London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Covid: Mandatory jabs for health staff being considered in consultation

Covid: Mandatory jabs for health staff being considered in consultation

Compulsory Covid and flu jabs for frontline NHS and care workers in England are being considered in a government consultation.

Plans are already in place to make it mandatory for care home workers in England to be fully vaccinated.

But some unions and care organisations have warned that making the jabs mandatory will lead to staff shortages.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid is urging all health service workers to get both jabs to protect vulnerable patients.

About 88% of NHS trust staff have received two Covid doses, but in some trusts that falls to 78%, figures show.

In the UK, more than 30,000 new daily cases have been reported for nine days in a row and the number of people in hospital with the disease is rising.

The six-week consultation process will take views on whether vaccine requirements should apply for health and wider social care workers - those in contact with patients and people receiving care.

Those working in care homes in England regulated by the Care Quality Commission need to be double jabbed, unless medically exempt, from November.

These latest proposals, if agreed, would extend that to all health service workers and would mean that only those who are fully vaccinated - unless exempt - would be able to be deployed to deliver health and care services.

Care organisations have warned compulsory vaccinations could cause difficulties in a sector that already struggles with recruitment.

Social care minister Helen Whately said about 90% of care home staff have already been vaccinated and the government was working with care homes to support staff who were hesitant about getting the jab.

Asked if they would be sacked if they did not get vaccinated, she told BBC's Breakfast alterative roles would be sought for them outside the care home, adding: "This is really difficult."

She said she had spoken to care home residents and their families who said they wanted workers double vaccinated to give them the most protection against Covid.

Views from government advisory bodies on the plans are mixed.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) Social Care Working Group advises a similar approach to vaccination across social care and health sectors, because the network of residents, patients and workers are so close and often overlap.

While Professor Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said if the proposals did go ahead, it would be "like an admission of failure" and imply that messaging was not effective enough.

"It's like saying you can't either find the time or find the ability to explain to people why it makes sense and create the culture in which everybody does it because they understand why it's important," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The consultation is expected to focus on the proposals, their scope, and any impact on staffing and safety such as reducing staff sickness absence.

Staff, healthcare providers, patients and their families are all being urged to share their view with the government, with a final decision expected this winter.

Mr Javid said it was clear to see the impact vaccines had against respiratory viruses which could be fatal to the vulnerable.

"We will consider the responses to the consultation carefully but, whatever happens, I urge the small minority of NHS staff who have not yet been jabbed to consider getting vaccinated - for their own health as well as those around them," he said.

The government said there was a longstanding precedent for vaccination in NHS roles - some surgeons already have to have Hepatitis B jabs if they are likely to be exposed to the virus.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have not made Covid vaccines compulsory for care home staff.

Flu vaccination has been recommended to vulnerable groups in the UK since the 1960s.

National flu jab rates in the health service have increased over the last decade, from 14% in 2002 to 76% last year.

Experts are warning of a possible surge in flu cases this year as coronavirus lockdowns meant flu levels were very low last winter.



Boris Johnson: "We want the NHS backlogs to be cleared as fast as possible"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×