that report was from abi smitton.n affected by any of the issues raised, help is available from bbc action line — just visit bbc.co.uk/actionline. the medical director of nhs england has warned that the health service is facing one of its most difficult starts to a year since it was founded in 1948. sir stephen powis said a six—day strike byjunior doctors, which is due to start tomorrow, would have an "enormous impact" on routine care. he added that hospitals are also having to deal with rising rates of flu, covid and other winter infections. if it goes ahead as planned, the latest strike will see the longest continuous stretch of industrial action in the history of the nhs. the doctors�* union, the british medical association, said patient safety remains a top priority. its members are set to walk out from 7.00am on 3rd january until 7.00am on the ninth. ministers say the union's demand for a 35% wage increase is unaffordable. the sister of a 16—year—old boy who was fatally stabbed on new year's eve has said his fami

abi smitton spent the day with them.son who is their soulmate. and ifound him when i was 17. he's just the most amazing person. we're just really, really connected, and still are. hi, darling! dorothy and melvin, a love story spanning nearly half a century. he carved a heart and our names in a tree... ..here. and every year that we used to go down, or every other couple of years, he'd take his penknife and re—carve it, because the moss had grown over on the tree. 15 years ago, melvin was diagnosed with a rare and degenerative brain condition called ataxia. he now needs help with everything. food, drinking, walking, mobility, washing — every single aspect of his existence every day derives from the care that i give him. dorothy had to give up work and become melvin�*s full—time carer. are you a little bit cold? do you want me to put the heating on? we're a team. we do it together. we always have. we do everything together. and we're such a close team. we're so connected. like, we know what each other�*s thinking, what eac

that report was from abi smitton. is available from bbc action line — just visit bbc.co.uk/actionline. we will be talking about that issue again later today and throughout the week. it is 621 am. —— 6:21am. let's take a look at today's papers. "killed as he watched the fireworks" is the headline on the sun, which carries this picture of 16—year—old harry pitman, who was stabbed in primrose hill in london on new year's eve. the telegraph reports on a record 53,000 excess deaths in 2023. the paper says the nhs faces its hardest january ever, as junior doctors prepare to strike for six days in england from wednesday. the times reports that one person every minute will be diagnosed with cancer in britain by 2040. the paper quotes cancer research uk, which warns that research funding is failing to keep pace with rising cases. the image is of five mermaids braving the waters of the firth of forth for a new year's day swim. ididn't i didn't know mermaids could stand up i didn't know mermaids could stand up on their tails. a