Barts Health NHS Trust has one of the lowest rate of vaccinated staff in London and the third lowest in the country, according to new figures.

Coronavirus cases have risen rapidly across London in recent weeks, with the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 shooting up.

NHS data shows that while the majority of the trust’s staff have been vaccinated, 15 per cent have not.

Only Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust and North Middlesex University Hospital Trust have a higher number of unvaccinated staff, with 16 per cent not having had the jab.

Over a million people in London have tested positive for coronavirus, according to figures from Public Health England.

Barts Health runs five London hospitals, including Newham Hospital, Whipps Cross Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Mile End Hospital and The Royal London Hospital.

Four other trusts also have 15 per cent of their staff unvaccinated: Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, Birmingham Community Healthcare and Homerton University Hospital.

The East London, Lewisham and Greenwich, and Whittington Health trusts are just behind with 14 per cent – making London hospitals some of the least vaccinated in the country.

Covid cases have been rising in Barts Health hospitals in the last few weeks, with a sharp increase at the start of October.

As of October 25, there were 125 patients in the five hospitals with Covid-19, with 34 in intensive care or enhanced levels of oxygen.

Cases had been steadily dropping between late August and early October and were as low as 85 on October 5.

Of the 125 cases recorded, 34 patients were being cared for in critical care beds or were on enhanced levels of oxygen. Fourteen were newly diagnosed in the previous 24 hours.

A total of 1,964 people have died with Covid-19 at Barts Health hospitals since the start of the pandemic.

A Barts Health NHS Trust spokesperson said: “The trust is committed to working with its staff to increase our vaccination uptake, with the data showing that we are making progress.

“Our core vaccination team have now been established in four hospital hubs, who are working alongside our teams to increase uptake for Covid-19 and also winter flu jabs.”