day. it has applied to local hospitals but has had no firm commitment yet from the government. we'd really like to help the nhs first, obviously — it's our country, isn't it, and we need to all help? but with the amount of money that the company's spent so far it might have to come that we will supply to the us. ministers say thousands of offers from companies are being assessed and ensuring that the right equipment is provided is the priority. hugh joins me now. hugh, every day we get these charts from the experts. if you take them all together cumulatively, what sort of trends can we say? a lot of discussion about the peak. matt hancock the health secretary today said he was pretty confident we are at the peak. let's look at a chart of uk hospital deaths in the uk,

reported each day. we haven't looked at this before. it was shown at the briefing earlier. it goes with the idea that the peak may have been reached ten days or so ago, the conclusion of a chart showing yesterday for deaths in england. chris whitty, the chief medical adviser, doesn't want to go there i think. he says it is simply flattening off after a steep upward climb. what about the international comparison? there was a chart again on that. this time, they used what they call a seven day rolling average to eliminate fluctuations day by day. this is taken from the 50th death in each country. you can see the uk is a bit behind france, but on the same sort of path, but ahead of sweden and germany. the point chris whitty made was you can get towards a peak, but then it ta kes get towards a peak, but then it takes quite a lot of time to come down. they are all looking pretty flat, so don't expect any sharp downward move. he then went on to say, just in the last 20 minutes or

so, that on social distancing he didn't expect any lifting of that being possible at least until the end of this year, because as he said it was a vaccine or new drugs that would ultimately be the way out of this. like that all right, hugh, thanks very much. —— this. like that all right, hugh, thanks very much. -- 0k, all right, hugh. thank you very much. charities representing victims of domestic abuse say they're concerned that people are unable to seek the help they need because they're sharing lockdown with violent and controlling partners. west midlands police has made 400 arrests for domestic abuse in the past fortnight, but officers fear more crimes may be going unreported. our correspondent phil mackie has been following a team of specialist police officers who are trying to deal with the problem. it's first thing in the morning in birmingham, and a team dedicated to dealing with domestic abuse are following up a 999 call. so he's wanted for three assaults on his partner and his two children. it's a very nasty assault, very high risk, and it's owed to the victims to get this person in custody. the people in the house say they don't know where the man

is and have warned the police not to come in. could you open the door? he's telling us that he's got symptoms of coronavirus and doesn't want us in the house. that's not going to stop us. we still need to go in. this could be a family member that's holding or looking after the guy that we want. no, we're coming in. no, no, we are coming in. go and stand by the fireplace for me. screaming the man they want to arrest is hiding in the bathroom. open it or else we'll kick it in! stay where you are, stay where you are! stay there. officer and taser. oh, no, my shoes... he's been arrested and is being taken away to be interviewed. jamie was the victim of a violent and abusive partner and now helps others like her. lockdown makes it even harder to get help. so, so frightening. you can't get access — it's very difficult to get access to people.

you're constantly monitored, under surveillance. everything is being checked. and to try and find somewhere where you can make a call would be extremely difficult. in birmingham alone, they're making up to 30 arrests every day in connection with cases of domestic abuse. well, this man is alleged to have been in breach of a restraining order. his ex—partner has told the police that he's been sending her offensive messages and threatening pictures over the last couple of days, so it's another arrest for somebody who is involved potentially in domestic abuse. even for those trapped with an abusive partner, there is a way to get help. dial 999 then type the number five twice and the police will be alerted. phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham.

in the days before the lockdown was imposed there was already an argument about whether large gatherings — like sporting fixtures — should go ahead. now the metro mayor for liverpool says the match at anfield against atletico madrid on march 11th, which saw thousands travel from virus—hit spain, should not have gone ahead. and he has called for an independent inquiry. there have been at least 1,200 people infected with coronavirus in liverpool. here's our sports editor, dan roan. despite celebrations, it's a day now viewed with controversy. with their city already a coronavirus hotspot and their country in partial lockdown, some 3000 atletico madrid fa ns lockdown, some 3000 atletico madrid fans arrived in liverpool last month. it is now thought the fixture may be linked to the surge of cases seen here. if people have contracted coronavirus is a direct result of a sporting event that took place that we believe shouldn't have taken place, well, that is scandalous and they should be some sort of inquiry into this to find out whether some

of those infections are due directly to the atletico fans who came into the city for the game at anfield. among the liverpool fans there that night was one who felt slightly unwell. without obvious symptoms he had medical advice to carry on as normal, but in the days that followed ben johnson normal, but in the days that followed benjohnson is convinced he took the disease into unfilled.” would be amazed if i hadn't passed it on to people, amazed. there is no way of knowing and it is not a nice feeling to be thinking about. i probably did pass it on. it was obvious it shouldn't have gone ahead andi obvious it shouldn't have gone ahead and i think it was negligent it went ahead. just two days after that match at anfield the premier league season was suspended but the government because my wisdom in allowing another major sports event that same week to take place has also come under intense scrutiny. 250,000 racing fans attended the cheltenham festival. they have been calls for an inquiry there into

potential links with rising cases locally, but today the government defended its stance. the advice we we re defended its stance. the advice we were given was to act consistently. it might be appropriate at a point in the progress of disease to ban all those sort of activities, and indeed that is what we did, but there wasn't a case for singling out mass gatherings from those other things. nobody yet knows what role such events played in the pandemic, but with no obvious sign of when sport might restart, the focus will continue on whether it was too slow to stop. dan rowan, bbc news. —— dan roan. the nhs is testing a smartphone app that could prove vital in helping the uk emerge from lockdown on an raf base in yorkshire. the bbc has had exclusive access to the first test of a contact tracing app designed to let people know if they've been in contact with someone infected with the virus. but critics are warning

that there will be practical privacy issues to be sorted out before the app can be released and questions remain around whether the technology can live up to its promise. here's our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones: millions of people are desperate for a return to normality. could technology provide a route out of the lockdown? at this raf base in north yorkshire, they're giving test to an nhs app designed to trace anyone who's been in contact with an infected person. you canjust you can just go you canjust go into your phone, you have the button, check symptoms... the app uses the bluetooth connection on the phone to find out who you have the meeting. this is how it works, in theory at least. once installed, every time you come into co nta ct once installed, every time you come into contact with someone else who has the app your phones record that fa ct. has the app your phones record that fact. if you tell the app you have symptoms of the virus to telephone mys of everyone you've been in contact with over the previous seven days get an alert telling their owners they need to self—isolate. as the base is also practising social distancing, this early test is a little artificial, but scientists advising the nhs say if it

eventually works it could make a big difference. this could all help in the easing of restrictions, letting us the easing of restrictions, letting us get out of their houses, block, and it is a big but, more than half of the population needs to download the app if it is to really work well, and that is probably about 80% of all smartphone users. that is a high hurdle. singapore had a similar contact tracing app but only around 20% of the population used it and now after a surge in new cases of the virus it is back on lockdown. critics say the nhs has to confront a host of issues, notjust about whether the app will work but its privacy implications. should employers be allowed to require their employees to download the app isa their employees to download the app is a condition for returning to work? 0r is a condition for returning to work? or should delivery services be allowed to require customers to download the app before a delivery driver will attend the house? getting back to normal life may also involve employing people as well as

an app to do contact tracing, and the technology still needs more testing before it is ready to play its part. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. now, as you've probably seen, we're following the daily lives of those on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus through video diaries. here, gp dr gail allsopp shares the details of her week with our health correspondent catherine burns. coronavirus has changed working life in so many ways for gp dr gail allsopp — even down to her footwear. she used to wear shoes like this for work. now, they're more like this. i used to meticulously get dressed, choose carefully what i wore, do my hair, put my make—up on — and now i don't. now i want as little of my hair exposed at all, so i scrape it back. there is still the school—run to do. gail says it's now one of the hardest parts of her day. the other children are safe at home with their parents who are working from home, and because of myjob i am unable to keep him as safe as i would like to. an empty waiting room, but she still got a full list of patients. this is my new way of working

in general practice at the moment. video call, something we've never done before. she's tried, and failed, to get hold of medical scrubs — so she's improvised, buying a pair of overalls. it isn't particularly professional, but at least i know it's protecting me and it's the best i can do. gail has brought this patient in for tests. she's been ill for several weeks with suspected coronavirus and is still struggling for breath. she's young and fit. she is not unwell enough to go to hospital, but she does need more tests. one of the things that's really important is that we are still here in primary care for non—covid related things, and we have had someone this morning who has a problem with her lower abdomen. it's essential that we see her to make sure that we are not