a major reorganisation of the nhs in england with a promise that health and social care will work more closely together. the health secretary says the corona pandemic has made changes more, not less, urgent. myjob as health secretary is to make the system work for those who work in the system to free up, to empower, to harness the mission driven capability of team health and care. we will have the latest of the proposals mean for staff and patients. also this lunchtime. more than 220,000 people in england have been waiting more than a year for routine surgery, it is the highest number since 2008. it routine surgery, it is the highest number since 2008.— number since 2008. it has been reall , number since 2008. it has been really. really — number since 2008. it has been

really, really difficult. _ number since 2008. it has been really, really difficult. i- number since 2008. it has been really, really difficult. i haven'tl really, really difficult. i haven't left the house for one year. i have been unable to move. the left the house for one year. i have been unable to move.— been unable to move. the travel industry and _ been unable to move. the travel industry and some _ been unable to move. the travel industry and some mps - been unable to move. the travel industry and some mps say - been unable to move. the travel industry and some mps say they| been unable to move. the travel. industry and some mps say they are worried about the impact. democrats use dramatic new footage of the attack on the us capitol to lay out their case against donald trump at his impeachment trial. scotland's food and drink industry warns of price rises and potential shortages when new brexit rules come into force in a few weeks time. temperatures drop to —23 degrees in braemar last night. the uk's lowest for 25 years. we will have the

latest weather forecast wherever you live. and coming up on bbc news — heather watson is out of the australian open. the last british woman in the tournament lost in three sets to estonian anett kontaveit. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. the nhs is to undergo huge reforms, under plans outlined in the last hour by the health secretary. matt hancock says the changes will result in morejoined up care, involving the health and social care system and he defended the timing of the reforms, during the coronavirus pandemic. it comes as new data show that one patients admitted to hospital with covid—i9 in england since the pandemic began, were admitted last month. it's also emerged that waiting times for hospital treatment in england were at their longest in december

for more than 12 years. we'll have more about that in a few minutes; ourfirst report is from our health correspondent nick triggle. the reforms brought in by david cameron's government were deeply controversial. they were meant to usher in an era of competition and innovation. but the government has announced it will now reverse those reforms in a shake—up of the nhs. my will now reverse those reforms in a shake-up of the nhs._ shake-up of the nhs. my 'ob as a health secretary * shake-up of the nhs. my 'ob as a health secretary to h shake-up of the nhs. my 'ob as a health secretary to make _ shake-up of the nhs. my job as a health secretary to make the - shake-up of the nhs. my job as a . health secretary to make the system work for those who work in the system, to free up, to empower, to harness the mission driven credibility of team health and care and the goal of this white paper is to allow that to happen. {jut and the goal of this white paper is to allow that to happen.— and the goal of this white paper is to allow that to happen. out will go requirements _ to allow that to happen. out will go requirements tendering _ to allow that to happen. out will go requirements tendering contracts i to allow that to happen. out will go l requirements tendering contracts and instead councils and nhs services will be told to pool resources and decision—making. ministers believe it will put the nhs in a stronger position to cope with the challenges

of the ageing population and rise in the number of people with complex health conditions. 0ne the number of people with complex health conditions. one in three patients admitted to hospital as an emergency has five or more health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, asthma. that's up from one in ten a decade ago. but labour has cast doubt on the timing of the reorganisation. i cast doubt on the timing of the reorganisation.— cast doubt on the timing of the reorganisation. i do think there is a question. _ reorganisation. i do think there is a question, though, _ reorganisation. i do think there is a question, though, as _ reorganisation. i do think there is a question, though, as to - reorganisation. i do think there is a question, though, as to why - reorganisation. i do think there is l a question, though, as to why now the royal— a question, though, as to why now the royal college of nursing yesterday said the nhs is on his knees — yesterday said the nhs is on his knees. staff are exhausted. why is it a priority— knees. staff are exhausted. why is it a priority now for a big reorganisation of the nhs? the health reorganisation of the nhs? tue: health secretary reorganisation of the nhs? tte: health secretary says reorganisation of the nhs? t"t2 health secretary says he reorganisation of the nhs? tt2 health secretary says he wants reorganisation of the nhs? t“t2 health secretary says he wants to target burdens and bureaucracy and these plans would help different parts of the system work more closely together, something nhs leaders have called for. what closely together, something nhs leaders have called for.— leaders have called for. what it really comes — leaders have called for. what it really comes down _ leaders have called for. what it really comes down to _ leaders have called for. what it really comes down to is - leaders have called for. what it really comes down to is people | leaders have called for. what it l really comes down to is people in leaders have called for. what it - really comes down to is people in a local area, really comes down to is people in a localarea, leaders really comes down to is people in a local area, leaders in a local area, working together to say how do we change what we do to join up with our colleagues in social care? join

up our colleagues in social care? join up with colleagues and gps, primary care and how do we provide that seamless service? this care and how do we provide that seamless service?— care and how do we provide that seamless service? this of course is not the first — seamless service? this of course is not the first attempt _ seamless service? this of course is not the first attempt at _ seamless service? this of course is not the first attempt at getting - seamless service? this of course is not the first attempt at getting the | not the first attempt at getting the nhs structure is right. 0ver not the first attempt at getting the nhs structure is right. over the past two decades, there have been five major reforms.— five ma'or reforms. over the years there five major reforms. over the years there have — five major reforms. over the years there have been _ five major reforms. over the years there have been so _ five major reforms. over the years there have been so many - five major reforms. over the years| there have been so many attempts five major reforms. over the years i there have been so many attempts at overhauling the system that have caused _ overhauling the system that have caused serious disruption. and ended up caused serious disruption. and ended up hot _ caused serious disruption. and ended up not resulting in that many benefits, _ up not resulting in that many benefits, and how these changes implement is going to be really critical — implement is going to be really critical. , . ., , ,, ., , critical. these changes essentially rewire the nhs _ critical. these changes essentially rewire the nhs but _ critical. these changes essentially rewire the nhs but whether- critical. these changes essentially rewire the nhs but whether they l rewire the nhs but whether they improve care for patients remains to be seen. the number of people waiting to start hospital treatment in england in december was the highest for any calendar month since 2008. more than 224,000 patients were on a waiting list, according to new figures from the nhs at the same period the year before the figure was less than 1,500. here's our health

correspondent dominic hughes. a little over a year ago, brenda pugh led enough to give life. walking the dog, meeting up with friends, working for law firm in london. arthritis has left her in immense pain. waiting for a double hip replacement operation that has been repeatedly delayed by the pandemic. the been repeatedly delayed by the andemic. ,.,. been repeatedly delayed by the andemic. ., , , pandemic. the impact has been huge, it's been very. — pandemic. the impact has been huge, it's been very. very — pandemic. the impact has been huge, it's been very, very far-reaching - pandemic. the impact has been huge, it's been very, very far-reaching on i it's been very, very far—reaching on all levels, financial, emotional, psychological. yeah, it's been really, really difficult. i haven't left the house for a year. tare really, really difficult. i haven't left the house for a year. i've been unable to move. _ left the house for a year. i've been unable to move. brenda _ left the house for a year. i've been unable to move. brenda is - left the house for a year. i've been unable to move. brenda is not - left the house for a year. i've been i unable to move. brenda is not alone. figures for december show that in england there were nearly 225,000 people waiting more than 12 months for routine hospital treatments, and in december 2019, that figure was less than 1500. more than four and a half million people are on hospital waiting list. cancer care seems to

have been less affected. the number of patients seen and treated in december was in line with the months before the pandemic struck. david hawkins was diagnosed late in 2019, and counts himself lucky as treatment continued through the covert crisis.— covert crisis. whether or not i'd been struggling _ covert crisis. whether or not i'd been struggling to _ covert crisis. whether or not i'd been struggling to see - covert crisis. whether or not i'd been struggling to see a - covert crisis. whether or not i'd been struggling to see a doctor| been struggling to see a doctor later on, and then i wouldn't have got a days notice, so in that way i class myself very lucky. it's been difficult for everybody.— difficult for everybody. clearing the backlog _ difficult for everybody. clearing the backlog of— difficult for everybody. clearing the backlog of delayed - difficult for everybody. clearing i the backlog of delayed operations and treatments will be a huge task. but nhs leaders say doctors need the freedom to decide how it will be done. , , ., , ., freedom to decide how it will be done. , , .,, ., ., done. there will be people who have been waiting — done. there will be people who have been waiting less _ done. there will be people who have been waiting less than _ done. there will be people who have been waiting less than 52 _ done. there will be people who have been waiting less than 52 weeks - done. there will be people who havej been waiting less than 52 weeks who we also _ been waiting less than 52 weeks who we also need to prioritise, so what we also need to prioritise, so what we really— we also need to prioritise, so what we really need to do which is where the nhs _ we really need to do which is where the nhs is — we really need to do which is where the nhs is best, is effectively let our local— the nhs is best, is effectively let our local clinicians make those prioritisation decisions and effectively say what the order in which _ effectively say what the order in which we — effectively say what the order in which we should get through these

backlogs — which we should get through these backlogs. but which we should get through these backlous. �* . ., , which we should get through these backlos. �* . ., , backlogs. but charities say those like brenda. _ backlogs. but charities say those like brenda, enduring _ backlogs. but charities say those like brenda, enduring pain - backlogs. but charities say those like brenda, enduring pain and i like brenda, enduring pain and discomfort as they wait for delayed operations, needs some clarity. itrui’hat operations, needs some clarity. what we are calling — operations, needs some clarity. what we are calling for _ operations, needs some clarity. what we are calling for its _ operations, needs some clarity. what we are calling for its clear communication— we are calling for its clear communication to - we are calling for its clear communication to people| we are calling for its clear. communication to people at we are calling for its clear- communication to people at this point _ communication to people at this point in — communication to people at this point in time _ communication to people at this point in time. so— communication to people at this point in time. so that _ communication to people at this point in time. so that they- communication to people at this point in time. so that they can l communication to people at this - point in time. so that they can know when _ point in time. so that they can know when to— point in time. so that they can know when to expect _ point in time. so that they can know when to expect their— point in time. so that they can know when to expect their treatment - point in time. so that they can know when to expect their treatment to l point in time. so that they can knowi when to expect their treatment to be back online _ when to expect their treatment to be back online and, _ when to expect their treatment to be back online and, most _ when to expect their treatment to be back online and, most importantly, i back online and, most importantly, so they— back online and, most importantly, so they have — back online and, most importantly, so they have support _ back online and, most importantly, so they have support whilst - back online and, most importantly, so they have support whilst they i back online and, most importantly, i so they have support whilst they are waiting _ so they have support whilst they are waitinu. a , so they have support whilst they are waitin.. a . waiting. across the uk, the pandemic has had a drastic— waiting. across the uk, the pandemic has had a drastic effect _ waiting. across the uk, the pandemic has had a drastic effect on _ waiting. across the uk, the pandemic has had a drastic effect on the - has had a drastic effect on the health service. leaving exhausted staff are facing a huge backlog of delayed treatments. a legacy of this virus will last for years. dominic hughes, bbc news. let's get the thoughts and our health editor at hugh pym. if we start with waiting times, it is an eye watering figure. yes, you heard in that piece there this huge figure of 220,000 people waiting more than one year for routine surgery in december compared to just 1500 12 months earlier. as we've been hearing, that's a backlog of work which is building up and

waiting more than a year if you are needing a hip replacement or knee replacement and in pain, struggling to get back to work, is a really big issue. how the nhs is going to get through this sort of work in any timely fashion is very difficult to see given the work on the pandemic thatis see given the work on the pandemic that is ongoing at the moment. it's in all parts of the uk where these pressures are being felt on the nhs, and staff are exhausted, finding it extraordinarily difficult at the moment because of the covid pressure and i think it's pretty daunting for them seeing all this patient care which are still going to be needed for months and maybe years ahead. yes, all these operations are backed up yes, all these operations are backed up and need to be addressed. and there is a major reorganisation coming down the track. can that help? coming down the track. can that hel ? �* , ., coming down the track. can that hel? �* , ., ., coming down the track. can that hel? h ., ., , ., help? it's one of the question, isn't it, about _ help? it's one of the question, isn't it, about his _ help? it's one of the question, isn't it, about his health - help? it's one of the question, l isn't it, about his health reforms for england? will they make any difference to patients? i think in terms of that backlog of work, it's difficult to see how they will make

any difference. the idea is to bring together local nhs and local councils to work much more on patient care in their areas and regions are not have to bother with tendering out contracts and bureaucracy as matt hancock said. it is overturning some key reforms introduced under david cameron and andrew lansley, which wanted are bringing a bit more efficiency and competitive tension. that is going out of the window up to a point anyway, although campaigners say there are still the possibility of a bit of private sector involvement. it's a big change politically, but of course, whether it makes any real difference to patients we willjust have to wait and see. difference to patients we will 'ust have to wait and semi a leading microbiologist has said the coronavirus variant first found in kent could sweep the world. professor sharon peacock said it could become the world's most dominant strain of covid—19. concerns about new variants have prompted the government to introduce tougher restrictions but these are causing unease in the travel industry and among

some conservative mps. caroline davies reports. thoughts of a summer getaway have been keeping many of us going during the winter but today the government said it still far from the winter but today the government said it still farfrom certain. pandemics are difficult times and there is a lot of uncertainty, so i'm afraid people will have to do the patient before we can get that certainty. we are doing everything we possibly can to make sure that people can have a holiday this summer. i don't actually think people are at all confused and i think people totally understand the situation. t think people totally understand the situation. ., ., , ,., , think people totally understand the situation. ., ., , , ., ., situation. i have absolutely no idea what the government _ situation. i have absolutely no idea what the government is _ situation. i have absolutely no idea what the government is advising i situation. i have absolutely no idea| what the government is advising on holidays _ what the government is advising on holida s. ~ ., , ., ., , what the government is advising on holida s. ~ ., ,., ., holidays. memories of holidays past, kate farmer — holidays. memories of holidays past, kate farmer cancelled _ holidays. memories of holidays past, kate farmer cancelled two _ holidays. memories of holidays past, kate farmer cancelled two holidays | kate farmer cancelled two holidays last year and doesn't know if her trips to minorca and argentina this year will go ahead. t’m trips to minorca and argentina this year will go ahead.— year will go ahead. i'm really hoinu year will go ahead. i'm really honing to _ year will go ahead. i'm really honing to go- _ year will go ahead. i'm really heping to g°- i— year will go ahead. i'm really hoping to go. i would - year will go ahead. i'm really hoping to go. i would love i year will go ahead. i'm really hoping to go. i would love to j year will go ahead. i'm really i hoping to go. i would love to get a summer— hoping to go. i would love to get a summer break. if it's cancelled at

the last— summer break. if it's cancelled at the last minute, i've got a fully flexible — the last minute, i've got a fully flexible fare, so i won't be losing any money — flexible fare, so i won't be losing any money. but again, i have no idea what's _ any money. but again, i have no idea what's going — any money. but again, i have no idea what's going on. any money. but again, i have no idea what's going on-_ what's going on. going on holiday is currently illegal, _ what's going on. going on holiday is currently illegal, but _ what's going on. going on holiday is currently illegal, but booking - what's going on. going on holiday is currently illegal, but booking theml currently illegal, but booking them for the future is not. many in the industry have introduced flexible policies to reassure customers. yesterday the transport secretary warned against booking for the summer but the labour party have criticised the government for confused messages.- criticised the government for confused messages. criticised the government for confused messaaes. �* ., confused messages. don't say one day for the prime — confused messages. don't say one day for the prime minister _ confused messages. don't say one day for the prime minister it _ confused messages. don't say one day for the prime minister it will— confused messages. don't say one day for the prime minister it will all- for the prime minister it will all be fine and to the transport secretary saying don't book a holiday. people understand this is difficult but they understand is typical for the government but i know the government can't say with certainty what is going to happen in august. butjust caution and get rid of the mixed messages.— august. butjust caution and get rid of the mixed messages. comments from covernment of the mixed messages. comments from government ministers _ of the mixed messages. comments from government ministers and _ of the mixed messages. comments from government ministers and the _ government ministers and the increasing number of restrictions on international travel have made the industry nervous. they need the summer bookings to survive but they also need some warning to get the industry back up and running. tt rare industry back up and running. if we don't have a _ industry back up and running. if we don't have a summer _ industry back up and running. tt 22 don't have a summer season, industry back up and running. tt "202 don't have a summer season, not industry back up and running. tt "m2 don't have a summer season, not only will that be bad for the uk economy,

and of course for any uk citizens who would like to be able to go somewhere sunny for the holidays, it's also going to be devastating for the uk aviation sector and i think that's when we will see some airports and airlines going bust. the much longed for holiday escape the summer is still up in the air. caroline davies, bbc news. disabled people made up six in ten of all deaths involving covid—19 in england up to november last year, according to new data from the office for national statistics. and the risk of dying is three times greater for more severely disabled people as our correspondent nikki fox reports. disbelief, the overwhelming feeling. i'm in your flat and you're everywhere, but not here. a poem written in grief. andrea's sister kath died last november after she caught coronavirus.

it spreads, it spreads so easily. my sister was at home. she never went anywhere. she got it and died. a huge sci—fi fan, kath had many passions but then the pandemic hit and she stayed at home to stay safe. one of kath's support workers tested positive for the virus, which is how she may have caught it. unless you've got people with, a person with disabilities in your family people don't realise just how fragile people's lives can be. sometimes i think people think, oh, well, and it's the same with elderly people, oh, well, they are old, they've had their life, oh, well, they are disabled. they are not having much life anyway. but they do, you know? everybody has a life.

today's findings highlightjust how devastating the pandemic has been for disabled people and the findings are bleak. six out of ten people who have died were disabled. they are up to 3.5 times more likely to die than the general population and disabled people are still more at risk even when other health conditions have been taken into account. as well as that clinical risk there is a social risk. people are more likely to be in group homes or congregant living, more likely to rely on co—workers or family members, find it much harder to self—isolate. time and time again disabled people have been an afterthought. the government recognises the virus has had a disproportionate impact on the millions of people living with a disability and says it's taking steps to protect them. nikki fox, bbc news. an international trial of a drug

that suppresses appetite has found it's helped some people lose more than a fifth of their body weight. scientists say a weekly injection of the drug, semaglutide, which is used to treat diabetes, could be used as an alternative to weight loss surgery. democrats have told donald trump's impeachment trial that he acted as "inciter in chief" on the day the us capitol was stormed by his supporters. senators were played previously unseen footage of the violence, and heard recordings of panicked radio messages between police officers. barbra plett usher reports from washington. it was hard to watch. body camera footage that captured the brutal beating of a police officer, blow by blow. democrats used chilling new security video to reconstruct what happened during the riot... man screams. ..forcing senators to relive that traumatic day. we've lost the line!

this was a key part of a sweeping narrative against the former president, laid out by the prosecution. donald trump surrendered his role as commander—in—chief and became the inciter in chief of a dangerous insurrection. and to use a favourite term that all of you people - really came up with, i we will stop the steal. democrats argued that mr trump spent months constructing a big lie to make his supporters believe the election was stolen, and he used fighting words when he knew some of them were armed and would fight. donald trump, over many months, cultivated violence, praised it, and then, when he saw the violence his supporters were capable of, he channelled it to his big, wild, historic event. the videos showed how close the mob got to officials. the former vice president mike pence

being rushed to safety, senator mick romney turning around in his tracks, senator chuck schumer forced to find another escape route. the violence went on for hours but democrats emphasised mr trump did nothing to stop it. what donald trump, our commander—in—chief, did in those initial hours to protect us? nothing. not a thing. it was a compelling case told with emotional appeal and one that touched hearts in the senate, although not necessarily minds. many republican senators seem unwilling to be convinced that donald trump is guilty, but the democrats are also aiming at a broader audience watching from home, hoping to hold mr trump to account in the court of public appeal. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. 0ur our top story this lunchtime. a

major reorganisation of the nhs in england with a promise that health and social care will work more closely together. the health secretary says the coronavirus pandemic has made changes more, not less, urgent. lull; pandemic has made changes more, not less. urgent-— less, urgent. my 'ob as health secretary h less, urgent. my 'ob as health secretary is _ less, urgent. my 'ob as health secretary is to i less, urgent. my job as health secretary is to make _ less, urgent. my job as health secretary is to make the i less, urgent. my job as health i secretary is to make the system less, urgent. my job as health - secretary is to make the system work for those who work in the system, to free up, to empower, to harness the mission driven capability of team health and care.— mission driven capability of team health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie _ health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie jones _ health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie jones goes _ health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie jones goes with i news, eddiejones goes with experience for england's six nations match against italy, bringing george ford off the bench to start at fly—half. it's one of five changes made after losing their opening game to scotland. scotland's food and drink industry is warning of price rises and potential shortages, when new brexit rules come into force in a few weeks�* time. the uk's departure from the eu has created expensive red tape for firms sending goods from great britain to the continent and northern

ireland, and at the end of march similar rules will be introduced for imports. james cook reports. it's been a funny old year down on the farm. supplies of milk and ice cream to restaurants dried up. but home deliveries of cheese rose rapidly, with some customers as far afield as france. then brexit brought expensive new rules and regulations. we've got lots of orders but they're small, typically it's about £35, so if you've got about £a5 worth of time and paperwork to do for a £35 order, when that's not even including the costs of the cheese or the cost of the courier, then it'sjust a nonstarter. worse for the dairy, the checks also apply to northern ireland, which remains in the eu's single market, so now they can't afford to send this cheese across the irish sea. we hadn't seen that it would also close the route to northern ireland,

because we're actually physically nearer to belfast than we are to glasgow and edinburgh. supporters of brexit insist it will pay off eventually. they say there will be trade deals are struck with countries outside the eu and businesses here will have the chance to prosper, but at the moment the firms we've spoken to up and down the country say they're mainly encountering problems — and these problems are coming at the worst possible time. this fruit and veg supplier in edinburgh has struggled in the pandemic. as orders collapsed, they went from 30 staff to 15, and now they're worried about brexit too. one thing for certain is prices will go up and it's going tojust become very expensive to go out for a meal. why? because produce is coming in, a higher price, i think it's about 20% higher from last year at the same time, there's paperwork that has to be done so it's more expensive to get

produce into scotland. at this huge produce firm in glasgow though, they're confident they can ride it out. here they see brexit as irritating, not disastrous. it's not a major issue being in brexit, because the uk will diversify, we always have and we always will. so we'll store more scottish product when it's in season and we'll store more uk product when it's in season. now, there's talk out there that because of brexit it's put all the prices up, that's not the case. fruit and veg is weather driven. so far brexit red tape has mostly tangled up goods being sent out of britain. soon there will be controls on imports too, so will we see food shortages? we've only felt a fraction of the pain so far and those checks, when they're put in place, could also make things slow, more expensive and a lot more complex for eu businesses who need to sell products into businesses

here, and that's a big issue for supermarkets and will be a big issue for many food companies who get ingredients from europe. commerce will continue, of course. we have to eat, after all. but there's no doubt this is a brutal time to be in business. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. the chancellor rishi sunak is being urged to extend the stamp duty holiday in next month's budget, because people are experiencing delays in property purchases and sales because of lockdown. the measure, which can save people in england and northern ireland as much as £15,000, is due to come to an end on 31st march. here's our personal finance correspondent kevin peachey. packed but not yet ready to go, simon and his young family thought they'd have moved by christmas. now they fear missing out on the stamp duty holiday. to put it bluntly, the practical impact is aboutjust over £12,000, so it's a big amount of money. the problem we have, being in a chain, obviously we're

not sure about the people below us and if that will affect them. it could stop it all, which would be terrible. housing taxes are slightly different across the uk, but at the end of march, concessions are all due to stop. that means tax breaks of up to £15,000 will come to an end. predictions suggest an immediate 20% fall in sales in the spring as a result. with time running out and the threat of sales falling through, the chancellor's being urged to act in next month's budget. 150,000 people have signed a petition calling on him to extend the stamp duty holiday for another six months. but if thatjust delays the same issue until later in the year, some working in the industry say more imagination is required. what we'd really like is for them, at the budget to say, right, anybody who is in a transaction now will still receive the stamp duty concession whenever they complete. the treasury says the tax break

was only ever temporary. recent history shows the housing market can freeze when stamp duty holidays end, but those buying and selling now are desperate not to put their moving plans on ice. kevin peachey, bbc news. about 6 million people over the age of 65 are at risk of lung damage and asthma attacks because of toxic air. the british lung foundation and asthma uk found that one in four care homes were in areas where pollution from small particles in the air exceed the levels recommended by the world health 0rganization. justin rowlatt reports. we associate the seaside with fresh air and healthy living. "breathe it in" is eastbourne�*s motto. but like many places in the uk, it sometimes has issues with air pollution. as kimberly cole knows only too well. are you all right, kim? sorry, yeah. pollution is, i would say, the biggest trigger, really, to making my lungs worse.

kim has a lung condition called bronchiectasis, which leads to a build—up of mucus. it makes my lungs bleed. it makes your lungs actually bleed? yeah. and sometimes it can be so bad, the air pollution cough, the coughing will make me physically sick. air pollution is dangerous for us all, but older people and those with lung disease are particularly vulnerable. one of the main culprits are the tiny particulates in vehicle exhaust gases and other pollutants. researchers collect the particles, which are so small they can lodge in the lungs and even pass into the blood, damaging veins and other organs. you can see that the lungs are very black and most of the lung tissue there has been destroyed. lung scans show the damage air pollution can cause. we estimate that at least 30,000 people every year die prematurely because of air pollution. we've known about the harms caused by pollution for a long time.

and so far, action on it has been slow and has been not enough. the uk limits for this so—called pm2.5 pollution here in the uk are twice that recommended by the world health organization. the british lung foundation and asthma uk are demanding the government bring uk rules in line, and they're also calling for it to produce a plan detailing how they're going to protect the most vulnerable from the effects of air pollution. today, the government said it plans to introduce two ambitious and legally—binding air quality targets in its delayed environment bill. it says the primary focus will be on reducing exposure to particulate pollution. campaigners are hoping one of the positive legacies of the covid—19 pandemic will be fresher airfor us all. justin rowlatt, bbc news, eastbourne.

alongside vaccines, a number of drugs are being tested for use on people who have covid—19. effective treatments could help change the course of the pandemic — our health correspondent katharine da costa explains. research into treatments for covid are moving at speed with more than 1000 studies around the world. most of the treatments being trialled our existing drugs and they fall into three broad areas. antiviral drugs that directly target the virus and make it harmless, these include monoclonal antibodies that can be created in a lab to mimic natural antibodies. they are being studied to see if they could be used either after exposure or as a way to prevent an infection. then there are anti—inflammatory drugs. these include several used to treat arthritis. scientists think they could help calm the immune system and stop it overreacting and damaging the body. and then there are other drugs being trialled that target complications from covid, like aspirin, which could help reduce the risk of blood clots that

have been seen in severe cases. large randomised clinical trials are essential for learning which treatments are most effective. there recovery trial is the largest in the world. it has recruited nearly 36,000 patients from 178 hospitals around the uk. it had a major breakthrough injune with the discovery at that dexamethasone, cheap, widely available steroid, reduce the number of deaths in ventilated patients by one third and for those on oxygen by one fifth. 0ver for those on oxygen by one fifth. over the next couple of months the team should have answers for five other potential treatments. there had been hopes that drugs to treat malaria, hiv, ebola and multiple sclerosis might prove effective. convalescent plasma taken from recovered patients was also seen as a strong contender, but large trials like recovery and the world health organization's @ solidarity trial have been able to prove these drugs had little or no benefit in reducing deaths. some treatments may work at

an earlier stage of the disease and there are some ongoing studies. the dru~s there are some ongoing studies. t“t2 drugs that we come to know are not effective should not be used, that means patients won't get side effects, that means we won't spend resources or nurse time or pharmacy time focusing on those treatments and we can focus our attention on those drugs that we know do work. two anti—inflammatory drugs have recently found to work in intensive care patients. one study found using two anti—inflammatory drugs cut the number of deaths by a quarter and reduce the amount of time in icu by about a week. there are benefits from a common steroid used by asthma patients which could minimise damage to the lungs. vaccines aren't100% effective in some people can't be vaccinated or don't respond well to them so drug treatments will have a crucial role, having effective treatments would essentially make coronavirus or