the head of nhs england calls on the government to put in place plans to adequately fund the social care system within a year. after at least two decades of talking about it, we do not have a fair and properly resourced adult social care system with a proper set of workforce supports. the 72nd birthday of the nhs is marked across the uk with a nationwide clap to thank the health service and those who work in it. police say the vast majority of people who enjoyed their first saturday night out in england since lockdown had done the right

thing and acted responsibly, but there have been concerns about social distancing. lockdown is reimposed in the australian city of melbourne as thousands of residents are told not to leave their homes for at least five days. food poverty concerns that parents of younger, pre—school age children are not getting enough help, resulting in entire families going hungry. and lewis hamilton led the majority of formula 1 drivers in taking a knee before the start of the season—opening austrian grand prix. more on that in sportsday at 7:45pm. at 7:30pm, jo currie looks at how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted women's sport and what the long—term effects might be.

the chief executive of the nhs in england, sir simon stevens, has called for adult social care to be resolved once and for all. he said the pandemic had shone a harsh spotlight on the care system in england, which needed urgent reform. our political correspondent, chris mason, reports. the pride and gratitude for our carers has once again been there for all to see but providing and paying for social care remains a colossal challenge. the carers that work for ourselves and the nhs have gone above and beyond, and i think there's now this recognition that they deserve better pay, they deserve better conditions, and we're hoping that that really sticks. now the head of the nhs in england

says change must come quickly. i would hope that, by the time we are sitting down this time next year, on the 73rd birthday of the nhs, we have actually as a country been able to decisively answer the question, how are we going to fund and provide high—quality social care for my parents' generation? in his first speech as prime minister, borisjohnson made a big promise. we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all. that was nearly a year ago now and since then political convulsions and then the coronavirus, itself further exposing the challenges facing social care. the government acknowledges there are complex questions that need addressing and a long—term solution is essential but, bluntly, the reality of this year so far has been wrestling with the short—term challenge of attempting to cope with a pandemic.

the nhs in the future. we are constantly ensuring that the nhs has what it needs. just the sums of money that the treasury have put into the nhs over the last few months have been unprecedented. in scotland, free personal care is available. some care costs are capped in wales. and home care is free for the over—75s in northern ireland. in england, the government says billions of pounds of funding has been made available. labour say money coupled with a strategy is what's needed. we need an immediate package of support because the virus isn't over for social care and we need the long—term changes services with the right funding so that everyone knows, as they get older, if they need care and support, it

will be there for them. for decades, governments have promised to improve social care. the big question was whether covid—i9 will be the spur for real change. chris mason, bbc news. the department of health and social care says another 22 deaths of people who tested positive for coronavirus were recorded over the last 2a hours in the uk. it brings the total number of those who have died during the pandemic to a4,220. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, explained the latest figures. the context of this plea by sir simon stevens for politicians to complete the reform of social care in england reflects the enormous frame that the current fragmented system places on the nhs all year round, and as we celebrate the birthday of the nhs today we reflect on the herculean efforts of staff

over recent months. sir simon stevens knows he has big challenges ahead. he has a workforce that is exhausted, running on empty, he knows there's a huge backlog of cases that need to dealt with, a fear of what a second wave might look like, and then as you mentioned this fear as well, concern around a big spike in winter flu cases, the symptoms of which are similar to many coronavirus cases, and that's why today they have announced what will be the nhs‘s biggest immunisation programme, but he knows there are big challenges that lie ahead in the months to come. as just mentioned, around the country, people marked the 72nd anniversary of the nhs with a nationwide round of applause. this anniversary comes amid the corronavirus pandemic — a challenge unprecedented in more than seven decades of the health

service's existence. the clap was another opportunity for people everywhere to show appreciation for nhs staff and a service that is there for us all when we need it. daniella relph was at st george's hospital in london. here at st george's hospital in south london, staff have gathered to pay tribute for the organisation they work for. more than 1,000 covid patients have been cared for in recent weeks, but thankfully, like so many there are no covid patients