By Calls to delay compulsory vaccines for NHS staff
The Royal College of GPs is calling for the deadline on compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations for NHS staff in England to be delayed.
Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said compulsory vaccination for health professionals in England was “not the right way forward”.
He added that NHS staff who remain unvaccinated make up 10% of the workforce – between 70,000 to 80,000 people.
This comes as staff shortages continue to put NHS trusts under pressure.
Under current rules NHS staff must have had their first jab by 3 February and be fully vaccinated by 1 April.
The policy has faced significant backlash, with frontline staff across England staging demonstrations.
But the Department of Health said there were no plans to delay, claiming it was “the right thing to do to protect patients”.
According to a report by the BBC, Danny Mortimer, deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, confirmed that frontline staff would be expected to leave their roles if they declined the vaccine,
He said: “This will reduce frontline NHS staff numbers even further and lead to more gaps in capacity at a time of intense pressure and patient demand.”
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