The UK Focus on Brexit: Brexit vs NHS

We want to look at how Brexit will impact the healthcare that we know today.

As things stand, the UK are due to leave the EU on 29th March 2019, regardless of whether there is a deal with the EU or not. The Brexit negotiations are a high priority with a lot at risk. Our future healthcare is completely unknown. Government ministers still talk of a range of diverging futures that run from leaving with no deal, to trade with the EU on World Trade Organization terms, to the close and complicated deal.

How will Brexit affect the healthcare system we know today?

Our Trading

There has been a new and exciting initiative allowing EU citizens to use e-Prescriptions across borders, in various EU countries. But what happens when Britain leaves the EU? The trading agreements we have in place now may no longer exist. For instance, the transportation of medical products to the UK, and the national effect of Britain’s supplies. We cannot foresee all of the consequences of Brexit on the pharmaceutical sector, but we could be looking at a future of extremely limited access to certain drugs. Hence, the prices of our resources may substantially increase and patients may not be able to afford medication.

Clinical Trials and Research

As a country we risk missing out on clinical trials. Organisations in Britain have been the biggest beneficiary of the EU. We risk becoming heavily impacted in terms of research. This will have a knock on effect in modernising and improving our healthcare system. If the UK do not moving ahead with innovations and research, top clinicians may not want to work with UK clinicians because it will be seen as a step back.

The Workforce

The UK heavily relies on EU employees, whereby approx. 10% of doctors and over 5% of nurses are from the EU. Now NHS trusts are struggling to fill vacancies. However, the NIESR report forecasts and additional shortfall of up to 10,000 nurses in the NHS in England in four years.

Not in our hands. Britain’s Economy

The government promised an increase of £20 billion for the NHS annually for the next five years. This is meant to take effect this year but has not. The Health Secretary states he remains hopeful. Across various sectors from science, procurement and working practices, Brexit casts a lot of uncertainty across a range of regulations that shape the healthcare system in the UK. Negotiations, if any, at this point are scarily unpredictable and uncontrollable.

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