In an effort to help clear the huge - and record - backlog of people waiting for non-urgent tests and procedures, the government’s announcing more money for the NHS. The extra £5.9bn is included in the Budget and is part of plans to reduce the unprecedented number of people in England - more than five million - waiting for hospital treatment, with hundreds of thousands waiting more than a year. The money, on top of the £12bn a year announced in September, will fund more beds, equipment and new "surgical hubs". It will also cover the costs of improving IT and technology, including investing in faster broadband. The funding, primarily for the NHS in England, will also see health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a proportionate amount of cash.
It's a "game-changing investment" says Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who will be announcing the second Budget of the year on Wednesday, and the money will help deliver "millions more checks, scans and procedures for patients", according to Health Secretary Sajid Javid. But it doesn’t tackle chronic staff shortages - there’s 80,000 vacancies across the NHS - say health organisations, although they welcomed the investment. "What we've got to make sure is we have the workforce in place to deliver the services," says NHS Providers, which speaks for hospital and other NHS trusts. And the NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare leaders, claims the funding "falls short of what is needed to get services completely back on track". The pressures on the NHS show no sign of easing, says our health correspondent Dominic Hughes, and many will be looking closely at the details in the Budget to see if further help is on the way.

It costs a minimum of £21.43 per hour to provide care at home in the UK, according to the Homecare Association. That covers the minimum wage, travel time, pensions, holidays, training, PPE, office staff and 60p for profit or reinvestment in services. But a report from the association, which represents some 2,340 care providers, says many councils are not paying homecare companies a high enough hourly rate to cover those basic costs. This means they can’t raise wages in a sector which is losing staff faster than they can be replaced. According to the report, many leave due to the low wages and feeling undervalued. "Councils may want to pay more for care, but their hands are tied, because they simply do not have the money to do so," the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services says.

US actor James Michael Tyler, who most famously starred as Gunther in the TV sitcom Friends, has died aged 59. In the show, he played a waiter and manager of the coffee house, Central Perk, and had an almighty crush on Jennifer Aniston's character Rachel. He was, alongside the other six characters, a popular figure among fans - saying "it was the most memorable 10 years of my life, honestly", when he appeared briefly on the Friends reunion special via Zoom in May. Tyler was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2018 which later spread to his bones. He died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, his manager said. "The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh Friend)... but Michael's loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband," his manager added.

Details from the Budget on Wednesday as well as stories about the Queen and coronavirus are among those which make the front pages this morning. The i splashes on Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans to give the NHS £6bn to clear the backlog created by Covid. The Metro says it’s "Rish v Rash" as Mr Sunak clashes with footballer Marcus Rashford over free school meals. The Guardian carries a story about Labour accusing the chancellor of a "smoke and mirrors" Budget. The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, reports that modelling seen by the government suggests coronavirus cases will "plummet" in November without reintroducing restrictions. And the Sun reveals the Queen missed a church service following what it describes as a "health scare" last week. Read the newspapers review in full here.

After spotting a remote valley on a map, archaeologists ventured to the site and were proud when they found the world’s oldest known animal cave painting. The artwork showing wild pigs is believed to have been created at least 45,500 years ago on an island in Indonesia. We've been given rare access, take a look.
Next to a woman who’s found her biological father after they lost contact 58 years ago. When her mum and step-dad died, 59-year-old Julie Lund decided to look for Brian Rothery and days after asking for help on an online Facebook group the pair were reunited. It turns out they only lived just over an hour away from each other. Here’s their story.
And finally, if you’ve not seen it already, meet the man who’s been reunited with a wooden rollercoaster. Here’s Ryan Hackett who’s enjoyed his 6,000th ride on Megafobia in Pembrokeshire after it was delayed by the pandemic. "It's escape from reality, it's two minutes of forgetting all your worries,” he says.

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