NHS staff in England will have to be double jabbed against Covid or lose their jobs, the government is expected to announce later.

Whitehall sources told the BBC a deadline will be set for next spring to give unvaccinated staff time to get both doses.

About 110,000 healthcare workers out of 1.4 million have not yet had a first Covid vaccine – less than 10%.

Jabs are already compulsory for care home workers in England.

The decision follows a consultation over whether both the Covid and flu jabs should be compulsory for doctors, nurses and other frontline staff.

It is understood that the flu vaccine will not be made mandatory and there will be exemptions for the Covid vaccine requirement for medical reasons.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been mulling over the proposals for some time.

Last month he said he was ‘leaning towards’ mandatory vaccinations, though sources suggested that privately he was torn.

There are fears the policy could drive away workers at a time when the NHS is grappling with a huge staff shortage and coming under increased pressure.

Sources have suggested an April deadline has been set to prevent staff leaving during the winter wave.

Mr Javid told the BBC that he did not want the NHS to lose any staff, but said that after jabs were made compulsory in social care the numbers taking up the vaccine ‘absolutely surged’.

The expected announcement comes after new figures show more than 11,600 people died after catching Covid-19 in hospitals.

The patients were admitted to wards for treatment for another illness and ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ caught the virus after arriving.

Jeremy Hunt, ex-health secretary and chairman of the health and social care select committee, described hospital infections as the ‘deadliest silent killer of the pandemic’ and said the figurers ‘surely strengthens the case for mandatory vaccination for frontline healthcare staff.’

Each of the four home nations are able to make their own decision on the matter.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not made any proposals to make Covid jabs mandatory for NHS workers or care home staff.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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