hugh pym, bbc news.bc has also learned that the organisation responsible for advising english health trusts on the security of staff is ending that work, despite a steep increase in attacks on doctors and nurses. nhs protect has confirmed that its role in hospital security will continue only until the end of march. 0ur health correspondent robert pigott has this report. it has been a winter of queueing ambulances and long, tense wait in a&e, as the delays have lengthened tempers have grown shorter bust up assaults on nhs staff in england have multiplied to a new high last year of more than 70,000. doctor geoff britton george has justjoined a hospital where assaults are declining, but she has witnessed several elsewhere. most nhs staff would say at some point or another they have been attacked or felt u nsafe at they have been attacked or felt unsafe at work. it is a running joke in the staff room, what has happened to me today, i have been hit again, something like that. everyone is on alert, everyone is

hugh pym, bbc news. this is bbc news.termgtfieés’éezmsyéag a discredited government investigation into alleged abuses let's talk more now about president trump. he and his chinese counterpart, xijinping, have held their first telephone conversation. during the call, described as cordial, mr trump agreed to honour the so—called one china policy, which he'd previously threatened to re—examine. it relates to the status of the island of taiwan, which has its own government but which beijing sees as a breakaway province. the one china policy acknowledges there is only one chinese government and that diplomatic relations must be with china, not taiwan. our china editor carrie gracie reports from the taiwanese capital taipei. people in taiwan have more freedom of expression than people in china. after 70 years of governing itself, this noisy democracy has a mind of its own. we have 1800 missiles pointed our way, but at the same time in taiwan we have absolute freedom to do anything we want, so satire is one of the good things we

he was talking to our health editor hugh pym. the worst monthly a&e figures in more than a decade. we actually have corridor nurses now as well. times are very desperate. images like this across bbc news. no—one would want it for members of their own family. it's been a difficult few days for the health secretary. now he's come out and acknowledged that some of what is happening in the hospitals in england is unacceptable. the bbc has shown images from royal blackburn of people waiting 13 hours, mothers and babies sitting in the corridor. aren't you embarrassed about that? it is incredibly frustrating for me. i'm doing thisjob because i want nhs care to be the safest and best in the world. that kind of care is completely unacceptable, no—one would want it for members of their own family. we featured iris sibley‘s story this week. she had to wait six months in hospital before a care—home place was available. what did mr hunt have to say to her family? i don't want to make any kind of excuses for that. it is totally unacceptable. it is terrible for mrs sibley but also very bad for th

hugh pym, bbc news. time for the travel show.n the travel show, were looking for love on the west coast of ireland. is there anybody out there? yes! we're high in the alps at a french resort that's trying to turn its ski slopes green. and in peru, we're cooking a dish with chilli peppers and raw fish. first this week, we're riding high in the french alps. skiing is one of the world's most exhilarating sports, but it's also one of the worst for the environment. first this week, we're riding high in the french alps. skiing is one of the world's most exhilarating sports, but it's also one of the worst for the environment. so many mountain resorts are looking for ways to make winter sports greener. emma—jane kirby's on the trail in the legendary mountains above chamonix. it's been a popular leisure activity here since the early 1900s. these days, skiing is a mega—industry. some 18 million tourists visit the alps every year, generating about 50 billion euros for the local economy. chamonix, at the base of europe's highest mountain, th

our health editor, hugh pym.with shadow health secretaryjon ashworth, who believes more should have been done earlier to prevent the situation deteriorating. well, i'm pleased thatjeremy hunt is finally waking up to the scale of the crisis facing the nhs. we have been warning him for some time, and until now he has been burying his head in the sand. i do rather ask, well, who has been in charge of the health service this last few years? it has been mr hunt. the nhs has been going through one of the biggest financial squeezes in its history. the social care sector has been quite severely cut back. all of this is putting huge pressures on the front line in our nhs and it is patients while suffering, waiting an a cce pta ble patients while suffering, waiting an acceptable times on trolleys and corridors, waiting unacceptable times ina corridors, waiting unacceptable times in a new departments. if jeremy hunt was to do something about it, he has the budget coming up, i'm asking him to put the money into health and so

hugh pym, bbc news. many calls from staff and patients for more spending on the nhs. but some experts insist that the current problems are not being caused solely by financial factors. branwenjeffreys has been to germany, where spending on health is the highest in the european union, to see how the system works there. doctors on their ward round. they never worry about a lack of beds. germany has almost three times as many as the uk. one day after the operation, i can walk. for george, that means almost no waiting. he'sjust had a hip replacement. in england, patients wait several months. for george, it's been just a few weeks since the decision was made. the doctor said to me, i have to decide when i want to take the operation. normally, it takes three orfour weeks to get a date for an operation. all of this paid, for by health insurance, 14% of george's salary, split between him and his employer. germany's health system is convenient, but expensive. and that worries doctors like martin wetzel. so in ord

our health editor hugh pym.the health secretary at 5.30. also, a reminder you can find out more about the state of health service wherever you are in the uk — all the details from the bbc‘s nhs health check coverage are online — bbc.co.uk/health. a federal appeals court in the united states has refused to reinstate donald trump's ban on travellers from seven mainly muslim countries. the controversial immigration reform was suspended last week, when a judge in seattle issued a temporary order, but the president appears determined to continue the legal battle, saying on twitter: "see you in court. the security of our nation is at stake!". david willis reports from washington. the office upon which i'm about to enter... as his controversial pick for attorney general was sworn in, donald trump hailed a new era ofjustice in america. former senatorjeff sessions, now the us‘ top law enforcement officer, may have his work cut out. i'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the united

hugh pym, bbc news. days, we'll be running a number of reports looking at the state of the nhs and the issues it faces. that's nhs healthcheck, across bbc news. france's far—right leader marine le pen has laid out her vision for the country if she wins the upcoming presidential election. she's promising to renegotiate membership of the european union, and pledged to help communities under threat from globalisation, as well as tackle islamic fundamentalism. france goes to the polls in april, in one of the most open contests of recent times. lucy williamson reports from lyon. she hugs kittens, shares memories of pregnancy and has dropped her controversial surname from the party brand. this is marine, a new softer image for france's ha rdline nationalist—in—chief, but the message is broadly the same. 0ur leaders have chosen unregulated globalisation. it was supposed to be a wonderful thing but turned out to be horrible. always in search of maximum profit with mass immigration and capitalism. her election pr

hugh pym bbc news. us court refused to reinstate his temporary ban on travellers from seven mainly muslim countries. this evening, mr trump said there was "no doubt" he would win in the courts and pledged additional security measures next week. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, has the latest on the president's confrontation with the legal system. at the white house this morning, a full ceremonial welcome being laid on for the japanese prime minister. even an awkward bear hug for the man he has only met once before. the focus of the conversation was meant to be about trade, not the subject journalists wanted to talk about. i'm curious about yesterday's ruling in the ninth circuit court. has it caused you to rethink your use of executive power? your question was unrelated to what we're here for today but i'll answer it. he steered clear of attacking the judges and promised victory eventually. we'll be doing something very rapidly, having to do with additional security for our country. you'll be seeing

hugh pym, bbc news.patients on hospital wards has been at unsafe levels in nine out of ten nhs trusts in england this winter, according to figures obtained by the bbc. the results are part of a week of special reports on the state of our health service and show some hospitals were operating at close to full capacity, putting increased pressure on the number of beds available. president trump has stepped up his attacks on the judge who blocked his travel ban on seven predominantly muslim nations. in a series of tweets, he said the american people should blame the judge if anything happened to threaten national security. simon clemison has the details. # what's so proudly we held... inside a huge patriotic moment. but outside the very make—up of this country is being tested. sayed lau, said it clear. refugees are welcome here. on the streets surrounding the super bowl, more campaigners against trumpite. critics say he is by letting the constitution but the new administration argues that america is facing w

our health editor, hugh pym, explains.s on gps. more patients with difficult conditions, finances not keeping up, and a job that they say is increasingly stressful. this used to be a surgery in the west midlands, but it is now boarded up. in the west midlands, the gps running it couldn't make the sums add up. couldn't make the sums a high workload needed more staff, which increased costs. they had to cut their own pay, so they decided to hand in the keys. own pay, so they this was one of the hardest decisions i've ever had to make. the hardest decisions i went into medicine to look after people and help people, and to be in a position where you feel like you can't do thatjob, it's not something i ever wanted to do. but at the end of the day, i've got to do what's right for me and what's safe to do. i've got to do what's right for local patients have had to move to nearby surgeries. had to move to nearby gps accept they are relatively well—paid, but some now feel it's no longer worth running a practice. we hope that in due

hugh pym, bbc news. in germany this evening. despite scoring an away goal in tonight's first leg, arsene wenger‘s side fell apart in the second half, eventually losing 5—1 to bayern munich. our correspondent, david ornstein, was watching the match. for arsenal a familiar stage, 1a straight years through to the champions league knockout phase, but that is where it tends to end. for arsene wenger, would this be a final tilt at european glory? the way his team started was ominous, allow arjen robben time and space and witness the stunning result. arsenal barely had a kick in the opening half—hour until this poorly timed kick gave them a life line. alexis sanchez was denied from the spot, though deadly from the rebound. it was a precious away goal, but after half—time, arsenal capitulated. robert lewandowski rose to restore bayern's lead and, just three minutes later, thiago raced clear to make it 3—1. thiago then added a fourth and the rout was completed was by thomas muller. arsenal's european campaign, on

hugh pym, bbc news.t to find out more, you can visit bbc.co.uk/health and there's a section called nhs health check, comparing the performance of the nhs in england, scotland, wales and northern ireland. the speaker of the house of commons, john bercow, has expressed his strong opposition to any plans for president trump to address both houses of parliament when he makes his state visit to britain later this year. mr bercow said his opposition had hardened following mr trump's decision to impose a travel ban on seven mainly muslim countries. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young has the story. it's an honour that's been bestowed oi'i it's an honour that's been bestowed on pope 's and presidents, a speech to both houses of parliament in the splendour of westminster hall was pa rt of splendour of westminster hall was part of the itinerary for these dignitaries when they visited britain. but the same invite may not becoming president trump's way. in an astonishing intervention in the commons speaker

hugh pym, bbc news.be running a number of reports looking at the state of the nhs, and the issues it faces. that's nhs healthcheck, across bbc news. four people have been arrested, after an 18—year—old man was shot dead in a pub car park, in gwynedd in north wales. police say the victim was in a vehicle outside the ship inn in llanbedrog, when he was attacked. a man has been stabbed and shot in east london. police were called to the scene in ilford to find a 22—year—old man inside a car with serious but not life threatening injuries. the man is believed to have been shot and also sustained minor knife wounds. the conservative party may no longer be pushing the expansion of home ownership, as the focus of housing policy. the guiding principle for more than 30 years, the housing minister, gavin barwell, now says buying a home is no longer affordable for some, and there should be a new emphasis on renting. labour argues more council houses are needed, to deal with what it says is a housing crisis. as our po

hugh pym, bbc news.nian attacker has been sentenced to 18—months in prison. a military court convicted elor azaria of manslaughter for shooting dead abdul fatah al—sharif as he lay badly hurt on the ground in the occupied west bank. some israelis have called for the soldier to be pardoned, palestinians have condemned the sentence as too lenient. the prime minister, theresa may, has held talks with the french presidential candidate, emmanuel macron. the presidential frontrunner said he would like uk banks and workers to move to france after brexit. this evening, mr macron held a rally to addressed some of the 200,000 french voters in the capital who make london effectively france's sixth largest city. the government took in more money that it spent last month, according to the office for national statistics. the first month of the year traditionally sees a surplus because of the high level of receipts from income tax. but at £9.4 billion, the surplus last month was the biggest for 17 years. i'm joined by

hugh pym, bbc news.ked into the uk every year, according to official statistics, and that number is rising. they come from all over the world, but by far the biggest share are those from albania. in 2015, this relatively small country accounted for over 600 potential victims, about a fifth of the total. of those, the vast majority were female, and most of them were forced into prostitution. the authorities in albania have been criticised for failing to crack down on the problem with just 18 convictions last year. i've been speaking to some of the victims. blessed with natural beauty, but the centre of a dark trade. albania has over two decades built up a brutal industry, with human beings the commodity. translation: i hate them, and i want them to get the punishment they deserve. this girl, still a teenager, was just 1a when she was sold into a trafficking ring by a man that she thought was her boyfriend. she was forced to sleep with several men a day and tells of a bewildering and terrifying world of ab

hugh pym, bbc news.isters have been forced to defend their decision to abandon a scheme to bring vulnerable refugee children to bring vulnerable refugee children to britain from europe. the home secretary, amber rudd, said the project designed by lord dubs risked ringing in people traffickers. it was cancelled after 350 people were brought in. campaigners hoped to bring in 3000. laboursaid it was shameful and the archbishop of canterbury said he was saddened and shocked. stranded at a hostel in athens, this 17—year—old afghan refugee is travelling alone. he wants to come to britain and was being helped by the charity, safe passage. but the government scheme to assist unaccompanied child refugees in europe with no family in the uk, which has taken 200 so far, will now only take 150 more. he could be stuck. if i am stuck here, it's really hard to me to achieve my aims, to achieve my goals, because here there is no perfect school or perfect college for the refugees. newsreel: 200 girls and boys wave a greet

he was talking to our health editor hugh pym. the worst monthly a&e figures in more than a decade.ell. times are very desperate. images like this across bbc news. no—one would want it for members of their own family. it has been a difficult few days for the health secretary and he has now come out and acknowledged that some of what is happening in the hospitals in england is unacceptable. the bbc has shown images from royal blackburn of people waiting 13 hours, mothers and babies sitting in the corridor, aren't you embarrassed ? it is incredibly frustrating for me. i am doing thisjob because i want nhs care to be the safest and best in the world. that kind of care is completely unacceptable, no—one would want it for members of their own family. ara sibley‘s story featured on bbc news this week. she had to wait six months in hospital before a care—home place was available. what did jeremy hunt have to say to her family? i don't want to make any kind of excuses. it is totally unacceptable. it is terrible for mrs sibley but also very bad for the nhs... it is not the only case of its k

hugh pym, bbc news.e bbc news channel, we'll be taking your questions on the state of the nhs and the issue of health tourism. your questions will be answered by professor martin knapp from the london school of economics. please get in touch via text or send an email or contact us via twitter using the hashtag bbc ask this. let's cross over to nottingham now to see how health services there are faring. joining me live from the queen's medical centre in nottingham is caroline shaw, chief operating officer of nottingham university hospitals nhs trust. we have been hearing about the pressures , we have been hearing about the pressures, what is the situation where you are? it is hugely busy in nottingham, like in all other trusts in the uk. we've had a difficult winter seeing far more at —— admissions than previous winters. do you have any examples of where things go wrong? for instance we we re things go wrong? for instance we were talking about the case of iris who stayed in hospital long after she should

hugh pym, bbc news. dying unexpectedly has risen this is part of the accident and urgency unit, it is one of the busiest in the country, let us talk with mr brooks, who runs the major trauma centre. this is one of six places in england, scotland, wales and northern ireland will be following suit eventually you believe? we have been going since 2012, they are following the lead, across all of the major trauma centres and we know, from looking at the media and colleagues, the rest of the country is looking to follow suit. there are just looking at a road accident, all in a days work? absolutely, two of three people at the same time, we see five severely injured patients in the major trauma centre everyday and it is not uncommon for us centre everyday and it is not uncommon for us to centre everyday and it is not uncommon for us to have two or three people at the same time. in the old days, patients of more than a 10% chance would be taken to their local hospitals in many incidences. the theory here is that

hugh pym, bbc news.emoved from a flight to new york whilst travelling with his students. juhel miah was escorted off a plane in iceland despite having a valid british passport and visa. the incident happened a week afterjudges in the us ruled a temporary halt on president trump's travel ban. ben price reports. can't believe this is happening. honestly, ifeel like a criminal. the thoughts ofjuhel miah, recorded on his phone moments m ssggssn zi=fikfif§2'*'§% but for maths teacher mr miah, it's one that he will remember for all the wrong reasons. having spent a few days with 39 pupils and three other staff members in reykjavik, mr miah made his way through passport control to fly to the us. as he did so, he was told he'd been randomly selected for a security check. they took me into this room. i think there were five to six officials there. two of them were checking me. 0ne put me on a stool while i took myjacket off. i took my bag off. then i had to take my hoody off. i had a school hoody on at the time, so

hugh pym, bbc news.ridoos sold every year are cheap imports from china and indonesia — which rip—off the work of indigenous artists. from sydney, hywel griffith reports. following a line that traces back tens of thousands of years, dean kelly says every artwork he makes is engrained with his identity. he learned to make traditional canoes from his grandfather. he says he'll pass on his skills to the next generation but he finds the trade in so—called fake aboriginal art offensive. they shouldn't attempt to make money from the oldest living culture in the world. it is very disrespectful. my people aren't like that. my people are very generous, very offering and accepting. but, i think, any aboriginal person would be offended from people copying and replicating our art or our styles and making money off it. these are the kind of things that make dean and many other indigenous artists angry. everything from paintings and didgeridoos to tea towels and flip flops all decorated to look as if they've come from

our health editor hugh pym has more. england figures this winter show the worst waiting time performance in a&e units since records began more than a decade ago. jeremy hunt paid tribute to the work of staff, but said that the problems of high patient demand were not unique to the nhs and all leading health systems were grappling with the same challenge. he said there was no silver bullet. i think it's wrong to suggest to people that these profound challenges such as we face with an ageing population are ones where there's a silver bullet that you can solve the problem overnight. we have a very good plan, which has the support of nhs, it will take time to deliver. asked about bbc coverage this week of patients enduring lengthy waits in a&e and an elderly woman having to spend six months in hospital, because no care home place was available, he said he didn't want to make excuses and these examples were completely unacceptable. it is you know incredibly frustrating for me. i'm doing thisjob, because i want nhs care to be

in the first of a series of special reports, on the nhs, here's our health editor, hugh pym.eter, it wasn'tjust inconvenient waiting six months for surgery, it made his life almost unbearable. even after a series of operations began last autumn, there were delays when he was almost immobile. i was completely housebound, relying on friends forjust minor trips to the shops and i became quite reclusive as well. deeply frustrated and deeply upset with not being able to get out and do what i wanted to do. bbc research shows that long waits for operations have gone up a lot, though they are measured differently around the uk. in england, the number waiting over 18 weeks was up 163%. in scotland, the figure was up 95%. in wales, those waiting over 26 weeks were up 74%. and in northern ireland, the number waiting over 13 weeks was up 95%. i don't know anybody who isn't extremely concerned about this because it is an indicator of the fact that we are unable to deliver the standard of care we would like to be delivering and also an indicator ofjust how much patience waiting for their s

thank you very much, hugh pym is our health editor.the inquiry into child sex abuse. glyn says, "i have to say i'm fed—up asa glyn says, "i have to say i'm fed—up as a disabled person being picked on by the government. they simply have no idea what they're doing to us. i can't help being disabled and i didn't ask to be like this, but to be targeted by the government is appalling. it makes me worry about any cuts which has an impact on me and makes my condition worse." theindependent inquiry into child sexual abuse in england and wales is holding its first public hearings today, more than two and a half years after it was set up by the government. it'll begin by examining the appalling mistreatment of british children many whom were orphans or from poor families, who were sent to australia in the years after the second world war. the inquiry will be told that the scale of abuse they suffered was much wider than previously thought. organisers of this year's oscars say they're still trying to work out how the ceremony ended in chaos, afte

this report from our health editor hugh pym.like this on bbc news this week have highlighted the immense strains being felt right across the nhs. here at royal blackburn hospital, rated as good by inspectors, some patients waited up to 13 hours in a&e. some had to sit on the floor. the latest official figures confirmed it was the worst for waits since modern records began. today at hillingdon hospital in west london, things were a bit calmer, but managers confirm that they have been stretched to the limit. it's been fairly relentless in terms of early december throuthanuary. i'm confident that the safety of our patients is being maintained at a high quality, but it's really not a great patient experience for many of our patients using our services and that is what the staff tell me as well. in december in england, 6.2% of patients were treated or assessed in a&e within 2a hours, the lowest since records began in 200a. that was below scotland, where 92.6% of patients were dealt with within that time. in wales, the figure was 81%

our health editor hugh pym is with me now.s are for england, our reporter suggested there was more pressure a cross reporter suggested there was more pressure across the uk. that's right, the number of patients treated outside the four hour limit was aged 2%, the worst figures and in scotland and was higher, 96.2%, wales, lower, northern irelandjust below 70%, the same pressures everywhere although different parts of the uk reacting in slightly different ways. let me quote yet another statistic. almost 500,000 emergency admissions to hospitals in england in december, another record high, that is what nhs england is pointing to, the sheer volume of patients coming in is higher than anything seen before and they think staff are working very hard and coping incredibly well in the circumstances. yet for patients there's more waiting longer than four hours on trolleys after a decision has been made to admit them to hospital but to find them a bed. that's what we've been hearing this week on bbc news, some really difficult stories a

our health editor hugh pym explains the extent of the pressures for emergency departments across thescotland was actually higher, 92.6%. wheels down at 81% and northern ireland just below 70%, so the same pressures everywhere —— wales were down. different bits of the uk reacting in slightly different ways. let me quote another statistic. almost 500,000 emergency admissions to hospitals in england in december, another record high. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. iam ros i am ros atkins. our lead story... key trump advisor kellyanne conway has been reprimanded by the white house after she promoted a clothing range owned by donald trump's daughter ivanka. miss conway told a breakfast television programme to "go buy ivanka's stuff." her comments have been labelled over the line and unacceptable. know some of the main stories from bbc world service... —— now to some of the main stories from bbc world service... the international committee of the red cross is temporarily suspending its aid programme in afghanistan after an an attack on one of its convoys killed six staff

mr hunt told our health editor hugh pym that the government has a plan, but it will take time to deliverd there is huge commitment in the nhs to sort out those negative things, and a particular pressure point we have is a&e, and what we need to do is find ways of treating particularly people with complex conditions, older people with dementia, treating them at home or in the community, and that is the big direction of change that we have embarked on. but that is longer term. what we are seeing in hospitals right now, the scenes we have been showing on the bbc this week, real stress and strain, the figures out show performance targets are the worst since 2004, what can you do about it right now, shouldn't you be doing more? i think it is wrong to suggest to people but these profound challenges such as we face with an ageing population are ones where there is a silver bullet when you can solve the problem overnight. we have a very good plan, it has the support of the nhs. it will take time to deliver, but in terms of immediate support we are doing what we can with extra financial support t

he was talking to our health editor hugh pym. the worst monthly a&e figures in more than a decade.y have corridor nurses as well. times are very desperate. images like this across bbc news. no one would want it for members of their own family. it has been a difficult few days for the health secretary and he has now come out and acknowledge that some of what is happening in the hospitals in england is unacceptable. the bbc has shown images from royal blackburn of people waiting 13 hours, mothers and babies sitting in the corridor, are you embarrassed 7 babies sitting in the corridor, are you embarrassed? it is incredibly frustrating for me. i am doing this job because i want nhs care to be the safest and best in the world. that kind of care is completely unacceptable, no one would want it for members of their own family. ara sibley‘s story featured on bbc news this week. she had to wait six months in hospital before a care home place was available. what did jeremy hunt have to say to her family? i don't want to make any kind of excuses. it is totally unacceptable. it is terrible for

earlier our health editor hugh pym explained to me the extent of the pressures for emergency departmentsmber of patients in december in england treated or assessed in a&e within four ours was 86.2%, the worst since records began in 200a. scotla nd worst since records began in 200a. scotland in december was a little bit higher, 92.6%. wales at 81%. northern ireland just below 70%. the same pressures everywhere, though different bits of the uk reacting in slightly different ways. let me quote you another stat. there were nearly 500,000 emergency admissions to hospitals in england in december, another record high. that's what nhs england are pointing to, the sheer volume of patients coming through is above anything that has been seen before. they think staff are working incredibly hard and coping very well in the circumstances. but for patients, as we've been hearing, there are more and more waiting longer than four ours on trolleys after a decision has been made to admit them to hospital, to find them admit them to hospital, to find them a bed at more than four ours. as we've been hearing

overspend that will see the trusts collectively miss the national financial target. 0ur health editor hugh pym finances have been under pressure for some time. the government says it has helped by helping hospitals reduce their agency staffing bills and that has had an impact. even so, figures are worse than expected. last november, the regulator, nhs improvement, predicted a full—year deficit for trusts in england of £580 million. it has now had to revise that up to a new figure of up to £850 million for those trusts over the year. to put that in perspective, that is against a total budget of 80 billion. what other reasons? the first lies in a&e. between 0ctober and december last year, the numbers of patients going into a&e were up by 200,000 over the same period the previous year, more than expected. that costs hospitals money. another reason is difficult it is discharging patients back into the community because of social care problems. that means hospitals are close to being full. they have had to cancel routine surgery and operations. that costs them money, because they don't get the inco

our health editor hugh pym reports. england figures this winter show the worst waiting time performance ina&e the worst waiting time performance in a & e units since records began more than a decade ago. jeremy hunt paid tribute to the work of stuff but said the problems of high patient demand were not unique to the nhs and all leading health systems or grappling with the challenge. he said there was no silver bullet. i think it is wrong to suggest to people that these profound challenges such as we face with an ageing population are ones where there is a silver bullet so you can solve the problem overnight. we have a very good plan, it has the support of the nhs and it will take time to deliver. asked about bbc coverage this week of patients enduring long waits in a & e and an elderly woman spending six months in hospital because no care place was available he said he did not want to make excuses and these problems were com pletely make excuses and these problems were completely unacceptable. make excuses and these pro

i'm joined by our health editor hugh pym. talk us through the figures.rather used to seeing how much red ink there is across nhs finances in england and today we learn a bit more. ministers say progress has been made on cutting expensive agency staff bills, but the figures are worse than expected. what was predicted last november by the regulator for this financial year for all trusts in england was a deficit of £580 million. today we have learnt it will be higher. they think it will be nero £850 million. 0ne will be higher. they think it will be nero £850 million. one of the reasons they give is the sheer number of patients, more than expected. let's look at the numbers going to a&e in october and december, a key barometer of patient numbers. there was an increase on the same period the previous year of 200,000, up to well above 5 million. another reason was the delayed tra nsfers another reason was the delayed transfers from hospitals, making it difficult for hospitals to find enough beds. if you cannot move a patient on, you cannot find room for someb

our health editor hugh pym is here. why is the nhs so much in debt?, the trusts, are basically spending more money than comes in. that's happened for the last few yea rs that's happened for the last few years and these deficits have got larger and larger. the government and regulators have stepped in to try to curb this overspending, they've introduced measures to reply to reduce overspending and agency staff, that has succeeded up to a point. what we can't —— what they can't control is patients time. as we heard from cathy mclean there, the growth in patient numbers has been more than expected. they were forecasting a deficit of about £580 million for the full financial year in march and now they are saying it could be as much as £850 million because of actors beyond their control. it has to be balanced out somehow. they make cuts elsewhere to come in on budget. there has to be a question of whether the whole budget can come in as predicted. there was a real scramble this time last year to try to make the sums add up. i suspect on the back of these n

our health editor, hugh pym, is at the queen's medical centre in nottingham.e is it fair to say a lot of these proposals at this stage? that's right. proposals in detail documents in each region of england. they have to be firmed up into definite plans. some of them if they involve closures will have to go to formal public consultation. but we have moved quite a long way forward with this process which began last year. it was extremely controversial with critics saying this is a covert, secret agenda to carry out cuts. and, actually, nhs england and others say this is what the nhs does, it has to reform care, it has to look at patient demand in the community and try to treat people away from hospitals. in nottingham, for example, they want to cut 200 beds at the two hospitals but they wa nt to beds at the two hospitals but they want to reinvest in community care. they think they can move people more quickly back closer to home. that sounds like a good plan in theory but some of the local critics say that if you don't invest in community care, then you lose the

financial crash, it would still fail to keep pace with population growth and ageing. 0ur health editor hugh pymysis. well huw, does the nhs need a lot more money or could there be a more efficient use of resources, how much responsibility do we have as patients to avoid lifestyle related diseases? there are many questions in the search for long term solutions. health care is all about looking after the changing needs of the population. it's growing and people are living longer. there are big demographic changes. those are challenges facing the nhs in the nations of the uk, and health systems in leading economies around the world. new analysis from the institute for fiscal studies illustrates the problem. health spending in england after allowing for inflation has gone up for the last few years. 0n current plans it carries on rising, though it tails off a bit in a couple of years' time. but spending per person adjusted for the changing age profile of the population has risen more slowly, and by 2020 it will actually have fallen back. and that'll leave a £1.3 billion shortfall on what's needed ju

our health editor hugh pym has been taking a closer look at the issue.redit card machine. it's already happening at some hospitals as they try to claim back some of the cost of nhs care from overseas visitors who don't qualify for it. you're not entitled to free medical treatment. it is £800 a day. i'm very sorry. i understand that, but that's what we have to charge, sir. the government, which has been criticised for failing to collect enough money, now wants all hospitals to charge patients not entitled to free care upfront for nonemergency treatment. other countries in the eu, other countries outside the eu, like the us, like canada, like australia, they charge visitors to their country for using health services other than in urgent cases and we are just doing the same thing. but some argue the sums of money are small and the policy is a distraction from the real issues facing the nhs. what we mustn't do is pretend that this reclaiming of money will somehow solve the problems in the nhs, which are about gross underfunding. we are several billion pounds

dominic hughes, bbc news, appleby. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is with me.ssing all kinds of problems facing gps, but making comments that they won't necessarily be happy with. that's right, jeremy hunt a short time ago announced a couple of measures affecting gps. 0ne follows on from his health tourism statement yesterday. 0verseas visitors to hospitals can be charged. he also announced more details of what the prime minister plug up a few weeks ago, which was that gps in england who are offered extra money to provide extended access through the day at and so on, could actually close —— who actually close for a few hours each day will not qualify. this was identified by the national audit office, which said that there we re audit office, which said that there were numbers of surgeries that were not open all day during working hours, now the mind other times. —— never mind. it is a move that the government wants to see more of to extend hours. gps were annoyed when this was announced the other week, saying they are already working a lot of hours, providing e

but the pressures faced by staff there are felt throughout the nhs. 0ur health editor hugh pym has beenavailable to the nhs and social care in england, and the the growing demands on that money. yes, george — does the nhs need a lot more money, how can you get health working more closely with social care, run by local authorities? what about more efficient use of resources and how much responsibility do we have as patients to do more to avoid lifestyle related diseases? these are all big questions in the search for long term solutions. health care is all about looking after the changing needs of the population. its growing and people are living longer. there are big demographic change, those are challenges facing the nhs, and the nations of the uk and health systems in leading economies around the world. new figures from the institute for fiscal studies illustrate the problem. health spending in england has risen well above inflation, for the last few yea rs. looking ahead it carries are on rising, though it does tail off a bit ina rising, though it does tail off a bit in a couple of ye

our health editor hugh pym is here. explain what on earth happened here.ing because they were sent from hospitals to gp surgeries and patients, and if they were returned because someone patients, and if they were returned because someone had changed their address or moved to a different gp they were supposed to be re—routed. that didn't happen for whatever reason and they ended up in a warehouse. we're told by nhs england they have been rooted through to the correct places now but of the 500,000, although a lot of them are fairly routine bits of correspondence where there is no concern, there are 2500 they are still following up to see whether the patient‘s treatment was affected any way the gp did not get the right information to carry out the right form of care. so those are still being looked at, there is no evidence there is any problem with them but we don't know for sure people were completely u naffected. for sure people were completely unaffected. have we had any response from the government? they say last summerjeremy hunt notified mps there was a

with me is our health editor hugh pym. so—called health tourism, how much does it cost the nhs?licated situation. first, to be clear, the charging refers to non—care, not emergencies. wherever you come from in the world if you get involved in a trauma situation and you are taken in an ambulance to a&e, you will not be charged. then you have two groups. people outside europe are not eligible for care and ought to be charged, and then people from inside the european economic area who will have a special card which they show and it is up to their government to claim the money. looking at the figures that we have, it is estimated that £2 billion of health care is provided to overseas visitors but that includes emergencies that they may have encountered. of that, what is recovera ble 7 encountered. of that, what is recoverable? the government has a target for next year £500 million to be recovered in england from people who to be charged. but the national audit office regulator in a report at the end of last year found that based on what was happening at the moment, there was a short

this report from our health editor hugh pym.like this on bbc news this week have highlighted the immense strain being felt right across the nhs. here at royal blackburn hospital, rated as good by inspectors, some patients waited up to 13 hours in a&e. some had to sit on the floor. the latest official figures have confirmed it was the worst for waits since modern records began. today at hillingdon hospital in west london, things were a bit calmer, but managers confirmed they've been stretched to the limits. it's been fairly relentless in terms of november, december through january. i'm confident that the safety of our patients is being maintained at a high quality. but it's really not a great patient experience for many of our patients who use our services, and that's what the staff tell me as well. in december in england, 86.2% of patients were treated or assessed in a&e within four hours, the lowest since records began in 200a. that was below scotland, where 92.6% of patients were dealt with within that time. in wales, the figu

with me is our health editor hugh pym. what has actually happened?eal in them, test results for illnesses such as cancer. and the documents either had incorrect gp addresses or went to the re—routed to new gps. nhs england employed a private company, called nhs business services to ensure that they ended up services to ensure that they ended up at the right address. but instead of doing that itjust stored the documents. the mistake happened over a number of years, from 2011 to 2016, east midlands, south west of england and north—east london. it is thought to those in 500 patients could have been affected. staggering numbers. people are understandably going to be worried. what has been the reaction? we know that the health secretary discourse this in the summer. he said that the mistake had been made. but what he did not do was say that quite a number of patients had been involved. and today, labour have accused the government of a cover—up. today, labour have accused the government of a cover-up. this is an absolute scandal. and patient safety has be

our health editor hugh pym reports.lready supposed to charge those foreign patients who don't qualify for free non—urgent care, but a report by the national audit office found that money raised next year would fall far short of a £500 million target set by the government. ministers have announced that, from april, nhs trusts in england will have a legal duty to charge upfront for non—emergency care, rather than send invoices after the event. it's not clear how this would be enforced. auk a uk wide poll shows that 74% of respondents support increasing charges for visitors from outside the uk to help fund the nhs. 40% said raising income tax to finance the nhs would be acceptable. 37% said it would be acceptable for uk citizens to pay for some health services which are currently free. we can go now to the queen's medical centre in nottingham and speak to our correspondent, rob sissons. over to you, rob. good evening. this is the queen's medical centre, one of the busiest accident and emergency units in the country. i'm jo

hugh pym our health editor is here. what does seven day a week mean in practical terms. consul tonight's. consultants. there are talks on going with the bma about that. there is gps, that's proved controversial as well. attempts to get more gp access after office hours during the week and at weekends when gps are saying well, we're already doing that and we sometimes open at a weekend and offer appointments and nobody wants them. it is highly controversial, but there is a lot of different aspects to it. hi. my name is dave. i'm a staff nurse in a&e. i think the government deliberately deflects from what the issue is. this issue ofa from what the issue is. this issue of a seven day nhs, i don't think the public really want an elective seven day nhs, what they want is a fully funded seven day emergency ca re fully funded seven day emergency care and five day lekive care. —— elective care. applause? the problem is we have been under funded for the last six years as one of our contributors said earlier, it used to be 4% to 4% added on every year to account for things like in