Were live until am this morning. Are you waiting for a non urgent operation . If so, wed love to hear from you this morning about how long youve been waiting. Are you one of the many people whove arrived at hospital only to have your operation cancelled on the day . Do get in touch on all the stories were talking about this morning use the hashtag victorialive. If you text, you will be charged at the Standard Network rate. We are going to go and live now to hear from donald we are going to go and live now to hearfrom donald tusk, the president of the European Council. You can see the podium there, he is waiting to speak in malta in the next few minutes, he will of course be talking about those brexit negotiations, so we will go back to that live as soon as it happens, you wont miss anything at all. Our top Story Today Patients will have to wait longer for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements as a trade off, so that improvements can be made in other areas like a e. Thats according to the head of nhs england, Simon Stevens, who says choices have to be made because of increasing Patient Demand and the growth in new treatments. Alexandra mackenzie reports. How have you been feeling . Not too bad, thank you. Iris ram is 96 and is recovering from a recent illness. Youre doing really well. Her gp called a local nhs Service Based in nottinghamshire to give her the right care in the right place. And, for iris, that was her home. The treatment at home has been absolutely wonderful. Iris is well cared for a priority for the nhs. But its acknowledged the system is under pressure, and tough financial choices are needed. Today, nhs england leaders are taking stock of progress since their five year plan was published in 2014. Aims set out in the new strategy include improving cancer survival rates, increased access to Mental Health therapies and recruitment of more gps. But with limited resources it means the 18 week target for planned operations is increasingly likely to be missed. Many of these procedures are life changing, some are life saving. Are life changing, some are lifesaving. We know that people sometimes die on Waiting Lists, waiting for heart surgery. The longer you wait, the more likely thatis longer you wait, the more likely that is to happen. We know that people are waiting for gall bladder operations, the longer you wait, the more likely it is. Today is about setting out what is possible with the money allocated by the government to the nhs in england. But, at a time of increased demand, what is not addressed is whether extra funding is needed. Lets go straight to malta now where donald tusk has begun speaking. As you know, the treaty gives us only two years to reach an agreement. Allow me to outline the Main Elements and principles of my proposal. We treat them as fundamental and will firmly stand by them. Our duty is to minimise the uncertainty and disruption caused by the uk decision to withdraw from the eu for our citizens, businesses, and Member States, as i have already said in essence it is about damage control. We need to think of people first. Citizens from all over the eu live, work and study in the uk. And as long as the uk remains a member, their rights are fully protected. But we need to settle the situation after the withdrawal with reciprocal, enforceable, and non discriminatory guarantees. Second, we must prevent a legal vacuum for our companies that stems from the fact that, after brexit, eu laws will no longer apply to the uk. Third, we also need to make sure that the uk offers all financial commitment and liabilities it has taken as a member state. It is only fair towards all those people, communities, scientists, farmers and so on communities, scientists, farmers and so on to whom we, all the 28, promised and bob this is money. I can guarantee that the eu, on our part, will honour all under commitments all other commitments. Fourth, we will seek flexible and Creative Solutions aiming at avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and ireland. It is of crucial importance to support the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. These four issues are all part of the first phase of oui are all part of the first phase of our negotiation. 0nce, are all part of the first phase of our negotiation. Once, and only once, we have achieved sufficient progress of the four can we discuss the framework of our future relationship. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. And when talking about our future relationship, we obviously shared the uks desire to establish a Close Partnership between us. Strong ties reaching beyond the economy and including Security Cooperation remain in ourcommon including Security Cooperation remain in our common interest. Let me conclude by saying that the talks which are about to start will be difficult, complex, and sometimes even confrontational. There is no way around it. The eu 27 does not and will not pursue a punitive approach. Brexit in itself is already punitive enough. After more than a0 years of being united, we owe it to each other to do everything we can to make this divorce as smooth as possible. This is also why Prime Minister may and i have agreed to stay in close and regular contact throughout this process. I intend to visit theresa may in london before the april European Union council. As rotating presidency, we see the guidelines that have just been submitted by president tusk as constructive. It will be a very tough negotiation, an unprecedented negotiation for the European Union since previously, in all such negotiations, it was about getting closer, not getting further away from each other. It will be a tough negotiation, but it will not bea tough negotiation, but it will not be a war. At the end of the day, the two sides will need to remain close to each other as friends, but it is obvious for the 27 that membership of the European Union is the superior option. The priority, as set out in the Draft Guidelines which will now be discussed and are just now starting being discussed in brussels, show very clearly that the First Priority is the settling of issues relating to citizens. We need to make sure that our citizens, european citizens in the United Kingdom and british citizens in the European Union, are not used as Bargaining Chips by any side, sol do believe that there is a wide ranging commitment to settle this issue as quickly as possible. As president tusk was saying, and has already declared in our initial statements, the 27 see no room for parallel negotiations. First, there needs to be an agreement on the principles of the United Kingdoms orderly withdrawal from the European Union, but once those principles are agreed, and before actually going on with those negotiations, once there is sufficient progress that it will be determined by date European Council alone, be determined by date European Councilalone, negotiations be determined by date European Council alone, negotiations on a new phase, a new relationship, will be able to start by council giving a mandate to the negotiator to do so. It is imperative to stress that, while the European Union and Member States are showing flexibility in making it clear that they are ready for transition periods as necessary, those transition periods need to be governed by European Institutions, since those are the institutions that would be sovereign in taking decisions. Finally, the issue of Northern Ireland is being given serious and special consideration by the 27. We know the sensitivities that exist on the irish issue, and we are looking at creative and Pragmatic Solutions to see that peace and stability on the irish aisle are not ended. Thank you. Chris morris from the bbc. President tusk, your Document Talks about the fa ct tusk, your Document Talks about the fact there will be no separate negotiations between individual Member States and the uk. You have talked a lot about unity in the past week, this makes it sound like you are worried that the uk will try to pick of individual countries and have those negotiations. How can you be sure that wont happen . Secondly, the Document Talks about not moving onto the second phase of the negotiation Involving Trade Talks and Future Trade Relationships until sufficient progress has been made the initial phase, what does sufficient progress mean . Is it simply the european capitals will to find that . And Prime Minister must step, your thoughts on those issues as well, thank you. This is my first divorce and i hope the last one. This is why i want to be very cautious and precise. First of all, when it comes to our unity and solidarity i have no doubt, especially after our summit in rome and the rome declaration, that this is not only a declaration, this is the truth, that all 27 will be united during the negotiations, and i have no doubt this is our common interest but also in the interest of the uk. If they want to achieve a constructive agreement, it means that they should discuss and negotiate only with the 27 as a union. This is the only way to achieve anything in this very difficult process. From my side, it is obvious that the British Government is in contact with all Member States. I dont think that there is any instruction from brussels or any institution not to have regular and normal relationship with our british counterparts, so we will continue to engage with the United Kingdom, and i think all Member States will, but, and this is a clear demarcation line, when it comes to negotiations on this issue, oll comes to negotiations on this issue, on brexit and on future relationships, there is a clear commitment by the 27 to have just one point of contact, and that point of co nta ct one point of contact, and that point of contact is mr barnier, that is led exclusively from the european side and i do believe, as donald has just said, this is not something of a lip service but this is true political commitment from each side. When it comes to your question on sufficient progress, yes, we are seeing that sufficient progress is determined exclusively by the European Council. Yes, i want to be very clear and supportjoseph. It must be clear that the eu as 27 decides its sufficient progress has been achieved. Probably in the autumn, at least i hope so. Robin amateurfrom robin amateur from reuters. President tusk, in the guidelines there is envisaged some sort of transition period in which britain would continue to pay into the eu budget and be under the jurisdiction of the ec]. Robin emmett from reuters. Both of these reasons why people voted to leave the eu, i wonder why you included them . Let me sayjust one thing about money and some impressions on both sides of the channel. There is no such thing as a Brexiter Bill or penalty for leaving. If you want to talk about finance and commitment i have no doubt that for both sides it is really important to demonstrate that we want to be fair to reach the chewing the negotiations. That we want to be fair to reach the chewing the negotiationslj that we want to be fair to reach the chewing the negotiations. I will add to that that there is no, as someone said, Brexiter Bill. I think the letter that Prime Minister mae has sent acknowledges that the uk has commitments, so what we are setting out in the Draft Guidelines, and i think there is a broad agreement on the document that donald has put forward , the document that donald has put forward, 0k, some things might be added and subtracted, but the essence added and subtracted, but the essenceis added and subtracted, but the essence is there. I do believe that the idea is one which shows and says that those commitments must be respected, and the idea is that we have to come up with the methodology that shows and calculates those commitments and also what britain needs to take from european assets, asa needs to take from european assets, as a balance sheet. I do believe that this is very, very obvious. 0n the ec] and other European Institutions governing transition period, in our books transition period, in our books transition period means that you are still amber, or at used to have access are still a amber, or at used to have access are stilla memberorat amber, or at used to have access are still a member or at least still have access to and bishop situation. If you have such access it goes without saying that the institutions we without saying that the institutions we have agreed upon need to government. We would obviously not intrude on what happens afterwards within the United Kingdom. Then, when it comes to a free Trade Agreement, we would have to have negotiations, and those would then determine what type of institutions will govern that new type of arrangement. Reporter one last question. Television malta, to date there has been concerned following Prime Minister mays letter on the link between the Trade Agreement and future Security Cooperation. Is this acceptable . Have you received any concerns from Member States about Prime Minister mays letter . Know, especially after the Terrorist Attack in london. No, especially after. It is to be clear that terrorism is our common problem and security is our common problem. I know theresa may well enough and i know theresa may well enough and i know her approach to this issue. This is why i rule out this kind of interpretation and speculation to be used as a Bargaining Chip. It must bea used as a Bargaining Chip. It must be a misunderstanding. 0ur used as a Bargaining Chip. It must be a misunderstanding. Our partners are wise and decent partners, this is why i am absolutely sure that no one is interested in using Security Cooperation as a Bargaining Chip. I would like to confirm that even though it was something that hit the headlines and really and truly many people, including ourselves, noted, we people, including ourselves, noted, we have had reassurances from the British Government that this is a misinterpretation. We will take, at least my government, will take the word of the British Government. We do believe that they are decent partners, people who will not bargain on security of any of our citizens, and i do believe that we will start negotiations in this spirit of sincere cooperation. Thank you very much. Studio that was the president of the European Council, donald tusk, speaking with maltese Prime Minister the maltese Prime Minister. They are talking about the brexit negotiations. He outlined an interesting number of points, he says there will not be conversations, parallel conversations, parallel conversations about trade and commitments. That seek to europe correspondent Damian Grammaticas in brussels. Interesting that he outlined those four areas that he wanted to be sorted, donald tusk, before contemplating a decision about trade. Take us through those . This is what pe you site has identified as the most pressing issues to be settled first of all in this article 50 exit process this is what the eu side has identified. There has been lobbying from citizens, it use it as an living in the uk, uk citizens living in the eu eu citizens living in the eu eu citizens living in the eu eu citizens living in the uk. Those people have rights to live, work, study. What will happen to those rights in the future . The second thing he talked about was preventing a vacuum of laws, that talks about businesses, what certainty they will have, eu, the guidelines we have now here talking about those benefiting from eu money, project extending into the long term. Backers into the third issue, the uks financial commitments, he says both sides must honour those. Donald tusk made the point that this is not a Brexiter Bill, this is a settling of accounts. This is not a brexit bill. He said this is payment promised to farmers, scientists, people that obligations have been made to that must be met. The last thing was the ireland Northern Ireland border, we have seen a bigger effort by the Irish Government to press this, it is identified as a key priority. There was recognition that these could be difficult conversations, sometimes confrontational, donald tusk said those words. Talking about Security Cooperation, he said there was misunderstanding about the letter from theresa may . He said this is a common problem for priority to tackle terror, that is something that must be done together. But i think the take from this whole thing, this document, what we heard donald tusk say, which is that the eug side is very clearly setting the agenda now the eu side. The timetable the eu was setting, saying exit talks, there must be sufficient progress, we exit talks, there must be sufficient progress, we heard them in that press c0 nfe re nce progress, we heard them in that Press Conference saying it is the eu side, the 27, who will decide when that has been sufficient, where they are happy that enough detail has been nailed down on the exeter agreement and they will move on to the future relationship and the transition. On the exit agreement. From the eu side, they made very clear if there is a transitional period during which the uk continues to access the single market, it will be on the eus rules, they said. Payment into the eu budget, rules of the Court Of Justice applying, the eu laying down its principles and we will see the eu trying to enforce what it sees as how the negotiation must proceed. Donald tusk very clearly said that a person or people in the uk have been advancing the idea of parallel negotiations on the future status for the negotiations on the future status forthe uk, negotiations on the future status for the uk, along with the withdrawal agreement. The person advocating those is the uk Prime Minister, theresa may. He said absolutely that will not happen. A very clear message from the eu who now, i think, very clear message from the eu who now, ithink, will very clear message from the eu who now, i think, will be in control of a lot of the dynamic of this. Thank you very much, damian. Well also get reaction throughout the programme, we are live until 11am. Another story we will talk about is the nhs. Are you on a waiting list for a routine operation . Have you had a routine operation cancelled on the day you have arrived at hospital . You can get in touch with us on hospital . You can get in touch with us on twitter. We want to hear and share your stories as ever. Across the Country Thousands of children are groomed each year, and while the government created a law to make this illegal 2 years ago they never put it into force in england and wales. From monday that will all change and will mean any message sent by an adult to a child that relates to Sexual Activity will be considered grooming and therefore illegal. Earlier i spoke to to molly, which isnt her real name and wants to remain anonymous, who was groomed when she was 15 years old, shes now 21, and tony stower from the nspcc who campaigned for this law to be put into force. So, molly, just start by telling us how old you were when this began. I was 15 when it all started. And who was the person who approached you, who tried to groom you . It was an adult, a volunteer at a youth club i used to attend. I attended it for years. And how did it begin . Well, first off, he befriended my dad. Then we used to go round his house and stuff. Then we all added each other on facebook. It started on facebook. And what were the sort of messages that he was sending you . At first, it was just normal conversation. Hows your family, hows your dad, all of that. Then it started getting more, where he was using names for me, like chick, hun, and all that. And then one morning i got up for school, checked my facebook, as i used to do, and he messaged me, saying he was doing stuff to himself, while his partner was in bed asleep. Thinking of me. So, you know, ijust closed my laptop down and went to school. What did that do to you . That must have been quite frightening, at 15, to read that . I was quite disgusted. But i just sort of closed my laptop down and carried on with my day. Off to school. Did you tell anyone at that point . No. So, how did it then go on . How far did it go . Well, he got my number through facebook, off my facebook profile. Which i didnt realise he could see. So i started getting messages from him when i was at school and stuff. He would text me, saying he was outside my house in his car. He used to try to get me to go out and meet him, outside my house. One time i had to get my sisters to close my curtains, so i could crawl around on the floor, so he didnt know i was in. But he would always do it while my dad was out. Somehow he knew that my dad wasnt home. At what point did you start to feel uncomfortable, worried by his behaviour . Pretty much from the facebook incident. But the last lot of texts that i got, he was telling me he had feelings for me and stuff, that he had to try and keep a lid on them. Telling me that i looked beautiful, the night before, when i went to the youth club, stuff like that. Ijust said to him, i dont want this. So you did reply to them sometimes . Yeah. Telling him this is not what i want, i dont want to be a part of this. I told my best friend at the time, i let it slip to my brother. Between him, my best friend and another friend, they all bullied me into telling my dad what was going on. Did you realise you should tell someone . Was it that you were frightened, or you felt embarrassed . Ijust didnt want my dad to lose a friend. You know, i didnt want to cause trouble. And, like, not be believed. But i knew i had to say something. This is a man who had children the same age as you . Yeah, a similar age to me. And was good friends with your dad . Yeah. So, you told your dad and how did your dad react . He was quite calm. He said i should have told him sooner and he could have got it sorted out sooner. But he was calm, he had his head screwed on. He rang the Child Protection of the youth club that i went to. They got us straight down into the headquarters. I had to do statements. They had a read through the messages that i had saved on my phone. Then they advised us to go to the police. How difficult is that, when you are 15, youre worried about whether youre going to be believed, showing those messages . Its quite horrible. Yeah. And you went to the police, and the police took your complaint seriously . Yes, i had loads of interviews. The day that we went to the police, they took a recorded interview. Then i had to go back for video interviews. They had all my logins for my social media, my phone they took off me. Yeah, they had all of that. What was that process like, as a 15 year old . Frightening . Yeah, considering i was going through my gcses and stuff at school, it did have a Knock On Effect, all of that. But ijust got through it. Ijust cracked on with what i had to do. At the end, was at the police who said to you, we cant do anything about this . Yeah, the cps, i got a letter from the cps saying hes not being prosecuted. What reason did they give you for that . Because there wasnt enough evidence. I think they said they could have got him done for harassment, but it had taken too long for the police to go through all the phone and my social medias. So they couldnt get it done. Tony, people listening to this will be amazed that a story like mollys, where there is obvious evidence, nothing happens. How is this not illegal so far . Its astonishing to think that its still not illegal for an adult to send a sexual message to a child in england and wales, unlike in scotland and Northern Ireland, where this protection for children is already in place. The nspcc has been campaigning for three years to change the law to finally make it illegal for adults to send these sexual messages. We are really pleased the government has finally listened. From monday, children will be protected, just as we have been asking. Today, if somebody sends a sexually explicit message to a child, nothing can happen . Thats exactly right. The police just havent got the tools to step in, until the abuse progresses to be something more dangerous. So, until an adult asks a child to commit a sexual act, or to meet them in person. Were really clear that waiting until that abuse escalates is far too long. Children need to be protected from the moment that they go online. You say that this is currently a crime in scotland and Northern Ireland. Do you have a sense of how many cases have been prevented, how many children have been protected from this . Certainly, in scotland it has been in operation for about five years. Over the time there, they have recorded about 1500 offences. That means in england, if we scale that up, we think maybe aooo offences could have been recorded over the last two years. That is 4000 cases that could have been recorded, where the police could have taken action earlier. How did you feel when the police turned around to you, or the cps turned around to you, molly, and said, we cant do anything . When youd been through all of that, the interviews, giving over your phone . I was heartbroken, really heartbroken. I didnt know what to do about it. Presumably thats the sort of thing you hear reasonably regularly from children going through this . Thats right. We know that it can be very distressing for children to get these kind of sexual messages. Thats exactly how online predators work, by building a relationship of trust, sending increasingly sexual messages with an aim of eventually meeting the child. We need to make sure that the police have the tools and resources so they can step in as early in the process as possible. Its really clear that there are things that parents and children can do to help protect themselves, by making sure they have the right privacy settings, especially in their social media accounts and things like that. That is what molly was saying, he got her phone number off facebook. You didnt even realise he could access that . No, i didnt realise. But its all been changed now. There are steps that parents can take. Theres loads of advice on the nspcc website about it. If anybodys concerned about a child, they can always phone the nspcc helpline and we will talk them through how they can take steps to help their children. Molly realised this was wrong, she put a stop to it, there were never any meetings or anything like that. But for other children, there are. Are we doing enough, as parents, society, teachers, whatever, to explain to children about this . Because its an awkward conversation to have with kids, isnt it . They are quite difficult conversations, about the risks of online behaviour and how to protect yourself. We are trying to support parents through the provision of the nspcc helpline to make sure that parents can have some of those difficult conversations. Where those relationships are built and parents can have those conversations in advance, that is the way to help protect children from these predators before the abuse escalates. Because you dont want to frighten young people and say, dont use social media, dont reach out to people. But, from your perspective, molly, what would have helped you before so that you could have protected yourself better . I mean, its clearly not your fault, but you understand what im saying . Did you feel you had enough information . No. To recognise the signs of what is going on would probably be the best thing. If anyone is watching this now, and they think this may be happening to them, it may be in the early stages, what would you say to that young person, or indeed to a parent who may fear it is happening to their child . Talk to each other. Tell someone you trust. Go to your parents. The police, if need be. Just talk to someone that you trust. Its that first step, isnt it, thats often the hardest, to say i think this is happening to me . And thats fantastic advice, actually. If you, as a child, are concerned about any of this, speak to a responsible adult and theyll help you take action. Of course, any of these kind of sexual messages from an adult to a child will be illegal from monday. Its really important they are reported to the police so the police can step in and stop the abuse before it escalates. How many children do you think this could potentially protect . Is this law going far enough, in your view . Well, this is a really big step forward and we are really pleased about it. As i say, we think about 4000 offences could have been recorded over the last two years. But there is clearly more that we can do. Were really pleased that the government starting to take action on relationships and Sex Education in schools. And there are organisations, like the nspcc, who can help with some of the difficult Online Safety issues for parents and children. Molly, how has it affected you . Has it had an ongoing effect . I know it was a few years ago now. Well, it affected my school life and my gcse grades. But not really. Not now. At first it did, i was angry, i used to cry a lot about it and take it out on my other siblings. But now i dont really think its had that much of a Knock On Effect. Thank you both for coming on, im very grateful to both of you for sharing the story. Thank you, molly. Lots of you are getting in touch about the nhs, the changes which are coming, the head of nhs england has been talking about a trade off for better facilities and reducing Waiting Times at a e road but that means waiting longer for operations. Katz said, cancellation of my Aneurysm Operation twice, i turned up Aneurysm Operation twice, i turned up and waited for seven hours and thenit up and waited for seven hours and then it was cancelled, my family had taken time off work to look after me, im 88. Mark says, ive been waiting for a follow up appointment with a specialist since april 2016, it has been put back to april 2018 committee macro years. This one says, my dad have been waiting for a second Hip Operation the six years, nhs staff do a fabulousjob on the six years, nhs staff do a fabulous job on the ground but this needs sorting out. Ahead of next months french president ial elections, the Front National has been attracting increasing numbers of young voters. Its the countrys main far right party, led by Marine Le Pen, whos been a divisive figure in french politics for many years. James reevell has been spending time in Northern France with young activists in order to gain an insight into why theyre drawn to this political movement. The contributors in this film express some frank views which you might find uncomfortable. Front national are frances increasingly popular far right party. They have big hopes of winning next months president ial election. More and more they are attracting young people, too. We spent a week in Northern France with those fighting for the fn, and those who fear it. Weve been invited out on a protest with the fns Youth Division in calais. Theyre supporting the president ial candidate Marine Le Pen. Hi, im christophe, im 26, and im the head of Front National youth in calais. Christophe is part of the new generation of activists all believing that the fns future is now mainstream. 0ver believing that the fns future is now mainstream. Over the last few yea rs, now mainstream. Over the last few years, the fn has rebranded itself. They say they are not fascist or racist but realists, they claim the fight is for everyone now. Christophe has taken to a school to spread the message. Hello, im camille, and 22 years old, im a law student and ijoined Front National more than two years ago. Camille is one of the fns rising stars, collected as head of the areas Youth Division. Camille is off to show the area around university, it is diverse, raw, and to her It Symbolises what is broken in france. But beyond this, what seems to really resonate with camille is the fns widely discredited claim that migrants get a better deal than white french people. Say hello to a group of extreme far right activists. They like Front National but think they are soft on muslims. Their speciality is making slick videos as they stormed public buildings and display provocative banners. The citadel is basically an old right white Power Members cup. It openedin right white Power Members cup. It opened in september. Members club. Ijust cracked on with what i had to do. 0rioli and is short on details of his system. But it seems to boil down to getting muslims to leave france voluntarily. When you speak to them about the election, you can feel the excitement. They clearly believe that the fn excitement. They clearly believe that the fm and Marine Le Pen is their big chance. Everyone i had spoken to so far had accused immigrants, and specifically muslims, of failing to integrate or to really embrace being french. I decided to head to feels largest muslim neighbourhood. Iwanted decided to head to feels largest muslim neighbourhood. I wanted to find out what it felt like to be told you do not belong. Find out what it felt like to be told you do not belonglj find out what it felt like to be told you do not belong. I am marian, im 25 years old, i am muslim and i think france is becoming a racist country. Marian was born to immigrant parents in france. She is educated, works for a Charity Supports the French National football team. We dont have to hide. French is the biggest racist country in europe francis. They are making many laws against the hijab, mainly against the muslims. It is racist. The Front National is an extreme party, racist. I dont have words. It is a racist. I dont have words. It is a racist party who thinks that france belongs to the white, but it is not. We used to just be friends, no matter our religion, but now the first question, for example when we choose friends is what is your nationality . Are you french . Face hello, i am william, i am 25 yea rs face hello, i am william, i am 25 years old. I think the government have forgotten the people. William isa have forgotten the people. William is a recent convert to the fn, joining two years ago. A pharmacist, he has swiftly risen through the ra nks he has swiftly risen through the ranks and is the back up candidate for his area, a rule and industrial place where the party has always done well. Migration is one key issue, despite the area being largely white. We could be killed right now, it is a remote possibility that it could happen. That is horrible. I dont want to live in fear, i want everyone to be happy. Muslims, christians, whatever, i dont care. What has become clear after meeting the fn what has become clear after meeting the fm is that their appeal is not just about islamophobia or racism, it is about loss ofjobs, identity and hope. William wants to show me his hometown, unemployment runs haider and there is little positive about the future. Unemployment ru ns about the future. Unemployment runs high. We are going to the village where i live, it is a village where i live, it is a village of 1500 people. It is a small village, as you can see, it used to be a place where lots of people left, they were working in the textile industry. This place is a former factory of textiles, textile factory. Long ago they used to be lots of people were working here. You would have come. I was not born, you would have come a0 yea rs i was not born, you would have come a0 years ago, there would have been a lot of people right here in the city. Look now, it looks like it is a dead place. That is sad. The village is dying. I really think that what im doing is good for me, it is good for my family and friends and the people of france. I do it for a better future. What happens if that future does not come . Well. I think that politicians, most of them are here to give us hope. Because i think without hope we would be drowning in sorrow. We need hope, the human mind needs hope. To think ofa the human mind needs hope. To think of a good future, a brighterfuture. Coming up. Nhs bosses warn of delays to routine operations in england but is it for The Greater Good . We could see improvements in other areas like cancer care is Waiting Times for a e. We will get the reaction from patients and doctors. Workers on the Governments National living wage will see their pay go up this weekend by 30 pence an hour. Over two Million People currently receive the National Living wage. At the moment, if youre over 2a years old, you get £7. 20 an hour. From tomorrow, that will go up to £7. 50 an hour. The National Minimum wage will also increase for those under 2a and it could boost the earnings of a typicalfull time worker by £600 a year, which some low paid workers say by by £600 a year. With us now are catherine chapman, director of the living wage foundation, sarah steel, director of a Small Business and solomon smith, a youth worker on the National Living wage. Solomon, just explain the difference this increase will make. It is 30p an hour, will it be significant . This increase will make. It is 30p an hour, will it be significant7m is 30p and hour, you know . At least there is a bit of a change. But there is a bit of a change. But there still needs to be more. Even though a lot of people will be like, you know, the money has gone up, it will not really go up as people think it is. You have children, explained the struggle . Think it is. You have children, explained the struggle . |j think it is. You have children, explained the struggle . I have two kids, once payday comes it comes and goes straightaway. How do you get by . Just learning what to pay for, you know . I pay my rent, i pay my school fees. I have been living on the Red Koran Two years. School fees. I have been living on the Red Koran Two Yearslj school fees. I have been living on the Red Koran Two years. I want to bring in sarah, she is an employer. Is this 30p an extra extra per hour challenging . It hurts some sectors really hard. We would not doubt that our stuff the king arthur and educating Young Children deserve and educating Young Children deserve a higher wage. There and educating Young Children deserve a higherwage. There are and educating Young Children deserve a higher wage. There are two issues, one is about keeping the differential, although we will be moving everybody up to meet the living way, it is important that people who have done more qualifications, we can keep the Pay Differential between the unqualified and well qualified. For nurseries, lots of income comes from Government Funding for three and four year olds, the government effectively price fixes that, local authorities tell us what they will pay, they will not pay what it costs us. Pay, they will not pay what it costs us. So when the living wage goes up, in orderto us. So when the living wage goes up, in order to pay staff more we have to pass on the costa parents because government will not pay a so the fees go up. That has a Knock On Effect. And it will not help people like solomon. It ends up not worth going to work, it is a complicated system. You are at the other rendered you need the money but it is challenging for employers . Definitely, i have lots of friends who own businesses. I spoke to a friend yesterday and said this is going to absolutely kill my pocket and he said. Even though people wa nt and he said. Even though people want more money, the umpires had to pay more. It is a Knock On Effect on both sides. The employers had to pay more. This is what you have campaigned for, you want a National Living wage that is sensible. 30p an hour, it is enough of an increase . It is great that there is an increase, it will benefit low paid workers, but for millions of low paid and please the increase is not enough. We calculate a real living way completely separate to this minimum wage, based on what it actually costs to live, that is currently £8. 45 an hour in the uk and £9. 75 an hour in london. That is different to £7. 50, the difference of about £45 a week in the uk and £95 in london, which makes a huge difference to those on low incomes. We already work with thousands of businesses who are choosing to go forward than the government minimum wage, this is to the absolute legal floor, you are not breaking the law with this increase. We have employers choosing to go further because they want to make sure that everyone working for them has enough to live on. We have heard it is a challenge and nurseries so how can some businesses say they will pay more . We are increasingly hearing about some of the business benefits of paying better wages, some research tomorrow has fantastic statistics. When people are working foran employer statistics. When people are working for an employer that pays them well and they feel valued, motivation goes up, Staff Retention Rates improve, absenteeism and sickness rates go down, Real Business benefits as well as being good for stuff, so it can be a win win for business and society. Being good for staff. We have seen real movements recently in low paid industry. A few years ago people thought paying the living weight would be really difficult on retail, for example. Ikea had signed up, we have added around 3000 of their co workers. There is scope for further growth and to pay these higher wages. That is not realistic in your business, sarah . |j higher wages. That is not realistic in your business, sarah . I would say lots of nurseries already pay. We pay lots of our staff more than the living way. In order to push everybody up and keep those Pay Differentials, in some areas it is not realistic, in some areas it is. Maybe in nurseries and health care, social care, it is very difficult. For as it is about getting fair funding from the government, that would make the difference. I agree about the benefits of treating your staff well and wanting them to stay with you. In nurseries, early years, retention of good stuff is a real issue. We pay better, we get better people and they want to stay with us, but it is very hard trying to put that as a blanket across everybody. 0ne put that as a blanket across everybody. One size will not fit all. What difference would £9. A5 an hour make to your lifestyle . Are to be absolutely fantastic. Despite me having a degree and a masters, i never think about degree and masters wages, ijust think never think about degree and masters wages, i just think about real wages. Can it pay my rent . Just so i canjust look into wages. Can it pay my rent . Just so i can just look into my wages. Can it pay my rent . Just so i canjust look into my bank wages. Can it pay my rent . Just so i can just look into my Bank Account Andi can just look into my bank account and i am not in the red. That will be mind blowing. Doing everything i am doing and still feeling like where i am now is absolutely not a good feeling. Sometimes i might go to work and i am just like. You know . Where is the motivation . One of the main things is about motivating staff. I run a Homeless Organisation and we are strictly on all volunteers. Because i know i cant pay my staff i will do other things, even if it is benefits like the cinema, doing Little Things like that, you start to see how your staff treat you. Imagine if i could start paying them, you know . It is good for me who experiences this knowing that this is what i would not want for my stuff. But presumably it is dreamland to pay £9 a5 . Presumably it is dreamland to pay £9 45 . That is the london living wage. But solomon lives in london. Absolutely. We have seen real growth in london living wage and players. Thousands of those Small Businesses, small independent firms choosing to pay the higher rate. They want to make sure that people work for them, not having to worry about these challenges you just mentioned. They have the time to devote to the job, nothing to worry about paying the bills all the School Uniform at the start of term. It is great to see an increase in the minimum wage, but there is further to go. Iam sure there is further to go. I am sure it is a conversation that lots of people will get in touch about. Matthew taylor has the weather. A grey, damp start boss. The rain is soon to depart. It will rain for much of the day in scotland, showers will arrive later in Northern Ireland, west wales and cornwall. Not as warm as the 22 celsius saw yesterday but pleasant enough for this stage in march. Showers tonight, mainly in the west. Eastern areas will be dry, fairly clear and cooler than recently. Temperatures into the start of the weekend into single figures. A slightly fresh start than over the past few moorings. Morning sunshine for quite a few of view but showers in the west initially will develop more widely through the day, lighter winds so slow moving, could be heavy inventory, particularly across parts of england and wales. Between the showers we will see sunshine, in that Sunshine Temperatures still in the mid to high teens at the very, very best. Cooler through saturday into sunday, a chilly start to the second half of the weekend, but much, much drier, showers few and far between, most with sunshine. Hello, it is friday, it is 10am. The president of the European Council, donald tusk, rejects theresa mays request for brexit negotiations to run side by side with talks on the uks future relationship with the bloc. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. We will get the governments reaction and be live in malta for the fallout there. Also on the programme. A longer wait for routine operations in england. Nhs bosses say its a trade off for improvements in other areas. We will get the views of professionals and those on the waiting list in the next hour. And the Schoolgirl Code Breakers taking the Cyber Intelligence world by storm. Find out why theyre poised to become the nextjames bonds later in the programme. Heres a summary of todays news. The president of the European Council, donald tusk, has been outlining how the eu intends to carry out brexit negotiations. Speaking in malta he warned the talks would be complex and sometimes confrontational, and he said negotiations on Future Trade Relations can only began after sufficient progress has been made on Disentangling Britain from the obligations of its aa Year Membership of the eu. 0nly only once we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal can we discuss the framework of our future relationship. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. And when talking about our future relationship, we obviously shared the uks desire to establish a Close Partnership with europe. Strong ties reaching beyond the economy and including Security Cooperation remain in ourcommon including Security Cooperation remain in our common interest. Let me conclude by saying that the talks which are about to start will be difficult, complex, and sometimes even confrontational. There is no way around it. The eu 27 does not and will not pursue a punitive approach. Waiting times will be longer for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements, as a trade off for improvements in a e performance and better treatment in other areas. Thats according to the head of nhs england, Simon Stevens, who is unveiling a strategy for the nhs over the next two years. He says increasing Patient Demand and the growth in new treatments mean that choices have to be made. Mps say its unacceptable that residents who pay their own fees at care homes in england are charged on average a3 more than those funded by the state. The communities and local Government Committee blames a lack of funding, which it says is threatening the viability of Adult Social Care providers. The government says its already given councils an extra £2 billion. Hotels, restaurants and Tourist Attractions have warned ministers of the possible consequences of restricting the movement of labour after brexit. The British Hospitality Association predicts a shortfall of 60,000 workers a year if immigration is limited from the eu. The government says it will design a new Immigration System that is in the national interest. Thats a summary of the latest bbc news more at 10 30am. Lots of you getting in touch with us this morning about routine operations being delayed, cancelled. An e mail, i was the victim of a Hit And Run Accident in january, left with a double fracture of the collarbone and four broken ribs. The hospital sent be home the same day and told me to come back the next day to see if a bed was free, there was still no bed the next day. An anonymous text, my son has been waiting for an operation at Birmingham Childrens hospital for two years, he was ready for the operation this week only to be told it was cancelled less than 2a hours before it was due to start because they had no sterile equipment to use in his operation. Keep those coming in, your experiences of routine operations being delayed, we will talk more about that in the next few minutes. Use the hashtag victorialive. If you text, you will be charged at the Standard Network rate. Heres some sport now withjess. What a couple of seasons its been for Manchester City women. They did the league and cup double last year, now theyre through to the semifinals of the Champions League in their debut season. Lucy bronze headed home the only goal of the match against fortuna hjerring, to give them a 2 0 Aggregate Win over the danish side. Next up city face the reigning champions lyon. And their Captain Steph Horton is excited by the challenge. We dont stop here, were excited to be involved in the semifinal, we know that leon are a very experienced team and they have a Tea M Full Of World class individuals, but so have weak, and its going to be an exciting game for sure. A shocking claim from stoke city striker saido berahino. He served an eight week doping ban earlier this season whilst at his former club west brom, but he says it was because his drink was spiked in a nightclub. Berahino insists that there was such a small amount in his system, it proves he couldnt have taken the drug intentionally. For me to get banned for something that i really havent done is hard to take. So it was spiked . Yes, definitely. Because if i was going to get high, like talking about whether you wanted to get high, maybe the numbers would have came higher, if it was found in my system. But it was really, really low, so why would you want to take something and not get a buzz off it . And that was their question. But because im in the premier league, the fa have to have zero tolerance. And you can watch the the full interview on Football Focus On Bbc One on saturday from 12pm. Premier league clu bs clubs feel aggrieved at the lack of recognition for their Community Work according to richard scudamore. He was speaking at the launch of an event to provide resources to thousands of primary schools. We have a power that motivates people, motivate young people particularly, and therefore because we can, we should, and that is what it is about and why we are doing it. The campaign above the line is to make sure schools engage and begged the programme a success, and hopefully hearts and minds will alter in terms of some of the perceptions towards some of the things the premier League Stands for. Tennis now. Joanna konta continues to impress shes become the first british woman to reach the miami 0pen final. Konta beat Venus Williams and will now play Caroline Wozniacki for the title. Amazing to think konta was just six years old when williams first won this tournament 19 years ago. Konta has said venus is one of her all time heroes, but dispatched her opponent in straight sets. Im very happy to have come through that, i wasnt able to serve it out the first time but the Second Time Around i was able to, so i think, yes, relief and obviously excitement that i get to be part of the last day of the tournament. Englands charley hull is in contention at the first womens major of the year, the ana inspiration in california. Shes three shots off the lead. But the woman grabbing the headlines is this golfer, south korean amateur seong eun jeong. And she made a hole in one at the fifth. What about that . She is only 17, look at her reaction. Brilliant, fabulous to see that from her. That is all the sport by now, i will be back with a headline that about 10 30am. Talks between the eu and uk on brexit will be difficult and sometimes confrontational according to the president of the European Council, donald tusk. He has said there is no desire to punish britain and has said that parallel negotiations can only begin once sufficient progress is made in the divorce proceedings. Citizens from all over the eu live, work and study in the uk, and as long as the uk remains a member, their rights are fully protected. But we need to settle the status and situation after the withdrawal with reciprocal, enforceable, and non discriminatory guarantees. Second, we must prevent a legal vacuum for our companies that stems from the fact that, after brexit, eu laws will no longer apply to the uk. Third, we will also need to make sure that the uk honours all financial commitments and liabilities it has taken as a member state. It is only fair towards all those people, communities, scientists, farmers and so on, to whom we, all the 28, promised and owe this money. I can guarantee that the eu, on our part, will honour all our commitments. Fourth, we will seek flexible and Creative Solutions aiming at avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and ireland. It is of crucial importance to support the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. These four issues are all part of the first phase of our negotiation. Once and only once we have achieved sufficient progress of the four can we discuss the framework of our future relationship. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. And, when talking about our future relationship, we obviously share the uks desire to establish a Close Partnership between us. Strong ties reaching beyond the economy and including Security Cooperation remain in our common interest. 0ur Political Correspondent iain watson is in westminster. Is this a rebuff to theresa may . The language from donald tusk is firm, rather than anything else, but we heard from him saying, look, at times the talks would be confrontational. When it comes to a rebirth, remember this, this is what theresa may asked of the European Union council, of which donald tusk is president , with the letter triggering article 50. She said, we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of a future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the eu. Today, donald tusk has said, almost in terms, no chance, there will be no parallel negotiations. He said the first phase would be the untangling of the relationship with the rest of the eu, and only then would move onto a second phase, which would be looking at the future relationship with trade and so on. But the people who will decide whether that second phase will be triggered will be the European Council themselves, not some independent body, not the uk, but the European Council. No final trade deal will be until britain has left the European Union, and in addition to that, if there is any transitional arrangement, britain would have to accept a supervisory role as they do currently as a member, these are not things that theresa may is in favour of, she wa nts to theresa may is in favour of, she wants to leave the European Court of justice and whats negotiations to run in parallel, and donald tusk is very clear that will not happen. In the last few minutes we had Downing Streets reaction, a statement following that Press Conference by donald tusk and following the publication of the Draft Guidelines. In it they say, effectively stressing these are Draft Guidelines, we look forward to beginning negotiations once they are formally agreed by the 27 remaining members of the European Union. Downing street goes on to say, it is clear both sides which to approach the talks constructively and as the Prime Minister said this week we wish to ensure a deep and special partnership between the uk and European Union, so Downing Street doing nothing at this stage to fan the flames. They say, in effect, this is a negotiation, this is the opening salvo but we hope to move onto more constructive talks later. To be further, there is some constructive progress, both sides clearly wa nt constructive progress, both sides clearly want to sort out the status and rights of eu citizens, they recognise the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland require special attention, but that the issue, can you have Talks On Trade going alongside if you like the divorce settlement, the bill we have to pay to leave the European Union, they are in two different places, theresa may want it to happen together, donald tusk and the European Council clear today that they do not. Ian, thank you. 0ur correspondent chris morris is in malta. You were in the Press Conference with donald tusk, we saw you asking a question there. The tough talk has really started now, hasnt it . Yes, it has. Cast your mind back two days, when donald tusk appeared in brussels with theresa mays letter, he sounded emotional, genuinely upset. Today it about all about business, this is our response and it will be tough. Clear indication from this Press Conference, the big thought is that the eu now believes it is in control of the process. For nine months, since the referendum, theresa may had the timing in her hands, it was her decision went to trigger article 50. Now that it has been done, it is the eu which says, we are going to set the tone, we will spend another month debating the Draft Guidelines then have the summit of the 27 leaders to approve them, possibly slightly amended, then they have to be turned into a form of the associated directive, and only then will negotiations start, and they have to start on our terms. The uk could say, we dont accept that, but if the other 27 countries are united in sailing, divorce and separation first then when sufficient progress is made, and they will judge when sufficient progress is made, and they willjudge what when sufficient progress is made, and they will judge what that when sufficient progress is made, and they willjudge what that means, then we talk about the future, and only when we have made progress on that will we talk about transition from one to the other. That is the eu saying, this is our process, our treaty that the process is being done under, and we are considering things ina done under, and we are considering things in a cooperative way, very polite and constructive, as a third country with which we are negotiating we are considering you ina negotiating we are considering you in a cooperative way. Still to come. The woman who found out she was autisic at a5. Find out how the diagnosis changed her life and whats shes doing now to deal with her condition. Cough waiting up to 18 weeks for surgery, often in pain, is an unpleasant prospect. But now nhs patients in england are being warned they may have to wait longer for routine operations such as hip and knee replacements, cataract removal, Hernia Operations and laparoscopies. Speaking to today on radio four, Simon Stevens, the head of nhs england, says it is a trade off for improvements in other areas, such as the four hour a e target and better cancer care. He says increasing Patient Demand and the growth in new treatments mean that radical choices have to be made. The nhs has made huge strides over the course of the last ten or 15 years in cutting long waits for operations, and we are determined not to go back from that. So people, i think, would be surprised to remember that, 15 years ago, you might be waiting 18 months for your hip or your knee operation, now nine out of ten people it is 18 weeks, the average wait for an operation is ten weeks. What were saying is that, over the next couple of years, we want to have more funded operations on the nhs, but we recognise that the rate of growth is probably going to have to be a little bit slower than it has been at points in the past, because we also want to make big improvements in cancer care, in gp services, and in Mental Health services as well. But you will know that claire marks of the Royal College of surgeons has said that there is a risk that you will have unacceptably long waits, a return to that, and suggesting that the 18 week target has now effectively beenjettisoned. It hasnt. The reality is that there are pressures right across the Health Service, they are well known, and under those circumstances we have to make a start on sorting out particularly those pressures in a e departments which weve seen over the course of the last winter. Its right that we start with the most urgent and pressing problems, but then over the course of the next several years we want to be able to expand or continue to expand the amount of surgery thats being done so that Waiting Times stay low. The fact is that we are already looking after, providing 5000 more operations a day now than we were in 2010, and weve got one of the lowest Waiting Times for routine nonurgent operations of any industrialised country. Under the current nhs guidelines, 92 of patients with non urgent conditions should be treated within 18 weeks of referral by their gp. The maximum waiting time for suspected cancer is two weeks from gp referral. If a hospital or service cancels your appointment at the last minute, they should offer another date within 28 days. We were hoping to speak to hugh pym, who is not with us now. We can speak to christine moon, she is on an nhs waiting list for a single coronary bypass. And we can speak to tim briggs, an Orthopaedic Surgeon and the nhs National Clinical director for efficiency and quality. Christine, what is your situation . I saw my cardiac surgeon last november. I was told 18 weeks. At the end of the 18 week period i phoned the hospital to try to find out when i might be admitted and was told they could give me no idea at all, they were completely backlogged, people in Critical Care beds were blocking beds and i was told nobody in the hospital could give me any idea when my operation was likely to take place. So you just sit and wait for the hospital to give you a date . I have decided to give you a date . I have decided to go privately because ijust cannot carry on my life waiting for this to happen. It is like having a Sword Hanging over my head. Are you feeling unwell or is it the simple logistics of feeling like you are in limbo . It is feeling i am in limbo, Iam Taking Limbo . It is feeling i am in limbo, i am taking six tablets a day to alleviate my systems. I guess lots of people are in much worse position than i am, they have probably been waiting longer than me. 18 weeks means absolutely nothing. |j waiting longer than me. 18 weeks means absolutely nothing. I want to bring in tim briggs, you are a co nsulta nt bring in tim briggs, you are a consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. I guess many of your patients are the very people who might be affected by this announcement today . very people who might be affected by this announcement today . If you look at what the nhs has done in the last 50 yea rs at what the nhs has done in the last 50 years to bring down Waiting Times to the historical lows of the moment, it has been an amazing job by many people. If you look at the nationaljoint by many people. If you look at the National Joint registry founded by many people. If you look at the Nationaljoint Registry founded in 2003, when there were a7,000 joint replacements registered in one year, last year it was over 200,000, it shows you the rising demand, and with the ageing population and the demands on the Health Service. I think the Health Service should be congratulated on the actual work it has done in the last few years to bring the Waiting Times down to the historical lows that we see now, and patients, in terms of quality, timing of the operation is not the only aspiration. It is also getting the best quality outcome. It is a mixture of the two components that produces the best result for patients. That does not help the likes of christine, she is pulling faces and shaking her head, clearly disagreeing with what you are saying. Lots of people have got into it talking about the delays they are facing already, this will get worse. For people in pain it is no comfort at all. We had to look at what is happening at the moment in the accident and emergency departments, they are under huge pressure. More patients are being admitted to hospitals, delayed transfers of care which i hope has been resolved with the chancellors announcement in the budget of the £2 billion. This means there has been a lot of pressure on beds. If we are going to provide a sustainable Health Service Going Forward , sustainable Health Service Going Forward, to provide excellent, timely care for patients, we have to free up those beds, and we do that by increasing the Discharge Rates of patients from hospital which has been announced in the budget with increased funding of £2 billion for social care, but we also have to sort out the front end of the hospital a e departments, reducing the number of patients coming to hospital, to a e, the number of patients admitted, sometimes not necessarily. And we have to resolve that to have the bed capacity to provide elective care for the patients. I welcome the report in many ways, im an Orthopaedic Surgeon at the front line, i treat patients, i think patients will understand that we had to try to sort out the system so we can maintain the frequency at which we can deliver the 18 week target for patients, i dont believe it is being jettisoned, actually. What we are trying to do is sort out the system to maintain it as we go forward. Professor briggs, iwould def chris dean understands. You say most patients will understand this, christine, feel free to speak to tim briggs. Professor briggs, i wonder if christine understands. dont understand, you say you are trying to sort out problems and a e, in the area where i live i understand that a e is under immense pressure. There is a walk in unit being established in corby which i read with absolute horror is now due to close due to lack of nhs spending. Why . To respond to that, i have been in the privileged position in the last two years of visiting every single hospital in england, wales, scotland and Northern Ireland, overall the pressure on a e departments is huge, they have had huge pressure over the winter months, as we all know. We had to try to resolve that, because the more patients coming through the front door and getting admitted to hospital with delays of transfer means there are not the beds available to do the collective planned surgery. 0ver available to do the collective planned surgery. Over the next 2a, 36 months, we need to try to resolve that issue. Simon stevens said today that issue. Simon stevens said today that no one is jettisoning the 18 week targets, we want that to be the norm for patients, but we have to sort out the service at both the front and back end is to mean that we have got the elective capacity and the beds in order to get these elective cases done. I think you should not inform patients about this magical waiting time when clearly it Means Nothing. I would rather be told you might have your surgery in a year, if we can bring its forward we will. Why not be honest upfront . Why not say 18 weeks, when it Means Nothing . What i would say to that is that i work, as i say, in a provider hospital, all the nhs staff are working tirelessly and very hard to try to make sure that they maintain the elective servers as efficiently and effectively and as high quality as they can. But we have been under as they can. But we have been under a lot of pressure and we have to have a bit of a Breathing Space and time to sort out the front and back end of the hospital to free up these beds. I do not want to see, and what will not happen, is going back to historical times of the past when people were waiting three years, 18 months for surgery, but i believe we need Breathing Space in order to sort out the system so that we can maintain the elective capacity to do Elective Surgery at the appropriate time, that is what we are trying to do. Thank you, professor tim briggs, and christine, best of luck. That look the best of luck in getting a date. The nhs says it wants to stop children and young people having to travel far from home to get Mental Health care. Lets talk now to Marjorie Wallace of the Mental Health charity sane. Sally burkes teenage Daughter Maisie was admitted to ten hospitals in the last three years and none of them near her home. Sally, i want to come to you first. Give us a sense of how difficult that has been for you, coping with maisie being in so many places around the country . It is horrendous, as a family we have not been able to support maisie at her most vulnerable. It has been very difficult as a parent to know that your child needs you but is at least an hour away, some of the photos i have had from maisie or the police or the unit i read it difficult to deal with and not be able to take pa rt deal with and not be able to take part in trying to help her through that some of the phone calls i have had. Presumably you had to travel each time, there is a Cost Indication . Always a cost. What about the cost to maisie of being in so many places, was that problematic for her . Absolutely, each admission has caused more problems, none has been helpful in helping her get over her problems. She has become homesick, lost touch with friends in the community, it has had a Knock On Effect on all of the aspects in her life including school. Marjorie, you are nodding, is thisjust life including school. Marjorie, you are nodding, is this just about more money, more beds, more units so that people like maisie can be treated closer to home . Lots of it is but it is about attitude to Mental Illness as well, so it is treated with the same seriousness as physical illness. We are hearing about Waiting Times of 18 weeks, in melton in Mental Illness it is sometimes years and sometimes there are no beds available at all. Sometimes there are no local beds available, we there are no local beds available, we have lost half the number of psychiatric beds 2000. 25,000 beds have been closed down. That means a person who becomes critically ill, like maisie was, who is self harming and suicidal, they go to a e and sent home and it is on a wing and a prayer that the community Mental Health team comes. Sally, how did you a Ccess Health Team comes. Sally, how did you access that care for maisie . Sometimes we have had to wait up to two weeks for maisie to be admitted toa two weeks for maisie to be admitted to a bed, it has just been cope at home, if you are not coping, ring the police, that has a Knock On Effect because the police are not happy because it is a Mental Health problem. Really, i have had to fight every system is apparent, challenge every system is apparent, challenge every decision. It is notjust more money, sending maisie away to a bed costs a lot more than if they provided proper care at home and supports to keep her at home in the community with the right support and Ca Re Community with the right support and care that she needs. What support and care which you need to stay at home in the community . Experience, trained staff working around the clock with her. At the moment to get her to a steady ground so she can reintegrate back into routine and life. Marjorie, would that be cheaper than sending maisie to a unit . Not necessarily, you have to have an intensive investment in that person. We are finding again and again at sane, we get so many calls, people are not admitted to the hospital or units and they are put under the care of the Crisis Resolution teams, the rate of suicide amongst Mental Health patients under these teams has trebled in 13 years and is three times as much as in hospital. These community teams, they are having cutbacks, it is notjust the closure to beds but the cutbacks in the teams, they dont have the time to spend with people. It puts people who need that time at risk. For you, sally, what difference will be the extra beds and units make to maisie if there is another situation where she needs to be admitted . If there was a bedene. Home, what difference would it make to you and yourfamily . Difference would it make to you and your family . A bed near your home. It would mean people could visit her daily, she could come out into the community, take part in a family event instead of feeling isolated and lonely, she could access school, so her routine would continue. Plus, the people in her ca re continue. Plus, the people in her care when she didnt need a bed would be in our community, so that experience and those professionals would always be at maisies doorstep. How is she now . Shejust came out of a unit last week, she is trying to transition back into normal life, she is up and down, very sad at the moment. Sally, thank you for coming on, best of luck to maisie, and thank you also marjorie for joining maisie, and thank you also Marjorie Forjoining us. We had an e mailfrom Healthy Forjoining us. We had an e mail from healthy about the nhs, i live in Northern Ireland and suffer from glaucoma which could lead to blindness if not managed properly. I was due to see my co nsulta nt properly. I was due to see my consultant in december 20 for a once a year checkup. When i rang this morning to see why i have not received an appointment, i was told the consultant had retired and no one had been put in place to take over the running of the clinic. I was told to consult my gp if i had any further with my eyesight. We have no sitting government in Northern Ireland at the moment because the elected representatives will not sit down with each other to talk about running the country. My problem is minor but there are others not getting treatment with greater need. Thank you very much, keep those e mails coming. Still to come. Diagnosed with autism at a5 well talk to a woman who struggled with the condition for most of her life, without knowing why. And the young girls shaping the future of Cyber Intelligence in britain. Find out how their codebreaking skills are impressing the gchq later in the programme. With the news, heres annita. The president of the European Council, donald tusk, has been outlining how the eu intends to carry out brexit negotiations. Speaking in malta, he warned the talks will be complex and sometimes confrontational and he said negotiations on Future Trade Relations can only begin after sufficient progress has been made on Disentangling Britain from its aa Year Membership of the eu. Once and only once we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal can we discuss the framework of our future relationship. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. The foreign secretary borisjohnson has been giving his reaction. The uks commitment to the defence and security of this region of europe is unconditional, and it is not some Bargaining Chip in any negotiations that may be taking place elsewhere in this capital. We may can unconditional commitment to the defence, to the security of europe, because we profoundly believe its in the interests of stability and prosperity of the whole transatlantic area. Waiting times will be longer for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements, as a trade off for improvements in a e performance and better treatment in other areas. Thats according to the head of nhs england, Simon Stevens, who is unveiling a strategy for the nhs over the next two years. He says increasing Patient Demand and the growth in new treatments mean that choices have to be made. Mps say its unacceptable that residents who pay their own fees at care homes in england are charged on average a3 more than those funded by the state. The communities and local Government Committee blames a lack of funding, which it says is threatening the viability of Adult Social Care providers. The government says its already given councils an extra £2 billion. Hotels, restaurants and Tourist Attractions have warned ministers of the possible consequences of restricting the movement of labour after brexit. The British Hospitality Association predicts a shortfall of 60,000 workers a year if immigration is limited from the eu. The government says it will design a new Immigration System that is in the national interest. China is closing almost half of its official Ivory Carving Factories and shops today, with the rest due to close by the end of the year. The news has been welcomed by conservationists in their ongoing battle against the illegal trade in ivory. Despite a global ban on international sales, a surge in demand has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of african elephants in recent years. Thats a summary of the latest news, join me for bbc Newsroom Live at 11am. Lots of your comments still coming in about the nhs and those delays which are going to occur to routine operations. An e mail from which are going to occur to routine operations. An e mailfrom linda, i was diagnosed with severe arthritis in both knees almost 15 months ago, iam in in both knees almost 15 months ago, i am in constant pain and still waiting. I will be 70 injune and have been paying income tax and National Insurance since i was 15, i have owned the rights to better treatment. Instead i get the feeling it is my fault for living so long. Kathy says, Waiting Times could be met if patients who are not accident or emergency were diverted to their gp. Blocked beds are due to closing down ca re of blocked beds are due to closing down care of the elderly which allowed people to be discharged and allow rehab to take place. Lets get some sport now with jessica. Manchester citys women are through to the semi finals of the Champions League after beating fortuna hjorring. Lucy bronze headed home the only goal of the match. It followed their 1 0 victory over the danish side in the first leg. Big match up next in the last four, reigning champions lyon. Johanna kontas Incredible Run continues. She beat Venus Williams in straight sets overnight to reach the final at the miami 0pen. Amazing to think she was just six years old when venus won this tournament 19 years ago. Konta will play Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Englands charley hull is in contention at the first womens major of the year. She was 2 under par through seven holes before high winds stopped play at the ana inspiration in california. Shot of the day though came from south korean teenage amateur sung eun jeung. She made a hole in one at the fifth. And world number one mark selby is into the quarter finals at snookers china open in beijing. The defending champion edged out a tense final frame decider against andrew higginson. Next up is stephen maguire. Judd trump and ding junhui are also through. That is all the sport for now, i will see you soon. Laura james was a5 with four kids, a loving husband and great career when a surprise diagnosis changed her life. She was told she had autism, and suddenly she felt she had answers after spending years, as she describes it, trying to hide her weirdness from others. From rigid routines like Lining Up Nail polishes in order of colour to struggling with bright lights, many things laura had come to think of as normal were suddenly explained. And now shes written about her diagnosis in a new book. Laura is talking to us now, alongside tom purser from the National Autistic society. Do you think, saying you were spending years covering your weirdness, did you have an inkling . No, iwas weirdness, did you have an inkling . No, i was unbelievably surprised when autism was diagnosed. I had spent so long trying to work out why i was different, wondered whether i had a Mental Health problem, it was because i was adopted, i wandered all sorts of things, but eventually life ta kes all sorts of things, but eventually life takes over and work happens, kids happen, so ijust worked hard every day to try and appear to be nearer typical, really. I read that you found life generally confusing . I think you found life generally confusing . Ithinki you found life generally confusing . I think i had to work three times as ha rd to i think i had to work three times as hard to get through the day as neurotypical people. I didnt understand what people meant when they were not clear about what they we re they were not clear about what they were saying, so vague things that happen, when people say, we might do that on wednesday but we might not, ifind that on wednesday but we might not, i find that incredibly, incredibly ha rd to i find that incredibly, incredibly hard to get my head around. 0rjust other things like having to do boring things like go round the supermarket, it always left me feeling utterly exhausted and Com Pletely Feeling utterly exhausted and completely confused. I was so confused by the sheer array of choice, looking at washing powder, hundreds of them, it overwhelms me. Something like doing the weekly shopping would just completely take it out of me and make me feel utterly overwhelmed and confused, and as if i was failing because surely that is a simple thing eve ryo ne surely that is a simple thing everyone can do easily. And things like scenes of socks would come out and feel very prominent to you . Yes, i have a think about clothing, i have to wear very comfortable clothes otherwise i cannot concentrate on anything other than the irritation the clothing is causing. As he said, on the outside, married, four kids, successful career, were people surprised when you got the diagnosis, for example your husband . You got the diagnosis, for example your husband . I think he was initially surprised, lots of people in my life were as well, but i think Thatis In My Life were as well, but i think that is because, lots of people are aware of autism now but we dont all understand what it means. I thought it was very much the stereotype, the boy with his trains, it did not occur to me someone who is a journalist, who communicates for a living, could possibly be autistic but once i started meeting of the autistic women online, reading more about it, it was just so obviously me, as if they had written a description of me, and i think my husband came to terms with it after he read more about it as well. You wrote that it was like he broke that it was like coming on the same first aid for 20 years, constantly getting to know you. Yes, he says that, i think i am very easy to know, but because im not a neurotypical person and most people are used to neurotypical people, i think he finds me a bit confusing. Like what . I dont really know and he is not here to answer the question it was a line that i wrote in the telegraph a couple of years ago and people keep asking me, and i keep asking him, and he said he cant put his finger on it, but i think we should make him answer the question you also talked about school being a confusing time for you, trying to understand how to behave as a girl . Yes, i found other girls really confusing because there we re girls really confusing because there were all of these unwritten rules, they would be really nice to one person, then she would wander off and they would be really mean about her, and i just and they would be really mean about her, and ijust couldnt get my head around that sort of thing, i didnt understand the games girls wanted to play, i am understand the games girls wanted to play, iam not understand the games girls wanted to play, i am not competitive so i didnt understand wanting to win, i didnt understand wanting to win, i didnt get the sporty girls. I couldnt understand wanting to play with dolls or make believe because it seemed really bizarre because it is not the real world, so i didnt wa nt to is not the real world, so i didnt want to do that, and i couldnt understand why everybody in the playground wasnt sitting in the corner reading a book, like i was. Did you feel isolated grubbing up . did, but did you feel isolated grubbing up . did, but i am self contained so i did, but i am self contained so i did not feel it in a hurtful way but i know other autistic women struggle with that, feeling that they wanted to belong. It was less important to me. When people were bullying at school, if it was scary and i thought they might punch me then it was a big deal, but if they were just being mean to me i was lucky that somehow, i could know if it is autism or a personality thing, but somehow i was quite protected from that, i just wanted somehow i was quite protected from that, ijust wanted to be away from them. You said you always had your head in books when you were growing up head in books when you were growing up but youd used an interesting author to learn about Human Behaviour . Jilly cooper is my favourite author, i adored her, she is the first person i ever interviewed, which was awesome, but i genuinely believed her books were a handbook for life what did you think we were all doinglaughter. Did you find it helps to understand peoples behaviour better . Did you find it helps to understand peoples behaviour better . She is a brilliant writer, if you read her work you learn an awful lot. I learned about poetry from reading her book, a book about a tv station, and one of the presenters was making the documentary and i learned so much about poetry, she sparked a real passion, but i also learned about Human Behaviour and relationships, but i think it was confusing because obviously they are not balls and they are grown ups. My 1a year old self thought that someone would come in on a horse to rescue me obviously they are novels. You have written about meltdowns that you had and it was actually one of those meltdowns that was in some way what led to the diagnosis . Yes, i have a genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos syndrome which often occurs with autism, it is starting to be seen, andi autism, it is starting to be seen, and i was having tests for that and the tests were really quite invasive and difficult and it was the hottest day of the year in london, i couldnt eat for 2a hours before the tests. I went to my room and it was really claustrophobic, there was meant to be a Tuna Sandwich, the famous Tuna Sandwich, waiting for me because i had not eaten for so long and it was very bright, there was a child crying, it wasjust and it was very bright, there was a child crying, it was just an and it was very bright, there was a child crying, it wasjust an massive sensory overload and i had an epic meltdown and burst into tears and kind of got, needed to get out, so i announced to the nurse that i was leaving and she said, we should have sorted it out, im so sorry, we see a lot of autistic people here and this is not good enough, we should make it better. I thought it was like that thing where you go into hospital and they mistake you for someone else, so ijust left it and had the Tuna Sandwich when it arrived, but i had to stay overnight soi arrived, but i had to stay overnight so i started googling, as you do, googling autism and there were a few things that sort of raised flags with me, but i googled autistic women and it was like finding myself, every description was so me, andi myself, every description was so me, and i found some online groups on facebook and talked to some women, and it became completely apparent that was the case with me. Lots of them have Ehlers Danlos syndrome as well and our experiences were so similar. Tom, how unusual is it for a woman to get to her mid a0s before being diagnosed with autism . To get to her mid a0s before being diagnosed with autism . Not that unusual, at the National Autistic society we have more women coming to us, and, like laura said, finding each other online sharing experiences, because many are coming to diagnose this very late in life. Partly that is because of an increase in awareness in autism, an increase in awareness in autism, an increase in awareness in autism, an increase in the ability of diagnostic services but also because women tend to have been missed at a youngerage women tend to have been missed at a younger age and have tended to be. Have been misdiagnosed with other things throughout their lives as well. Is it a case that women may be better at masking it than men . There is still a lot of Research Needs to be done around women and their experiences, we know the experiences of autistic women and girls are different to those of boys and men. That masking element and that learning some of the social rules from sources like the novels of jilly cooper, for example, it is a perfect example of what girls are good at, perhaps bob serving some of the social rules and being able to mimic them, masking their behaviours and learning to hide them. The impact of that can be huge for women and girls because they are trying to keep it inside, trying to fit in and they dont necessarily understand why they feel different to others and why it can be so challenging. How has the diagnosis helped you, your relationship with your husband and children . Has it changed anything . It has changed me because i always felt that i was failing, now i dont any more. I felt like a failing your typical woman, now i feel like a successful autistic woman. We are all quite eccentric so i think we all muddle along, my children, but i think it has helped my husband understands me, i can be difficult at times and i think it has given him a reason, he can pin a reason onto why i behave sometimes and it has made it easierfor him. He realises that if i seem for not engaged, it is not to do with him but it is because i am in my head. Thank you ever so much for coming m, thank you ever so much for coming in, it has been lovely to meet you both, laura and tom. Lauras book, 0dd girl 0ut, is out next thursday. Lots of comments on the nhs, valerie says i returned home and choose stay from a six week period in hospital with a badly broken leg. I am receiving carers three times a week. My receiving carers three times a week. My observation of the system is as follows. Excellent medical care, very kind staff, cleanliness and sufficient medication. But a lack of consistency, a lack of communication, a lack of quarter nation, inefficiency, poor management skills, weaker language skills, constant monitoring to catch people out, no praise when the job is done well. It is a clear maxim that you need to say well done ten times to make one criticism effectively otherwise resentment and a lack of involvement quickly set in. Please keep your comments coming from spooks to james bond, were fascinated by the secret world of fictional intelligence services. Well, gchq, the governments electronic intelligence unit, is now on the look out for staff in the real world. Theyre encouraging more women to consider a career in Cyber Security and recently held a code cracking competition for schoolgirls across the uk. Out of the 8000 who entered, it was a team of three girls from Lancaster Girls Grammar School who won the coveted prize. And here they are now evie smith, Lauren Mchugh and emily shackleton, along with their teacher gareth hamilton, and Nicola Hudson from the national Cyber Security along with their teacher, gareth hamilton. And then we will speak to the people involved in the competition as well. Explain what you had to do . To begin with, and online round of the competition involving solving lots of different puzzles. I think we all really enjoyed that because we got to see your progress as we were doing that. 0nce your progress as we were doing that. Once we got through to the final it came once we got through to the final it came we came down to london on monday to participate with nine other schools, where we had to discover different clues about the hacker of a fictional school website. A few puzzles, i think you slightly underplay it. What were they . Four categories in cryptography, logic and coding, Cyber Security and networking. What is cryptography . Ciphers and codes. I dont understand any of this. You got through that and got down to london, and in london, are you nervous or worried at this point . think we were slightly nervous but thought we would do our best and see how it went. What did you had to do . Find out who had hacked this school website. Find out and details about them, their phone number, their address. How do you go about that . Where do you start . First of all we looked at the page for the Normal School website. Then we looked at the hacked page left there by the hacker. We looked at things like the source code and the hackers twitter, try to make connections between the hacker and their personal twitter account. We looked at some of the details like the domain name of the website and how it had been registered, that told us things. Do you learn this all at school or outside of school . We learned parts of it at school, but the competition was a lot harder than what we were used to, we were learning as we went along. Gareth hamilton is head of computing from Lancaster Girls Grammar School. You must be very proud, they are slightly underplaying. Yes, as a teacher this is the stuff of dreams. It is important to get young people into coding, especially girls . They are massively underrepresented in the uk workforce at the moment, and in places like gchq, so place is putting the subject area on the map are important with. Nicola works for the national Cyber Security centre, party gchq. Good that you are a woman, promoting this. Are there many other women in this field . 10 of many other women in this field . 1096 of the workforce, the Global Workforce a re of the workforce, the Global Workforce are women, that is a massive, massive issue for as collectively. Within the national Cyber Security centre about a third of the workforce are women, about half of the Senior Management team are women, we are half of the Senior Management team are women, we are making strides. But the port in thing is what the tale nt but the port in thing is what the Talent Pipeline looks like notjust the now buttin two, five or ten years, it is a massively growing sector, the stakes are really high and if we dont have that Diverse Workforce and young girls and women with a completely different skill set, we will not be doing the best possible job that we can. It is an enormous achievement, 8500 girls doing it and the final with the three of them, big congratulations to them and everybody who took part. As ev said, this is notjust about everybody who took part. As ev said, this is not just about a everybody who took part. As ev said, this is notjust about a project they did at school, it took a bit of oomph, and we will work on this in our spare time as evie said. This is girls are showing an interest in Cyber Security where people really think boy thing, it is not, these girls have shown it really is not. How long did it take you to crack it . We spent some time on the online round, that took about a week of our time, not solid but, you know. You slept and ate a bit and the final, nine oclock to five oclock with a breakfor nine oclock to five oclock with a break for lunch. It took us time to work out what to do at the beginning, but it is that moment of revelation when you realise what you need to do, it is very satisfying. Coding is a big thing, i am of two young girls and so many parents are saying it is really important we get the kids into coding. Why . We all use technology very heavily, but very few of us understand how it works. We need the next generation to understand it so they can keep producing the technology and we can keep using it. When you are teaching, do you get the sense that girls are put off because they see it as something that boys do . To some degree. But i think it is changing. If you are looking at the u pta ke changing. If you are looking at the uptake that we have had over the last few years, definitely computing has been a more popular choice, i think it is changing. You talked about diversity, it is notjust girls, you need a mixture of people from across society . Exactly, it is critical, when you look at some of these really complex problems it is how you look at them and the different ways that you look to try to solve those. What was really noticeable about the event on monday was that out of those ten teams with the same problem, they were coming up the same problem, they were coming up with different answers because they were looking at it from different perspectives, which is key. 0ne different perspectives, which is key. One of the things we were really looking at and judging the teams arent is teamwork, collaboration and how they Work Together to draw out each individual strengths, they had that in spades, it was brilliant. Congratulations, ayew interested in a career in this . I think. Definitely taking it for a level, we will see how it goes. We have had lots of e mails of people getting into a judge with their stories waiting for hospital operations. Pauline, isuffered their stories waiting for hospital operations. Pauline, i suffered a stroke in 2015, luckily it only affected my speech. Three months later i started having difficulty eating and swallowing. I was referred to hospital after various tests which showed that i had a small raised bump which constantly gave me a feeling of something being stuck. I went for the consultation in february and told there was no funding. I could wait for the new Financial Year and start again. I agreed and went back in may but it might not go ahead then. The boss of nhs england, Simon Stevens, will shortly outline his blueprint for the Health Service Waiting Times. Lets get more from our Health Editor hugh pym. We know the highlights, some people are unhappy, routine operations likely to be delayed further, but more money for a e and Cancer Services . Thats right, we will get the speech in a few minutes in the aldershot centre for health behind me. We are here because Simon Stevens wants to make the point that centres like this could help activity in the community away from hospitals, it is one of the largest of its kind in the country, they have scans, pharmacists as well as gp services. More investment in this sort of facility and he says you wont have to refer so many to hospital. But as you have heard, he has conceded that Waiting Lists will have to rise routine surgery, which is not popular with those affected by it. You will also talk about how generally Community Care can be enhanced by health and social care around england. Thank you, hugh we will be bringing you live coverage of that year. Lots of you have been keeping into edge throughout the morning with your experiences of those delays. Delays to routine operations. It is a concern to many, but as we said earlier there will be improvements to Mental Health services and also a e and Cancer Services. We will continue with the coverage on the nhs story in bbc Newsroom Live coming up next. Thank you for your company, have a good day. The weather is looking a little bit mixed today. We have had some rain around ina mixed today. We have had some rain around in a few areas but some afternoon sunshine is on the way at least for most of us can the afternoon. Lets see what is happening in the next few hours or so, rain across scotland, for sure, some rain getting into south western england and wales later but really we are talking about trips and drops. The vast majority of the uk will have lots of bright weather, best temperatures around 17, not as warm as yesterday which was one of the warmest march days on record, 22. We will get 17 or 18 today if we are lucky, pretty good. Some spots of rain getting into the west in uk today, the east says dreier. Tonight is much cooler than last night, around 5 degrees in rouble spots, towns and cities more like eight or nine. Saturday looks mixed, sunshine and showers, as far as sunday is concerned it looks fine with sunshine on the way. This is bbc news, and these are the top stories developing at 11 00 the president of the European Council, donald tusk, suggests a phased strategy for brexit negotiations, allowing trade talks to begin once progress is made on the divorce deal. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. Theres a warning that nhs Waiting Times will be longer for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements, as a trade off for improvements and better treatment in other areas. The defence secretary Michael Fallon has refused to rule out future cuts to the number of Royal Marines in the British Armed forces, we will be live at his news