All vulnerable people to be vaccinated by ‘late spring’ says head of NHS

NHS chief describes 2020 as one of the toughest years for the health service

Head of NHS England Sir Simon Stevens says the NHS is back in the eye of the storm from Covid-19 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

All vulnerable people will have been offered a coronavirus vaccination by “late spring” the head of NHS England has said as he warned the health service was “back in the eye of the storm.”  

In a New Year message, Sir Simon Stevens described 2020 as the “toughest year” and he paid tribute to nurses, doctors, therapists and other NHS staff including hospital cleaners, carers and volunteers as well as care home staff.

Sir Simon visited a new vaccination centre on Monday saying: “We think that by late spring with vaccine supplies continuing to come on stream we will have been able to offer all vulnerable people across this country Covid vaccination. That perhaps provides the biggest chink of hope for the year ahead.”

His comments came as the NHS in London was said to be “teetering on the edge” as latest data showed the numbers of hospital admissions in the capital jumped more than 200 per cent since the end of lockdown on 2 December.

Across England, leaked NHS England data shared amongst senior bosses yesterday, revealed there were now more patients in hospitals than during the first peak of the virus back in April.

There were a total of 20,407 patients being treated in the NHS on Monday compared to 18,974 on 12 April.

Across London, hospitals have declared major incidents, cancelling operations and redeploying staff. Ambulances are waiting hours outside hospitals with NHS London appealing to staff to work extra shifts.

Sir Simon said Covid-19 meant 2020 had "probably been the toughest year most of us can remember".

"That is certainly true across the health service where we have been responding to the worst pandemic in a century," he said.

"Many of us have lost family, friends, colleagues and – at a time of year when we would normally be celebrating – a lot of people are understandably feeling anxious, frustrated and tired.

"And now again we are back in the eye of the storm with a second wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe and, indeed, this country."

But the pandemic had shown that "sometimes the worst of circumstances bring out the best in people", he added.

"We have certainly seen that in my colleagues across the health service – the fantastic intensive care nurses and doctors, the paramedics, the therapists, the porters, the cleaners, the entire team across the national health service who have so brilliantly looked after 200,000 severely ill coronavirus patients and many others with all the other conditions the health service is here to care for," he said.

"As they have done so, that has been boosted by the superb work of neighbours and volunteers and carers and care home staff – and quietly, at the same time, the advances we continue to see in medical science."

Sir Simon suggested that scientific breakthroughs which saw the NHS become the first health service in the world to deliver a coronavirus vaccine outside of a trial may offer some hope for the future.

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old British grandmother, became the first patient in the world to receive the Covid-19 vaccine when she was given the jab at University Hospital, Coventry, on 8 December.

Sir Simon said the mass vaccination target would only be achieved because of the dedication and commitment from countless NHS staff.

He added: “Now is the right time, I believe, on behalf of the whole country to record our enormous debt of gratitude and our huge thanks."