chaand nagpaul�*s argument is you could well use the word crisis. because that would be honest.e size of the problem but the nhs did some extraordinary things. we created 30,000 beds to treat covid patients. we ensured that for example we had the fastest vaccination roll—out across the world. we tripled our intensive care capacity injanuary amd february to avoid what we are seeing in india and brazil. we now need the nhs to do the same kind of extraordinary things to tackle this backlog. i think we can do it and the problem with talking about crisis and taking a pessimistic view is that we are in danger of talking ourselves down. i think we can do it. we need a proper plan and we need proper levels of funding to ensure that happens. i want to talk about money in a minute. just to respond to that point briefly, nagpaul? we coped last year, | i want to be honest, because we expanded capacity. and re—purposed the nhs to deal with the surge in covid patients at the expense of many other. patients who were not able to be seen. - that is why we have this backlog of several million pat

let's speak now to dr chaand nagpaul, chairman of the british medical association. relaxing of restrictions be postponed?— of the relaxing of restrictions be --ostoned? ~ , postponed? the prime minister said from the outset _ postponed? the prime minister said from the outset we _ postponed? the prime minister said from the outset we needed - postponed? the prime minister said from the outset we needed to - postponed? the prime minister said from the outset we needed to be . from the outset we needed to be guided by data and not dates, and while we have come a long way and it's fantastic to the vaccination programme be so successful, at this moment in time, we do need to be concerned about a certificate increase in numbers of new cases. today, we have actually now seen about a 45% increase in number of deaths in the last seven days and also a 23% increase across hospitalisations. the data at the moment is not looking promising and that's because of course of the new variant. and when you look at the conditions for coming out, the road map conditions, one of those cr