Responding to concerns about staff shortages in the NHS due to the Omicron virus, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"Trust leaders are telling us that Omicron is already creating staff shortages in the NHS. In Omicron hotspots like London, absences are starting to rise rapidly. This is exactly what we would expect, given community infection rates are shooting up. Yesterday, there were nearly 79,000 cases and there are concerns over the greater transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

"This is being borne out in the latest data, which shows worrying increases in NHS staff having to take time off work due to COVID-19 self-isolation or sickness.

"So trust leaders are understandably concerned about what might come as the variant takes hold in the community, and consequently within the health and care workforce. The impact on the workloads for remaining staff is a major challenge given the huge service demand currently across the NHS.

"This reinforces why having a jab is so important to protect staff and the public.

"We came into this pandemic with significant staff shortages. Trust leaders are calling for a fully funded and costed workforce plan so that they have the assurance of the right staff in the right places in the future."