Staff absences resulting in second highest wait times ever as Javid urged to delay NHS jab mandate

New NHS Ambulance Service statistics have shown that for category C1-C2 calls, the average response time in December 2021 for England was the second longest ever, after October 2021.

In addition more than 36,000 people in England who called 999 with a “category 2” condition such as a stroke or a heart attack waited almost an hour for an ambulance in December.

These new figures come after the Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives have asked the Health secretary to delay mandatory jabs for frontline NHs staff for risk “self sabotage” amid already pressing staffing shortages.

NHS trusts in England are set to begin forwarding letters of dismissal from 3 February to staff who has are yet to take an initial Covid jab.

Commenting on the latest monthly NHS performance data and weekly hospital situation report, Siva Anandaciva, Chief Analyst at The King’s Fund said:

“Today’s data show that performance against the waiting time target for A&Es stands at a record low of only 73 per cent of patients seen within four hours, and no NHS organisations with major A&E departments achieving the national performance target. The waiting list for planned care stands at nearly 6 million and continues to grow. We must remember these are not just big numbers – they are people living with pain and anxiety while they wait for months and, in some cases, more than two years for treatment.

2The latest data also show a significant increase in staff absences due to Omicron, which is exacerbating staff shortages that were endemic before the pandemic. While the government has provided more funding for health and care services, it has failed to deliver a national plan to address the workforce crisis. Without this plan, efforts to tackle the backlog will be hamstrung and patients will be left waiting longer for the care they need.”