hail and thunder, but generally speaking, i think it is a quieter day. hello and welcome to this special programme on bbc news. the coronavirus pandemic is testing the national health service like never before. staff have been left physically and mentally drained as they battled covid 19 on the front line. but after three lockdowns and a so far successful roll out of a vaccine the darkest days of the pandemic appear to be behind us. however, it doesn t mean the pressure is. the latest figures just under five million people are currently on the waiting list for routine operations and in this next half hour we ll be discussing how the health service can tackle the backlog, some of the solutions hospitals are coming up with, the mental health impact of the backlog on staff and patients alike and in what state the nhs emerges from the pandemic. here with me in the studio is chris hopson from nhs providers, which is made up of, and represents, the hospital, mental health,
new figures show a record number of children are being referred to the nhs in england for specialist mental health care. cheering. excitement in beijing the winter olympics opening ceremony is just hours away with british athletes aiming to challenge for medals in more events than ever before. millions of households are bracing themselves for what the bank of england is calling the biggest squeeze on living standards for more than 30 years. it s after the largest ever increase to the energy price cap was approved by the regulator, ofgem meaning gas and electricity bills in england, scotland and wales will go up to nearly £2,000 a year. the government has announced measures to help cushion the blow but critics say they don t go far enough. theo leggett reports. for hussain and halima master, who have three kids, rising energy bills means life is getting tougher. it s gone up again, hasn t it? yeah, to 250 that s crazy, that. hussain has a full time job, but they are s
for the first time in four years after hammering local rivals espanyol 4 2. robert lewandowski s first half double set them on their way. espanyol pulled two goals back in the second half to ensure it wasn t a total whitewash, but it s an unassailable iii point lead for barca over arch enemies real madrid, who look set for second place under carlo ancelotti. for barcelona manager xavi, he marked his first full season in charge with a title win, the second trophy to arrive at the camp nou this term. the barcelona squad were celebrating their title win when espanyol supporters stormed onto the pitch and ran at them, prompting the players to flee. they d been dancing around in the centre circle, relishing winning the title at the home of their local rivals, before things turned ugly. espanyol are in danger of a second relegation in four seasons. they re four points from safety. meanwhile in england, manchester city are four points clear at the top of the english premier league f
in turkey, soaring inflation and the fallout from the recent earthquake are top of voters minds as they decide whether the president, recep tayyip erdogan, will remain in power. standing against him is kemal kilicdaroglu, who is backed by a broad opposition alliance. turnout is thought to have been high, but there are conflicting claims about who is leading. here s what one of the supporters of the opposition had to say. translation: i am so excited. i can t feel my heartbeat. i still believe we will win. we have to get rid of this system already. especially as a woman, i want this change. the situation of the country is obvious. i m extremely excited. we wait with enthusiasm. i hope we win, i hope all would be as we wish. we are a bit anxious, a bit tense. i haven t been able to sleep for the past week. i woke up at 5am today, casted my vote and directly came here right after. meanwhile in thailand, voters have overwhelmingly chosen to end nearly a decade of military rule.
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