It is good news that volunteer Covid-19 vaccinators are joining the NHS – but staffing issues run deep

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout has been the one positive the government has sought to rely on as the ramifications of Partygate have continued to be felt. The latest bit of news is that more than 11,000 people who volunteered for, or worked with, the vaccination programme have taken up roles in the NHS.

To be exact, 11,483 people have decided to take up NHS roles, with some studying for clinical roles and others taking up jobs supporting medical teams. Heartening news. Around 71,000 people took paid roles and thousands more volunteered to help with the vaccines, with NHS England saying that those who have decided to start careers in the NHS will help tackle the waiting list backlog exacerbated by the pandemic.

And more people are having to wait for treatment. Reporting by The Independent in recent days has shown that nearly 25,000 people were forced to wait 12 hours or more in A&E during a single week in March, according to leaked NHS figures. Beyond that, the overall number of NHS patients in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to 6.2 million.

While 11,000 people – among them former airline cabin crew members, chefs and gym managers – deciding to take up permanent employment in the NHS is useful, an analysis of workforce statistics by the Engage Britain charity has suggested an average of at least 400 staff a week in England left the NHS between September 2020 and September 2021, citing problems with work-life balance. That would mean a loss of more than 20,000 workers.

The latest figures – up to December 2021 – were released last month and show that there are around 110,000 NHS vacancies across England, the highest recorded since the beginning of 2019-20. Labour has repeatedly criticised the government for failing to deal with this shortfall and attacked the lack of planning to try and deal with the problem long-term. The government statements on the matter have tried to talk up investment and spending, for example: “We have set out our plan to tackle the Covid backlog and deliver long-term recovery and reform, backed by our record multibillion-pound investment over the next three years.”

The reality is that it is an issue the government has to get a handle on if the NHS is to function as it should. It is not a problem that can be left without action.