Brexit and the NHS

The news so far in 2019 has been focused on Brexit and the talks surrounding this somewhat sensitive subject. With talks of “no deals” looming and the future not yet decided, we are looking into the effects of a no deal Brexit on the NHS and how it may affect the locum sector.

With over 58,000 non-British EU citizens working in our health services it is important we discuss the affect a “no deal” Brexit will have on our healthcare. Within this article we will discuss the main issues surrounding the outcome of Brexit.

No Deal Brexit

It is estimated that over the next 6 years we will see the already critical shortage of nurses escalate further to a staggering 20,000 in the result of a “no deal” Brexit. Since the UK announcing that we will be parting ways with Europe, there has been a reduction in the number of qualified nurses joining the profession.
The government released a 10-year plan for the NHS, which has stated the UK will rely on recruiting medical staff, especially nurses from other countries in order to plug the staffing crisis. Although this will battle the low numbers within recruitment, we have to ask what will happen to the healthcare professionals when a deal with Brexit is reached and we have to address the migrant aspect of the outcome.

Affecting your health?

Since the referendum, the number of non-UK nationals registering to become a nurse has fallen by 92% This coupled with the loss of students looking to study a medical professional will see a dramatic drop in services available across the UK.
By 2021 Nursing vacancies alone are estimated to top 51,000, that is 45 hospitals worth of nursing staff. The reduction of available healthcare professionals will see services either close or become overrun, reducing the amount of available sessions and placing further stress onto the healthcare system. Researchers have warned that this could have detrimental effects and have focused on cancer research and treatments to highlight the issue they will face. We have seen areas stockpiling medication out of fear of not being able to provide vital medication to patients, one being cancer treatments. While affecting the stock of medication, we could also be faced with research problems. With the departure of the UK from the EU we will also see use part ways with the European Medicines Agency. The European Medicines Agency are responsible for evaluation, development and supervision of new ground-breaking medicines. It is anticipated that the European Medicines Agency are moving to Amsterdam, therefor they will no longer be responsible for the research involved in UK medicine creation.

What to be aware of

However, not only will the NHS suffer, we will see a dramatic turn for the Health & Social sector.  At present in 2019 we have 90,000 non-UK healthcare professionals working within the social sector. With the changes in migrant policies this number is set to decrease in an already difficult to fill sector.

What other Changes to Healthcare must you be aware of after leaving the EU?

– The EHIC Card is used to cover citizens of the European Union while traveling. This card ensures that when traveling to countries within the European Union, card holders are able to receive healthcare in the case of an emergency. This is a benefit of being in the European Union therefor it is highly likely this will cease when we leave the EU.

– If you have moved abroad you will have to come back to the UK in order to be treated by a doctor. This is the same effect of that as the EHIC Card. In total this could cost the NHS up to one million a year.

– Funding for medical research and projects is more than likely not going to come through from the EU in the case of a “no deal” Brexit.

– Loss of medical staff in the NHS as they could potentially have to pay to stay and work in the UK.

How can you help?

Locum work within the NHS and the health and social care sectors could potentially be the answer to the future woes if we are faced with a “no deal” Brexit. With surgeries losing nurses and GPs due to the UK’s departure from the EU, session availability will inevitably increase and we will see the NHS embrace the use of locums in order to have patients seen and given continuity of care.
By providing locum healthcare professionals to surgeries effected by staffing issues in the light of Brexit, patient waiting times will decrease, clinics will continue to go ahead and patients require frequent continuity of care will be give the healthcare they require.

In the case of a “no deal” Brexit, locum professionals could see a rise in the number of vacancies available. With this in mind, now is the perfect time to join an agency and ensure you are there to help the NHS staffing crisis.