The 1.45 million staff working for the NHS in England are to see mandatory vaccination against coronavirus introduced in April next year.

There has been criticism that forcing frontline personnel to get jabbed could lead some to quit, with the April deadline the likely result of the Department of Health and Social Care attempting to ward off a staff exodus during the difficult winter months ahead.

Although an official announcement is yet to be made, the delay until April is understood to be the result of pressure from NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation. Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, has publicly said that while a majority of hospital bosses backed jabs becoming compulsory, more than 90 per cent of them feared it could exacerbate the understaffing that is already endemic across the service.

The British Medical Association also urged Health Secretary Sajid Javid to delay making jabs compulsory until the Department of Health and Social Care had undertaken an impact assessment to give ministers an idea of how many staff might quit if it is introduced.

The latest NHS figures show that 90 per cent of NHS personnel in England have had two doses of vaccine. However, as recently as September the figure was as low as 78 per cent – barely three out of four – in some trusts.

Javid has already made vaccination mandatory for care home staff in England. From 11 November, anyone working in a care home will have to prove they have been double-jabbed or face being dismissed. Data suggests about 90 per cent of the sector’s 600,000 personnel have had two doses, leaving 60,000 who have not. Social care experts have said compulsion could lead to many thousands of staff deciding to quit, worsening already chronic shortages in the service.