It has been revealed that mandatory covid vaccinations for National health service (NHS) and social care workers are set to be scrapped.

The governments decision to change on the controversial policy comes amid warnings of crippling staff shortages if the plan was imposed on NHS and social care workers.

UK Health Secretary Sajif Javid is expected to meet ministers on the Covid-Operations Cabinet committee to finalise the U-Turn on Monday, accrording to a report by the Telegraph.

The Mail Online reports: The mandatory jab requirement was meant to come into force on April 1, meaning this Thursday would have been the last day staff could book in for a jab. On Friday those without jabs would have faced dismissal warnings and been asked to work out their notice periods until March 31.

But now, ministers are set to scrap the plan amid fears it could force the NHS to sack around 80,000 staff who remain unvaccinated. One in 20 NHS staff – the equivalent of 77,591 people – have still not had their first jab. In London, one in ten staff are unvaccinated.

The Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives had previously called on the Government to extend the deadline to prevent mass shortages in the health service.

Martin Marshall, Chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said compulsory vaccination for health professionals was ‘not the right way forward’.

Under the new rules, care home staff, who were required to be double jabbed or lose their jobs in November, are expected to return to work in the sector. After the mandatory vaccination laws came into effect last year, around 40,000 people lost their jobs.

Care home bosses said the government’s indecision over mandatory jabs had ‘devastated our workforce and brought providers to their knees’.

A senior government source told the Telegraph that ministers are U-turning on the mandatory jabs policy because the Omicron variant is much more mild than previous strains.