The government has confirmed that NHS staff must have two jabs before the end of the year or face losing their jobs.
Currently, it's estimated roughly 100,000 frontline NHS staff are not double vaccinated - with The Sunday Times have suggested that around 7% (106,351) of NHS staff in England have still not had a jab.
Health groups have kicked back against the plans, however – saying that this would force trusts to either fire staff or remove them from frontline duty at a time when the NHS is already chronically understaffed
The government's decision to make vaccinations mandatory in the NHS comes as the Thursday 11 November deadline approaches for care staff to do the same: choose between having two jabs or losing their job.
The argument given by Mr Javid for doing so is that it would further protect vulnerable patients whilst staying in hospital, however, scientific advice listed on the government’s own website says that you can still catch Covid and pass it on when vaccinated.
According to The Sunday Times, around 7% (106,351) of NHS staff in England have still not been vaccinated.
The paper first broke the story that ministers were planning to force mandatory vaccinations on NHS staff at the end of October.
Now, a draft policy document from the government has emerged that states: “As we return pre-pandemic norms seasonal flu and SARS-CoV-2 viruses have the potential to add substantially to the ‘winter pressures’ usually faced by the NHS, particularly if infection waves from both viruses coincide – vaccination against both Covid-19 and flu is a critical step in protecting the vulnerable as well as the wider health and social care system against a tough winter this year, and in future years.”
The document reportedly questions whether residents in care homes and hospitals are sufficiently protected by staff, saying there is “unacceptable uncertainty” around the manner according to The i Paper.
It continues, “While this was accepted by some in the past as the way of things, a normal feature of excess winter mortality, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in both hospitals and care homes brings in to very sharp focus whether in future that absence of protection for patients and those who are served by health and social care should continue to be accepted as the norm, for both flu and for Covid-19.”
An insider source told the paper: "I think they want to look big and clever. This is all part of Javid’s ‘I’m not taking any nonsense from doctors’ stance.
"He picked a fight with GPs [over remote consultations] he didn’t need to have and could now be picking a fight with the wider health and care community."
Meanwhile, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said, "We do not think that making the Covid vaccine mandatory for doctors is either necessary or proportionate. So if it’s true that the Department of Health is pressing ahead with compulsory vaccination we would be very wary."
Did you know you can watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 for free across Leeds just by taking a quick trip to the shops?
If you’re eager to watch Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and the Runway Magazine crew on the big screen once again, you can do so for free.
After making its cinema premiere earlier this month, 20 years since the first film, The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues the story with more iconic quotes and a whole host of celebrity cameos.
One of these is pop phenomenon Lady Gaga, who also appears on the soundtrack for this stylish sequel alongside artists like Miley Cyrus, Doechii, and Brit acts Raye and Olivia Dean.
Just like real life, the story follows the real-life fashion news outlet and media brand, Runway Mag, undergoing some major changes.
For instance, they’re wrestling with scrapping print editions of their beloved publication and swapping this for online short-form content.
The sequel to this fashion-focused film also sees role reprisals from Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, with new additions from Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh and Justin Theroux.
Now, enough of us talking at “a glacial pace”, let’s get all of you fashion fans those free cinema tickets before they go out of style.
An all-new promotion courtesy of not one, but three notable names: The Devil Wears Prada 2, Diet Coke and Sainsbury’s
The UK Supermarket chain is currently running a promotion during the film’s big-screen run, where if you purchase a 30-pack of Diet Coke, you can get free tickets to The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Simply purchase one of the big crates of Diet Coke between Wednesday, 29 April and Tuesday, 19 May, before snapping a picture of your receipt and uploading it online.
So it really is that simple, all you have to do is buy a 30 pack of Diet Coke and get a free cinema ticket for doing so – did somebody say girl maths?
For more info and to upload your receipt, visit the promotional website HERE.
Passengers across the North warned as new train timetables are being introduced this month
Emily Sergeant
Passengers across the North are being told to plan head as new train timetables with ‘targeted adjustments’ are being introduced this month.
Forming part of the national timetable change – which takes place twice a year each May and December – train operator Northern is reminding customers about changes which are going live next week following recent feedback from customers on how to improve.
While most of Northern’s services set to see little to no change this month, there are some ‘targeted adjustments’ taking place.
In the North West and Greater Manchester, there will be some small changes on a few routes to ‘help with punctuality’, but it’s elsewhere across the region where more significant changes are set to take place.
Image: Northern
In the North East, more customers will be able to travel between Newcastle and Whitby on Sundays without changing trains, and there will be some small tweaks to the timetables on other lines.
Then, over in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, trains running between Sheffield and Lincoln will now call at all stations along the route on Sundays.
“We’ve listened to feedback from our customers and have focused on improving reliability when the May timetable change takes place,” commented Toby Higgins, who is the Head of Business Performance at Northern, ahead of the timetable changes being introduced next week.
“Whilst there won’t be widespread changes to times, I’d advise customers to check before they travel as some services will leave a few minutes earlier than they do now to help with overall punctuality.”
New train timetables go live from next Sunday 17 May, and the full details of all of the changes taking place across the network can be found on Northern’s website here.
Georgina Pellant -
9th November 2021 
