Health leaders write to government to stop no-deal Brexit

Source: ING Image

A no-deal Brexit would intensify the NHS staffing crisis and leave tens of thousands of nurses and other healthcare staff in limbo over their jobs, leaders of the profession have warned today in a joint letter to the government.

“In the event of a no deal, tens of thousands of NHS and care workers from the EU would be left in limbo”

Union letter

They fear that if a no-deal scenario goes ahead, the money available for the health service would be reduced and that the NHS would be left “gasping for breath”.

The warnings come in a letter to the government, signed by health unions including the Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives, which called for a no-deal Brexit to be taken off the table.

In the letter, unions highlighted that health and care staff were the “lifeblood” of the health service, who “consistently go above and beyond” to ensure world-class care for all who need it.

“A no-deal Brexit could devastate the NHS and social care,” the letter said. “And if this government goes ahead with it, health and care workers will be on the front line.”

The letter goes on to raise concerns about the “significant disruption” that a no deal could cause to the supply of medicines, for up to six months.

“Many medicines, including life-saving agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy, cannot be stockpiled and for those that can, those stockpiles could run out,” the letter warned.

“These kinds of shortages and delays can be fatal. No responsible government should take that risk.”

In addition, the letter flagged how “thousands” of European Union staff had already left the health service since 2016 when the UK voted to leave.

“No deal will leave the NHS gasping for breath, creating chaos for the hard-working staff ”

Dave Prentis

“In the event of a no deal, tens of thousands of NHS and care workers from the EU would be left in limbo, intensifying the largest staffing crisis in the services' history,” the letter added.

“Ministers must unequivocally guarantee the right of European health and care staff to continue to live and work in the UK.”

In a final point, the letter warned that a no deal posed threats to the funding of the NHS and social care.

“Finally, we know that the stronger our economy, the more funding we can dedicate to the NHS and social care,” it said.

“Treasury assessments show that a no-deal scenario would shrink our economy by £90bn, reducing the money available for the NHS and other vital public services.

“After a decade of austerity, health and social care budgets across the country are under immense pressure,” it said.

“With many care providers already in difficulty, a hit to the public finances could have additional knock-on consequences for the NHS.

“With waiting times rising, operations being cancelled and yet another winter crisis looming, the health service cannot weather a long-term economic shock.”

The letter closed with a final call on the government to “take no-deal off the table”.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis, who also signed the letter, said: “Boris Johnson is setting a timebomb for the NHS.

“The promises of more cash for the health service made during the referendum were just empty words.

“No deal will instead leave the NHS gasping for breath, creating chaos for the hard-working staff and spelling potential disaster for patients.”

Others who signed the letter included Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary at the RCN and Gill Walton, general secretary at the RCM.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association and Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary at Unite also signed.

“We have been crystal clear that we want our hardworking EU staff to stay in the UK”

DHSC spokeswoman

In response, a Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “As part of a responsible government, the department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for Brexit.”

She added: “We are taking all appropriate steps, meaning our plans should ensure the supply of medicines and medical products remains uninterrupted when we leave the EU.

“And we have been crystal clear that we want our hardworking EU staff to stay in the UK and continue to perform vital roles across the NHS and social care sector,” she said.

“We’ve also recently committed £1.8bn for the NHS including funding for new hospital upgrades, and the significant healthcare funding increases will continue following Brexit, most notably the extra £33.9bn every year by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan.”