With the aim of reaching the government's target to offer all adults a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the end of December, the NHS is working with partners to undertake an impressive mass mobilisation, in what many trust leaders say is the biggest challenge the health service has faced since the start of the pandemic.

NHS Providers has released its latest podcast, NHS Pressures: Omicron and Boosters, in which chief executive Chris Hopson and deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery say that the ambition to offer a booster to all adults by the end of the month will be incredibly stretching to deliver, but if the target is not met it won't be for the lack of trying.

They provide an update on how the NHS is balancing this latest step of the vaccination programme with its other priorities, in a climate of unprecedented pressures. They say the health and care system is facing intense challenges in urgent and emergency care, the growing care backlog and in social care. They also discuss the relentless pressures on mental health, community and ambulance services.

Other topics covered include:

• The complicated logistical work national and local leaders are carrying out at great pace to roll out the programme
• Why and how ministers should manage public expectations
• How the public can play their part by taking up the vaccine
• How trust leaders feel about mandatory vaccinations for health staff.

Commenting on whether the new booster target is achievable, Chris Hopson said:

"The NHS is under more pressure than it even was at the peak of the pandemic last January, when there was less pressure on emergency care, and it felt easier to deprioritise certain services. We need to be wary of drawing comparisons between then and this coming January, when Omicron infections will be very high.

"We have been asked whether we think the NHS is going to deliver on this target by the end of December. The answer is we don’t know but the NHS is going full pelt in its efforts.

"The task felt impossible when first announced, but the thing with the NHS is it continuously delivers on the impossible. For example, the idea of creating 34,000 beds for coronavirus patients at the start of the pandemic felt unachievable, as did the idea of coping with 40,000 simultaneously hospitalised COVID-19 patients across the UK in January. However, the NHS did both. So the current ambition is incredibly stretching, but the NHS is working at great pace to give its best shot. The target also relies on people continuing to come forward for their vaccines."

Commenting on workforce concerns, Saffron Cordery said:

"Trust leaders are extremely concerned about the number of staff shortages they are facing. The vaccination drive relies on having the right staff in the right places with the right skills. These concerns are likely to be heightened as Omicron takes hold, as we expect to see more staff absent from work, due to self isolation or sickness.

"Many services are redeploying their staff where possible in the efforts to meet the booster target, but trust leaders are having to balance this with keeping their services open and viable. We must recognise they are having to make decisions based on clinical risk and patient safety at great speed to ensure the best possible care for everyone."