A Norfolk hospital director has addressed concerns it will begin employing unvaccinated care workers leaving the sector.

Around 90.5pc of staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn are now double vaccinated against Covid, while 93pc have had one dose.

On Tuesday, Alice Webster, chief nurse of the QEH trust, told the board the hospital aspired to reach 100pc but said the vaccine was not mandatory in the NHS.

The vice-chairman, Alan Brown, asked for reassurance the hospital would not be taking on care sector staff - where the vaccine is mandatory - who lost their jobs due to being unvaccinated.

Ms Webster said: “It won’t be automatic that if you leave a care home you come into our organisation.

“We have an interview process and we want the right people for the roles.

“We will make sure, as we do with all our employees, that we are clear that there is an expectation that we provide services to vulnerable people and that vaccinations and the progress around flu, as well as Covid, is really important.”