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

As more people wait for treatment and vacancies persist, the government has to act, argues Chris Stevenson

The NHS is facing a tough spring (PA)

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.