this is bbc news, the headlines at 8pm: 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. applause horns beep 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 one's drivers in taking a knee before the start of the season—opening austrian grand prix. at 8.30, the travel showjoins a pilot project that's testing new social—distancing measures across the island of mallorca and finds out what the future holds for theatres in london, new york and las vegas.

hello, welcome to bbc news. 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 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 very 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. we protected the nhs during the peak of the crisis and we will protect the nhs in the future. and even just last week we put another 1.5 billion in. 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 755 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 that provide 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 is whether covid—i9 will be the spur for real change. chris mason, bbc news. sir norman lamb is former minister of state for care and support and was also lib dem spokesman for health from 2006—2017. hejoins me now from norwich. when we hear sir simon stevens talk about hopefully this time next year this will be resolved, that is probably overoptimistic, isn't it, given how this has been a public policy failure for so many years now? and why has no one glassed the metal? you have your is exactly the expression i was going to use my cell. —— glass to the metal. this has been an absolute public policy failure by successive governments. i

does require the sense of urgency. i am in complete agreement with what so am in complete agreement with what so simon stevens had to say. i think you could do it within a year, but that would mean starting the process straightaway. not leaving it festering any longer, and i think one of the key elements in this has to be to try to build public support and ina to be to try to build public support and in a way, also cross—party support for what i would call a new settlement. actually, for both the nhs and for social care. it is politically difficult, that is why you need to reach across party boundaries and fundamentally, we need to be spending my money on our social care system, as well as on the nhs so this is a significant challenge, but i think you have to build public support and then implement a new funding stream to ensure that, as serves simon stephen said, we have social care for his pa re nts' said, we have social care for his parents' generation and future

generations after that. this is something you have been very closely involved in, day care act, it was passed into law in 2014, i think. it was then ditched by cameron and subsequently by may. —— the care act. was that because there was no agreement reached between the the split between public and private for social care funding? it is deeply frustrating because we did policy on the right way with the care act. we brought in an expert and consulted on his recommendations. we then legislated for that in the care act. we completed that process and it was due to come into effect in april 2016. and here we are, for years on, with nothing having happened. it was effectively abandoned as soon as we we re effectively abandoned as soon as we were thrown out of government in 2015. in a way, we had reached agreement with government about this

partnership between the state and the individual, but it is also fair to say that it was not a complete solution. we still need to find a new stream of money, whether it is a new stream of money, whether it is a new tax, social insurance, whatever mechanism you use. we had to be paying more into the system in order to guarantee good quality care. i think simon stevens made the point that a quarter of the workforce is on zero—hour contracts, that means you have enormous churn in the workforce, which undermines quality of care and at the covid crisis has demonstrated, in very stark, any very stark way, just how fragile the system is. and how much of a cinderella service it is compared to the nhs and at this has to be the moment when we grasp this and create a new settlement. on that point, since the government is spending so much money on furlough schemes and

everything else, the taps are running on that, what sort of figures are we looking at for social ca re figures are we looking at for social care because i figures are we looking at for social care because i was figures are we looking at for social care because i was just looking early on and in scotland are is free, over 75 is in northern ireland, a few months ago or maybe a year ago, it cost £10 billion a year for england, or is it much more than that? these early sorts of figures that? these early sorts of figures that you're talking about. and it will require some mechanism to bring in money. back in 2010, the labour government in its dying days proposed a levy on people's estates and it was immediately dubbed a death tax by the conservatives. that is the sort of problem that you get. that is why you have to try and build cross—party support because every time... you cannot have a situation where every tiny government comes up with a proposal, it is destroyed by opposition —— every time a government comes up

with a proposal. it is a bigger challenge for our country and the public deserve better than endless political rancour over something so vital. would it help if there was a hypothecated tax for this? most of us hypothecated tax for this? most of us who have parents or children or whatever see them growing older and one realise the sort of care that they need. if the public were told, thatis they need. if the public were told, that is hypothecated, this amount of money will go into this, would that help? yes, absolutely. in the last four years in parliament, i kept making the case for building public support, working on a cross—party basis and one of the arguments i used was that we need an effect and earmarked health and care tax. i think if people could see on their wage packet what they were contributing to the health and care system, then i think they would feel much more comfortable about it. and i think it's then makes it easier to increase that contribution when

there is a clear need and, you know, you could have a body equipment to the office for public... what is it? the equivalent of the fiscal office, that determines on an independent basis how much the system needs, that you determine that on an independent basis and then there could be a cross, party debate about whether you implement that in full. but if we got a proper independent analysis of how much was needed, then that could be paid by way of a hypothecated health and care tax and i think the public would find that attractive. just in terms of budget responsibility though, and party responsibilities, though, you are a live demo and have still not got a leader. you have only got 11 mps at —— a liberal democrat. this was a big issue for the liberal democrats during coalition, what do you want your next laser, whoever he or she

may be, to do on this issue? -- next leader. i am may be, to do on this issue? -- next leader. iam now may be, to do on this issue? -- next leader. i am now telling an nhs mental health trust, i had allowed my membership of the party to lapse —— chairing an nhs trust. my membership of the party to lapse -- chairing an nhs trust. which means that you can be more open than perhaps before. absolutely. i do not come at this from a party political perspective now. 0bviously, come at this from a party political perspective now. obviously, i have that in my background, i have seen how difficult and challenging it is, but i see this as a significant challenge for our country and one that the political parties have to result together and i think, actually, there is another reason why this is the right moment. the conservatives have a clear and strong majority. they have got 4.5 yea rs left in strong majority. they have got 4.5 years left in office. and i was the moment, with that political headwind behind them, to try to bring the new labour leader on board. he needs to demonstrate that he is a statesman. i think he could persuadable to come

on board. i know that liz can double, who i have worked closely with ynys —— liz kendall. she would be very supportive of the cross— party be very supportive of the cross—party support. and i'm sure that my former party would want to collaborate in that sort of way. i think now that is a real moment and the public cannot be let go in again on this. it isn't important for that. demographically, we are all getting older as the decade come. thank you very much indeed for joining us. the department of health and social care says another 22 deaths of people who tested positive for coronavirus were recorded over the last 24 hours in the uk. it brings the total number of those who have died during the pandemic to 44,220. 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 strain that the current fragmented system places on the nhs all year round and, as we celebrate the birthday of the nhs today and we reflect on the herculean efforts of staff over recent months, sir simon stevens knows he's got some big challenges ahead. he has a workforce that is pretty much exhausted, running on empty, he knows there is a huge backlog of cases that need to dealt with, there is this ongoing fear about what a second wave might look like and how that might impact on the nhs, and then, as you mentioned, this fear as well, concern around a big spike in winter flu cases, the symptoms of which are so similar to so many coronavirus cases, and that's why today they've announced what will be the nhs‘s biggest immunisation programme, but sir simon stevens knows there are some big challenges that lie ahead in the months to come. dominic hughes.

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 their own unique tribute to the organisation they work for. more than 1,000 covid patients have been cared for here in recent weeks but, thankfully, like so many other hospitals now, there are no covid patients here in intensive care, and today staff gathered on the helipad, on the rooftop of st george's, to pay their own tribute birthday message to the nhs. they lined up, making the number 72 on that helipad, to say thank you to the organisation

they work for. everybody who has been involved and been so vital to everything that has been going on here in recent weeks was there, from porters to nurses to cleaners to consultants, and, as one of the heads of nursing here put it, she said these have people's spirits up. daniela reporting from st george's hospital. as part of those nhs birthday celebrations, the queen elizabeth hospital in kings lynn received a royal visit this afternoon. the duke and duchess of cambridge turned up to thank in person health and social care staff for their continuing — and crucial — work in dealing with the pandemic. tamzin cuming is an nhs colorectal surgeon at homerton university hospital in hackney.

shejoins us now. 72 years she joins us now. 72 years old, shejoins us now. 72 years old, an institution which is the envy of many countries around the world. does it need more than just a pause, though? —— applause, though?|j does it need more than just a pause, though? -- applause, though? i am very proud to have been working for the nhs for 25 years. and i am also proud that we have got to this moment where the whole country is clapping finance. i think that we need to take this month to get the nhsa need to take this month to get the nhs a birthday present and that is funding for itu beds to be expanded to higher numbers than they were before the epidemic —— icu beds. a parallel to germany which has had a higher number of beds and we have and we should run, perhaps a lower bed occupancy rate so that we are prepared for any further wave or for the pandemicfi prepared for any further wave or for the pandemicg happens. your