Brexit to have negative impact on NHS - report
Brexit will cause significant harm to the NHS, according to the Lancet Health Policy review.
New Health Policy review published in The Lancet says that all forms of Brexit will cause harm to the NHS, with a no-deal scenario presenting 'by far the worst option'. Leading experts in public health and law assessed the likely impact four different Brexit scenarios could have on 15 different aspects of the NHS: a no-deal Brexit, the Withdrawal Agreement including a transition arrangement until the end of 2020, the Northern Ireland backstop, and the Political Declaration on the Future Relationship between the UK and the EU.
They found that 'little evidence exists that the UK is prepared for any of the eventualities', citing the recent 10-year plan which mentioned Brexit only twice in 136 pages, and the backstop and political declaration, neither of which makes any provisions for recruitment and retention of healthcare workers after the transition period.
The authors warn that in a no-deal scenario, the absence of a legal framework for imports and exports 'would have an immediate and drastic effect on supply chains'.
The report does not include analysis of remaining in the EU, but the authors say it is better overall for health than any form of Brexit, citing a paper they published in The Lancet in 2017.
Published: by Radio NewsHub