NHS staff should be forced to have the jab before winter, says former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
Mr Hancock, writing in The Daily Telegraph, warned ministers against delaying mandatory jabs for nurses and doctors.
The Government is ditching plans to make two jabs compulsory for healthcare workers this winter, with the controversial rule not expected to be enforced until April.
Mr Hancock, who was responsible for making vaccines mandatory for care home workers, wrote: ‘Having looked at all the evidence, I am now convinced we must require vaccination for everyone who works not just in social care but the NHS – and get it in place as fast as possible…So as we prepare to a face a difficult winter, let’s use all the tools we have to save lives.’
The government has been warned by NHS industry bodies and Labour frontbenchers that adopting the policy too soon, however, could result in a mass exodus of NHS staff ahead of the winter.
The mandate for vaccinations for all care home staff comes into force on Thursday.
Mr Hancock added: ‘To me the logic is crystal clear.
