4,500 Retired Doctors And Nurses Have Already Signed Up To Return To The NHS

Tweeting a video thanking the 4,000 nurses and 500 doctors who have already returned, Hancock also said the help of 'many more' health professionals is still needed, telling them that their NHS needs them during this 'unprecedented crisis'.

In the short video, he said: "With coronavirus growing, on Friday we put out the call asking recently retired doctors, nurses, other health professionals, to come back to the NHS to help in this unprecedented crisis.

"I'm delighted that in the first 48 hours, 4,000 nurses and 500 doctors have already signed up. But we need many more.

"It's easy to do, and we will make sure that your service is put to best effect.

"The whole country needs the NHS right now, and if you're a retired doctor or a retired nurse, then your NHS needs you."

In Hancock's tweet, he said the thousands already signed up showed 'brilliant support' in the 'national effort tackling coronavirus'.

In one of his daily coronavirus briefings, Johnson said: "I say to the people who do go against the advice that we're getting - the very clear advice that we're getting - from our medical and scientific experts, you're not only putting your own life, the lives of your family at risk, you're endangering the community and you're making it more difficult for us to get on and protect the NHS and save lives.

"And if people comply, as I say, then we will not only save lives, thousands of lives, but we'll come out of this thing all the faster."