we heard in sophie's report some of what the head of nhs providers, chris hopson, had to say — let's om that interview on bbc news earlier — began by explaining just how much pressure the nhs was under. if you look over each of the last five days we have had 1,000 more people with covid—19 in hospital compared to the day before, so you can see the number of hospitalisations beginning to rise. we're at 12,500 now which compares to 311,000 injanuary, this time last year, a year ago, but we need to remember how busy the nhs is with other care, so very busy accident and emergency care pathway, and we have those planned elective surgery cases which we can't delay any longer and we are going full pelt to extend the booster vaccine campaign. 0ur colleagues in social care have come under real pressure again. and then at the same time we have growing numbers of staff absences because of covid—19 so wherever you look, you have a care system under huge pressure, and clearly if the numbers of covid cases increase at the speed with which they are currently going up, that is obviously a concern, es

chris hopson, the chief executive of nhs providers, which represents health trusts, says the governmentmust be ready to introduce new restrictions... ..if they're needed." latest figures show hospital admissions in england, have risen to their highest level since january last year. the health secretary, sajid javid, has warned new restrictions on freedom "must be an absolute last resort". here's our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson. a new year and with it, the hope that 2022 will draw us closer to the end of the pandemic. but once again, january is likely to see soaring infection rates. last night restrictions in some places and advice in others meant more subdued celebrations, but some were determined to celebrate. we have our boosters we've done our things, we followed the guidance. it is a funny one this year because we obviously want to stay safe but also in 15 years of living here i've never been and done the london fireworks so boris had a cheese and wine party so why can't i come and see the fireworks? come in and take a seat. some had resolved to get protected for the new

chris hopson from nhs providers says the the government must be prepared to introduce fresh coronavirusif they are necessary. it comes as england has once again recorded it's highest number of daily coronavirus cases — 162,572 people have tested positive with in the last 2a hour period. scotland, wales and northern ireland have not reported figures on new year's day. writing in the daily mail — the health secretary sajid javid says new covid restrictions must be the last resort — saying �*curbs on our freedom must be an absolute last resort and the british people rightly expect us to do everything in our power to avert them. speaking to me earlier — chris hopson explained how much pressure the nhs was under. if you look over each of the last five days we have had 1,000 more people with covid—19 in hospital compared to the day before, so you can see the number of hospitalisations beginning to rise. we're at 12,500 now which compares to 311,000 injanuary, this time last year, a year ago, but we need to remember how busy the nhs is with other care, so very busy accident and emergency care

patients are treated within mental health rehabilitation units each year run by both the nhs and private providers. but there are serious concerns over standards of care on some wards. lissa's mental health deteriorated within the unit, she tried to take her own life 32 times within six months. i was there to be able to get better and i felt that i came away, like, worse. a bbc investigation has found some patients are placed within units for a decade or more. many experts want a greater focus on community care. there are significance amounts of money, around half a billion pounds, spent on this cohort of people. when people are supported in their community it is less expensive and obviously, from a patient experience perspective, people want to live in a community. the government says it is rolling out integrated community mental

the times reports the comments from the head of nhs providers, chris hopson, who believes the "frontine of the service will hold", as there's growing hopes that we are past the omicron peak. the i says that the prime minister is planning to announce a "living with covid plan" by march, which could include winding down testing and the scrapping of free lateral flow tests. another of those measures is reported in the telegraph — reducing the covid isolation period from seven to five days, a measure which the chancellor supports. we were just saying nadhim zahawi also supports that. the mail has a warning from senior tory mps to borisjohnson — that he must tackle the cost of living crisis or face a backlash at the polls. the guardian leads on comments from fire safety campaigners, who say the housing secretary michael gove must spend more than the planned £4 billion to tackle the cladding crisis. the mirror has an exclusive report on what it calls "the sickening truth" behind the government's promise to "level up", featuring a yorkshire school which it says has no money for repairs. and

number of patients in hospital with covid—i9 has increased by about 70% in a week according to nhs providersow this wave will play out. if the evidence shows that we are getting very significant numbers of people coming into hospital with covid, then the government needs to be ready to introduce further restrictions at pace. what we are trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game. with most days now bringing record numbers of infections and the virus spreading rapidly amongst us, the health secretary in england has warned of a big increase in hospitalisations this month, which is likely to test the limits of the nhs. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. dr bharat pankhania is a senior clinical lecturer at university of exeter medical school, and says any new restrictions might already too late to prevent the current surge in infections growing further. within reason, ifeel that the pulse of infections that are going to come our way has already occurred, because people will have been exposed and now they will be incubating it and in the next couple

number of patients in hospital with covid—i9 has increased by about 70% in a week, according to nhs providersthis wave will play out. if the evidence shows that we are getting very significant numbers of people coming into hospital with covid, then the government needs to be ready to introduce further restrictions at pace. what we're trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game. with most days now bringing record numbers of infections, as the virus spreads rapidly amongst us, the health secretary in england has warned of a big increase in hospitalisations this month, which is likely to test the limits of the nhs. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. covid is continuing to cause major disruption for travellers worldwide. airlines cancelled more than 4,300 flights on saturday — more than half of them were services into, out of, or within the us. a belgian scientific research station in antarctica is dealing with an outbreak of covid—i9. the infection has been reported in at least 16 of the 25 members of staff at

chris hopson is the chief executive of nhs providers and he's been speaking to hospital bosses, who are shortages. what we are seeing in the rest of the country is the same as we were seen in london, increasing numbers of people coming into hospital, increasing staff absences, and that's coming on top of a very significant amount of wider pressure. many of those cases done as possible but we simply have not been able to do that as a result of the arrival of omicron. so it will have an impact and we will need to work out what that impact is but there will be an impact. we are trying to extend it was the campaign and at the same time, no or social calculator under real, real pressure of the last couple of weeks because they have big staff absences but they are also now seeing outbreaks of omicron in care homes which means those care homes are closed to new residents so it is a concerning picture. professor clive kay is the chief executive of kings college hospital london, which employs around 14,000 staff. he said that there are around 500 people off at the moment — and while that may not

number of patients in hospital with covid—i9 has increased by about 70% in a week according to nhs providersknow how this wave will play out. if the evidence shows that we are getting very significant numbers of people coming into hospital with covid, then the government needs to be ready to introduce further restrictions at pace. what we are trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game. with most days now bringing record numbers of infections and the virus spreads rapidly amongst us, the health secretary in england has warned of a big increase in hospitalisations this month, which is likely to test the limits of the nhs. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. north korea's leader kimjong—un has admitted his country is facing severe economic problems, including food shortages. in an address to a meeting of the ruling party, mr kim didn't mention his country's issues with the united states, something he usually focuses on. instead, he said increasing development and improving people's living standards would be his main task this year. a self—imposed co

number of patients in hospital with covid—i9 has increased by about 70% in a week, according to nhs providersw this wave will play out. if the evidence shows that we are getting very significant numbers of people coming into hospital with covid, then the government needs to be ready to introduce further restrictions at pace. what we're trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game. with most days now bringing record numbers of infections, as the virus spreads rapidly amongst us, the health secretary in england has warned of a big increase in hospitalisations this month, which is likely to test the limits of the nhs. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. earlier i spoke to saad 0mer, who's director at the yale institute for global health.i asked what lessons we should have learned to help us to tackle the pandemic in 2022. a few lessons. first of all, the good news is that we have effective tools that have been battle tested over the last year. we have an effective vaccine or a series of vaccines we have. we know that masks, especially high—quality mask

chris hopson is the chief executive of nhs providers and he's been speaking to hospital bosses, who arertages. pressure on the nhs is now spreading outside london. i think as we know, london has been the epicentre but it's been very striking talking to hospital chief executives over the last 2a hours about actually how that pressure is really, really mounting outside london. and there are three things going on at once. one is we are seeing rising numbers of covid patients coming into hospital, the second is the staff absences which in some trusts are causing a real, real problem and the third bit of course is this is against the backdrop of a very, very busy nhs and social care system where we have got a very busy urgent and emergency care pathway, all those cases, planned surgery cases we cannot delay any longer, that we're trying to at the same time extend the booster campaign and catch those people who haven't been boosted yet who ought to have been boosted, and we know at the same time our social care colleagues are under real, real pressure over the last couple of weeks because the

chris hopson is the chief executive of nhs providers. and hejoins us now. thank you for joining us.e summary of the latest pictures so would you mind telling us what your analysis is of where hospitals are right now? good morninu. where hospitals are right now? good morning- where _ where hospitals are right now? good morning. where i _ where hospitals are right now? good morning. where i think _ where hospitals are right now? (13mg. morning. where i think the nhs generally is at the moment is the pressure we have been experiencing in london over the last ten days is now spreading to the rest of the country. what we are seeing in the rest of the country is the same as we were seen in london, increasing numbers of people coming into hospital, increasing staff absences, and that's coming on top of a very significant amount of wider pressure. so you canjust, as i said, when you talk to hospital chief executives and acute mental health, ambulance, community chief executives, you feel the kind of pressure rising. there are some good news. the two or three bits of good news. the two or th

joining me now is chris hopson, chief executive of nhs providers, which represents hospitals, healthcareid that the numbers of people requiring care are going to go people requiring care are going to 9° up people requiring care are going to go up considerably in the next month, is that something you are bracing yourself for? we month, is that something you are bracing yourself for?— month, is that something you are bracing yourself for? we are already seeinu bracing yourself for? we are already seeing this. — bracing yourself for? we are already seeing this. if— bracing yourself for? we are already seeing this, if you _ bracing yourself for? we are already seeing this, if you look _ bracing yourself for? we are already seeing this, if you look over - bracing yourself for? we are already seeing this, if you look over each . seeing this, if you look over each of the last five days we have had a thousand more people with covid—19 in hospital compared to the day before, so you can see the number of hospitalisations beginning to rise. 12,500 now which compares to 311,000 injanuary, this time

number of patients in hospital with covid—i9 has increased by about 70% in a week, according to nhs providersll play out. if the evidence shows that we are getting very significant numbers of people coming into hospital with covid, then the government needs to be ready to introduce further restrictions at pace. what we're trying to balance this against is the fact that the vaccines have changed the rules of the game. with most days now bringing record numbers of infections, as the virus spreads rapidly amongst us, the health secretary in england has warned of a big increase in hospitalisations this month, which is likely to test the limits of the nhs. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. coronavirus is continuing to cause major disruption for travellers worldwide. airlines cancelled more than a400 flights on saturday. it's one of the highest single—day tallies since the cancellations began just before christmas. stephanie prentice reports. from last minute cancellations, two hours of delays in airports. the past week has been called the perfect storm of travel chaos in the united states as the demand

chris hopson is the chief executive of nhs providers and he's been speaking to hospital bosses, who areings going on at once, we are seeing rising numbers of patients, staff absences as well which in some clusters causing a real problem on the third but of course as this is against the backdrop of a very, very busy nhs and social care system where we have got a very busy urgent and emergency pathway, so they cannot delay it any longer, and the same time extended booster campaign and catty people who have not been with the jet you ought to be boosted and at the same time, we know the social care colleagues are under real pressure over the last few weeks because they've got big staff absences but they've got big staff absences but they are also seeing outbreaks of 0micron in care homes which means the care homes are closed to new residents out as a concerning picture. professor clive kay is the chief executive of kings college hospital london. thanks forjoining us, what is the situation is your hospital in terms of staff absence?— situation is your hospital in terms of staff absence? well

chief executive of nhs providers. do when she arrives. deborah turn s is a hast to do when she arrives. deborah turn sis a very _ hast to do when she arrives. deborah turn s is a very considerable - turn s is a very considerable figure, an editorial heavyweight who is the current ceo at itn. she has had a long career in international journalism, she was posted to washington during the clinton years, she covered the balkans war from bosnia. she was the youngest ever editor at itv news. a few years ago, she became the first ever britain at nbc. she has this international and commercial background which was then strengthened by her time at itn. i think she is considerably having a strong reputation, she is considered to have done a good job where she has been, that is why she is a contender for this has been, that is why she is a contenderfor thisjob. has been, that is why she is a contenderforthisjob. she has been, that is why she is a contenderfor thisjob. she has a very strong record on impartiality, i don't think the

it is all part— lead, this is understandable but it is all part of trying to work together, providing the nhsport— together, providing the nhs every support that it needs. two former prime ministers back calls for a so—called hillsborough law — to ensure fairer treatment for bereaved families. novak djokovic has thanked fans for their support — and remains in this hotel. the australian government rejects claims the grand slam champion is being held captive — after failing to meet vaccine entry requirements. and coming up, we return to 1970s california in paul thomas anderson's liquorice pizza, and we'll be finding out what anna smith thinks of that, and other major releases this week in the film review at 5.45. our top story this hour, sidney poitier, the first black man to win the oscar for best actor, has died aged 94. born in the bahamas, he won the academy award in 1964 for his role in lillies of the field. he was given an honory knighthood by the by the queen in 1974, and in 2016 he was awarded the bafta fellowship for his outstanding contribution to film. lizo mzimba looks back at his l

but it will be a challenge for the nhs to provide the level of care many of us have come to expect.'s prince andrew loses his royal and military titles — and will no longer be officially known as his royal highness. this comes a day after a judge in new york ruled that the prince must defend an accusation of sexually assaulting virginia guiffre in a civil court case. britain's prime minister's political future in the balance as new downing street party allegations come to light. sedition charges are brought for the first time against people accused of taking part in the storming of the us capitol last year. britain's security services issue a rare alert — warning of a chinese agent operating at the heart of westminster trying to influence mps. still a favourite to win, but will he play? novak djokovic's australian open prospects still up in the air as ministers consider their visa decision.

provide less staff. there's now a week to go for unvaccinated nhs staff to have first doses.oint to the fact that 95% have already had that firstjab. hugh pym, bbc news. some of the tightest restrictions during the pandemic have been on care homes, with very few visitors allowed inside. but from next monday, covid guidance in england will be further eased with no limits on the number of visitors. self—isolation periods will be cut and there will be changes on how to manage covid outbreaks. 0ur social affairs editor, alison holt has more. from monday, we've got unlimited visiting. at quarry house care home in bristol, they're going through details of today's announcement to make sure they are ready for monday. unlimited visiting is a welcome change, but it means having extra tests and ppe in place. should make a lot of people happy, fantastic. dorothy cook is one of the few family members who's been able to visit her sister regularly in recent weeks, so she can't wait for restrictions to be eased. it will make things a lot easier, absolutely. she hasn't seen her nephews and ni

provide less staff. there's now a week to go for unvaccinated nhs staff to have first doses.news. coronavirus cases in the uk remain stable, with nearly 97,000 recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, just under 91,000 new cases were reported per day in the last week. the number of people in hospital with covid is 16,510. and there were 338 deaths reported in the latest 2a hour period — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test — though there will be some amongst this number who won't have died from covid. on average in the past week, 263 deaths were announced every day. 0n vaccinations, just over 37 million people have now had a boosterjab, which means 6a.5% of people aged 12 and over, have now had three vaccine doses. the prime minister has rejected allegations that he personally authorised the airlift of cats and dogs from afghanistan, following the fall of kabul to the taliban. it comes after emails from officials published yesterday suggested borisjohnson intervened to help the animal charity nowzad. labour says mrjohnson has been "caught out

chris hopson, chief executive of nhs providers.ing the christmas break. let's speak now to nicola mason, who's the headteacher of chase terrace academy in burntwood. good morning, great to see you. thank you very much for chatting to us. i know it is going to be a really busy few days for you. just tell me how ready you and your staff feel to be heading back with these new rules in place. the feel to be heading back with these new rules in place.— new rules in place. the staff were in yesterday _ new rules in place. the staff were in yesterday making _ new rules in place. the staff were in yesterday making sure - new rules in place. the staff were in yesterday making sure that - new rules in place. the staff were in yesterday making sure that the j in yesterday making sure that the test site was all set up, so that is already to go. we have staggered the start of term so that we can make sure that the testing is done, with enough stuff to be able to do that. we are ready for the land —— for the measures, we have got a letter ready

patients are treated within mental health rehabilitation units each year, run by both the nhs and private providerse on some wards. lissa's mental health deteriorated within the unit. she tried to take her own life 32 times within six months. i was there to be able to get better and i felt that i came away, like, worse. a bbc investigation has found some patients are placed within units for a decade or more. many experts want a greater focus on community care. there are significant amounts of money, around half a billion pounds, spent on this cohort of people. when people are supported in their community it is less expensive and, obviously, from a patient experience perspective, people want to live in the community. the government says it is rolling out integrated community mental health teams to give 370,000 people with severe mental illness greater choice. lissa left her unit after nine months, after taking her case to a mental health tribunal. i felt like i won the lottery, that i was going home. cygnet health care says its aim is always to create a culture that supports recovery. lissa is now b

adam brimelow from nhs providers.r more about the relaxation of restrictions in england. as soon as that gets under way, at five, we will bring that straight to you and you can follow that live here. a thick coat of ash has been removed from the main airport runway in tonga, clearing the way for emergency aid to be delivered by air to the pacific island nation. new zealand and australia have sent critical supplies on navy ships, which are expected to arrive by friday. international telephone links have been restored following saturday's volcanic eruption. the us secretary of state antony blinken has warned that russia could send more troops to its border with ukraine and launch an attack at "very short notice". he is visiting the ukrainian capital, kyiv, to offer american support. russia denies that its estimated 100 thousand troops on the ukrainian border are there to invade. the number of staff vacancies in care homes in england has nearly doubled in the past nine months, according to the watchdog, the care quality

matthew taylor is the chief executive of the nhs confederation — a membership body for organisations that commission and providehat team can get it, hospitals and the whole health system is quite a complex interconnected system. if a group of people are unable to do their work, nhs managers and leaders have to redeploy resources to keep things on the road. it is an issue across the system, it varies in its intensity, and because it is unpredictable managers are having to make adjustments day by day. tier? adjustments day by day. very stressful. _ adjustments day by day. very stressful, when _ adjustments day by day. very stressful, when you - adjustments day by day. very stressful, when you say - adjustments day by day. very stressful, when you say staff absences broadly double what it would normally be, so what is that in percentage terms are proportions? we are told that 89% broadly across the country, it changes every day —— 8% or 9%. it is different in different parts of the country, it has followed slightly in london, seems to be quite bad in a northwest, northeast, the midlands. this is the thing about st

self isolate and this is understandable but this is all a part of trying to work together and provide the nhsry single support that it needs. novak djokovic has thanked the fans for their support as he remains in this hotel. the australian government rejects claims the grand slam champion is being held captive. the aftermath of days of unrest in kazakhstan, security forces will be ordered to shoot to kill those who protest. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk on pbs or or around the world. the actor sidney poitier — a groundbreaking hollywood star has died. his ground—breaking films in the 19505 his ground—breaking films in the 1950s and 60s shone a light on racism and other social prejudice. in 1964, he won the academy award for best actor, becoming the first black man to win the award, for the film lilies in the field. his success paved the way for others to come. in films like �*guess who's coming to dinner�* and �*in the heat of the night�* he helped explore racism in american society and became a powerful advocate for civil rights. his impact ultimately transcended the silver

patients are treated within mental health rehabilitation units each year run by both the nhs and private providers a bbc investigation has found some patients are placed within units for a decade or more. many experts want a greater focus on community care. there are significance amounts of money, around half a billion pounds, spent on this cohort of people. when people are supported in their community it is less expensive and obviously, from a patient experience perspective, people want to live in a community. the government says it is rolling out integrated community mental health teams to give 370,000 people with severe mental illness greater choice. lissa left her unit after nine months. after taking her case to a mental health tribunal. i felt like i won the lottery, that i was going home. cygnet health care says its aim is always to create a culture that supports recovery. lissa is now back at university and enjoying her like boxing. really happy with just being able to take that step away from hospital and try and get a sort of normal life. questions remain over whether the system is fit fo

push on boosters because we know that the two jabs are not enough but three jabs provide excellent protection and the nhsne an amazing job in rolling out those boosters. over 75% of eligible adults now boosted. but still more to be done. omicron cases are continuing to surge in the us and parts of europe — in a moment, we'll hear about the situation in france. but millions of pupils across england and northern ireland are going back to school this week. in england, secondary school students will have to take tests on—site before they return to the classroom, and masks are being re—introduced. our correspondent jayne mccubbin reports. bell rings this is bethany. this is kian. and this is what the start of a new term in england looks like. how was that for you, kian? disgusting and horrible. welcome back to school! no—one goes back to class without a negative test seen by barry. how many test results are you going to be analysing today? around about 1,000. that's a lot of kids. it is a lot of kids, yeah. ten minutes after the school bell rings, the first positive result is found by maureen. go and fetch th

big push on boosters because we know that two jabs are not enough but three jabs provide excellent protection and the nhsling out those boosters. over 75% of eligible adults now boosted. but still much more to be done. millions of pupils across england and northern ireland have gone back to school today, amid concerns about staff shortages caused by the omicron variant of covid. in england, secondary school students will have to take tests on—site before they return to the classroom, and masks are being re—introduced until at least the end of the month. but teaching unions are warning it's likely some year groups will be sent home to learn remotely. our correspondent jayne mccubbin reports. bell rings this is bethany. this is kian. and this is what the start of a new term in england looks like. how was that for you, kian? disgusting and horrible. welcome back to school! no—one goes back to class without a negative test seen by barry. how many test results are you going to be analysing today? around about 1,000. that's a lot of kids. it is a lot of kids, yeah. ten minutes after the school bell rings, the

it is going to be that the nhs cannot provide the level of service, whether it's how long it takes anoint command. hejoins us now. he was listening to that interview, good morning, thank you for your time with us this morning. listening to what matthew was saying there, matthew taylor, where do you think we are at this moment of time? we will go through the logistics of what the military will be doing better where do you think we are? good morning, naga, please feel free to call mejohn. good morning, naga, please feelfree to call me john-— good morning, naga, please feelfree to call me john._ we - good morning, naga, please feelfree to call me john._ we have i to call me john. thank you. we have a lona to call me john. thank you. we have a long history _ to call me john. thank you. we have a long history of _ to call me john. thank you. we have a long history of supporting - to call me john. thank you. we have a long history of supporting all - a long history of supporting all government departments particularly the nhs over the last two years and we have serviced over 400 requests fo

six trust including the nhs trust have declared critical incidents in the last few days. this happens when they are worried they cannot provide the critical services they need to do. prime min. johnson: looking at the pressures on the nhs in the next couple of weeks, and may be longer, looking at the numbers of people who are going to be going into hospital, it would be absolute folly to sayhis is all over. we have got to stick with the plan b. catherine: in other words, no new restrictions at the moment. expect to hear more about puzder jab-- booster jabs. it is not unusual to hear that the nhs is under pressure in january. winter brings extra patients, ancovid is adding to that. this year there is another complication, the number of staff off because of the virus. several chief executives in england say that they are under the greatest sustained pressure they have seen. there are now more than 14,000 patientss with covid in hospitals in england. it is up almost 17% in a week. >> i spoke to staff who do find that treating unvaccinated patients who are seriously unwell, they find that upsetting, particularly if the patient sa

including the united lincolnshire hospitals nhs trust, have declared critical incidents in the last few days. this happens when they're worried that they can't provideo. looking at the pressures on the nhs in the next couple of weeks and maybe longer, looking at the numbers of people who're going to be going into hospital, it will be absolute folly to say that this thing is all over now bar the shouting. we've got to remain cautious, we've got to stick with plan b, we've got to get boosted. in other words, no new restrictions in england at the moment. expect to hear more focus on boosterjabs, though. and nhs staff could be redeployed to help the busiest areas. it's not unusual to hear that the nhs is under pressure in january. winter always brings with it extra patients, and covid is adding to that. this year, though, there's another complication — the number of staff who are off because of the virus. now it's understood several hospital chief executives in england are saying their trusts are under the greatest sustained pressure they've seen. there are now more than 111,000 patients with covid in hospitals in england. that's up almost 70% in a week

nhs. if we lose these staff, it will impact on the quality of care that we're able to provide for patientsd it will put extra pressure on those staff who are remaining. staff have less than a fortnight to get their first jab in order to be fully vaccinated by the deadline. health chiefs say mandating vaccines is the right thing to do, to protect patients and are encouraging more staff to get their first, second and third jabs. it's so important as health care professionals that we are protected. but if you are not yet, you know that there are options available for you to have conversations with senior clinicians within your trust or organisation to help make that really important decision. and people are coming forward all the time to make sure they are protected, their families are protected, and their patients are protected as well. a similar policy has already been brought in for those working in social care in england, with care homes warning it has exacerbated staff shortages. scotland and wales have decided against compulsory vaccination for health and care staff, while northern irel

nhs as capacity, in particular in the workforce. can i make some very simple suggestions that could have an effect very, very quickly. first of all, to providehs right the way through to retirement, to reward people for returning from retirement, to make sure that we deal with the gender pay gap, because that is what is make it very difficult for many women to stay on in the profession, provide sabbatical so that people do not burn out in the profession, and finally deal with the problem of overtime, which is now barely worth doing for lots of doctors and nurses. if we increase that, maybe we'll be able to increase the capacity and be able to save many more lives. i capacity and be able to save many more lives-— capacity and be able to save many more lives-_ more lives. i thank the right honourable _ more lives. i thank the right honourable gentleman. - more lives. i thank the right honourable gentleman. wel more lives. i thank the right i honourable gentleman. we are more lives. i thank the right - honourable gentleman. we are doing everything we can to ensure flexibility in the nhs, so that staff can move more easily by electronic passes a

nhs would be. we're already seeing a significant impact on our ability to provide services with shortages of staff.18th of december, our own modelling we put out, we thought that one in ten nhs staff would be off sick by this time because we could see the trajectory of infection rates rising. remember that people who work in nhs are part of the general population and in london, one in ten people are infected and that will reflect in those that work in public services such as the health service. the other problem we have is that front—line staff aren't able to stay at home. they are much more in contact with people and if you're a doctor or a nurse or a health care worker, you are going to be in contact closeby patients who are carrying the infection. the other problem is we are not being provided in most settings with the higher—grade masks that filtrate against airborne spread so there is also the chance we can get infected at work. what that means is that many surgeries have had to be cancelled on the day so patients who may have been waiting to see their gp for two weeks find that the clinic is

i think the nhs is under huge - think the nhs is under huge pressure. i won't provide a pressure.tand that. i thank them for— hugely. i understand that. i thank them for the work they are doing. it's absolutely fantastic. there aren't — it's absolutely fantastic. there aren't as — it's absolutely fantastic. there aren't as many covid patients in the nhs now— aren't as many covid patients in the nhs now as — aren't as many covid patients in the nhs now as there were in the january peak _ nhs now as there were in the january peak not— nhs now as there were in the january peak. not by a long way. but sadly, the numbers are likely to grow. there _ the numbers are likely to grow. there are — the numbers are likely to grow. there are various mitigations that i've already mentioned. the relative mildness _ i've already mentioned. the relative mildness and shortness of stay and so on _ mildness and shortness of stay and so on the — mildness and shortness of stay and so on. the fact people don't go into icu so on. the fact people don't go into icu nearly— so on. the fact people don't go in

important is to make sure that we do everything we can to help support those on the front nine in the nhs to providehout is — support a move to that? my approach throughout is to _ support a move to that? my approach throughout is to be _ support a move to that? my approach throughout is to be guided _ support a move to that? my approach throughout is to be guided by i support a move to that? my approach throughout is to be guided by advice l throughout is to be guided by advice from those with an understanding of epidemiology and how diseases spread. we have already reduced the isolation period from ten to seven days. if it is safe to reduce it further, we should. but ultimately, this is an area where you have to balance the desire to make sure that people on the front line are doing thejobs people on the front line are doing the jobs that they need to do, but also are not in a situation where they are further potentially spreading infection, leading to even more people being off work. so as ever, it's not a matter of ideological preference, it's a matter of sheer practicality and arithmetic. matte

i think it's great that pharmacies have been included in this programme the nhs is providing, it willacy-— feel comfortable coming into harma . , ., , . . pharmacy. in terms of starting, are there enough _ pharmacy. in terms of starting, are there enough people? _ pharmacy. in terms of starting, are there enough people? if— pharmacy. in terms of starting, are there enough people? if it - pharmacy. in terms of starting, are there enough people? if it is i pharmacy. in terms of starting, are there enough people? if it is a i there enough people? if it is a local pharmacy, often there's just one person at the counter, do you have to book a time in? the one person at the counter, do you have to book a time in?— have to book a time in? the great thing about _ have to book a time in? the great thing about pharmacies _ have to book a time in? the great thing about pharmacies as - have to book a time in? the great thing about pharmacies as we i have to book a time in? the great thing about pharmacies as we are | have to book a time in? the great i thing about pharmacies as we are the only hea

provide critical services to all patients. so really, really worrying, i think, for the nhs, so really, really worrying, i think, forthe nhs, but, really worrying, i think, for the nhs, but although it is mixed news in terms of omicron. harriet, it is interesting, isn't it, that there must be some relief in the government that they have not had to go to further measures given the political consequences that the last measures parliament approved? nonetheless, the prime minister saying at that vaccination centre earlier, the pressure on our nhs is going to be critical. there is not the desire for new restrictions. it would almost be academic, the pressure is already there. there are a coule pressure is already there. there are a coume of — pressure is already there. there are a couple of things _ pressure is already there. there are a couple of things at _ pressure is already there. there are a couple of things at play _ pressure is already there. there are a couple of things at play there. - a couple of things at play there. the political will lacking, because we know— the political will lacking, because we know borisjohnson has

provide high protection. the news comes after a sharp rise in staff absences at nhs hospitals in england because of health workersting covid. the government says the nhs faces a rocky next few weeks. here's our health editor, hugh pym. as the booster roll—out continued here in redcar, there was more positive news about its impact. a new study shows that, after three months, boosters still gave high levels of protection for older adults against severe disease caused by omicron, so officials say there is no immediate need forfourth jabs. in terms of protection against severe disease, being hospitalised, the programme has done very, very well. people aged 65 years and above have over 90% protection against being hospitalised. what do you think of the new rule to require vaccination? on a hospital visit, though, the health secretary was challenged by a doctor over mandatoryjabs for nhs staff. i would be dismissed if i don't have a vaccine. the science isn't strong enough. mrjavid said that, thanks to boosters and new drugs, the health system was in a stronger position than last year but this was a very difficult time