Brexit warning from council health chief

A Perth and Kinross health chief has admitted residents may not always be able to access medicines and health services in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

Council chief officer Gordon Paterson announced on Monday he could “not give strong reassurance that people will never lose out” and that cases would be judged on a needs basis.

Resilience and emergency planning is being stepped up by local health chiefs as the UK edges closer to Brexit.

Yesterday the audit and performance committee of the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board (IJB) discussed the chief officer’s report on EU exit preparedness.

Mr Paterson’s report addressed issues such as “vulnerable returners”, contingency planning, workforce planning and disruption to medical supplies and medicine.

The term “vulnerable returners”, which Mr Paterson conceded was “not the most helpful or politically correct”, refers to UK citizens who will return after living abroad and may lead to “a sudden increase in the requirements for care at home/complex care”.

The chief officer said they would be looking for GPs to carry out initial assessments and questions over additional costs looking after “vulnerable returners” would need to be looked at by the IJB in the future.

He reassured members: “We have plans locally and nationally that key critical supplies are available in time and any implications on tariffs and imports will not have an impact.

“It’s not dissimilar to what we would do during winter planning.”

However he could not guarantee medicines will always be available. NHS Tayside told the PA it is complying with UK Government advice to all health boards not to stockpile medicines.

Mr Paterson said: “I cannot give strong reassurance that people will never lose out. Those with the greatest need would always be considered first.

“We are also looking at what are the services that are our highest priority that need to be preserved and what are the least essential.

“There should not be an interpretation that there will be people placed at significant risk. We have no information to support that.”

When asked by SNP councillor Eric Drysdale how many employees were seeking to apply for settled status, he said he was unsure of numbers but knew that HR colleagues would be having discussions with those members of staff.

Cllr Drysdale also said he had been told by a GP that Brexit could have an impact on the availability of the flu vaccine due to “vulnerable returners”.

Mr Paterson said he had not heard that and that a significant programme relating the flu vaccine was being rolled out.

The chief officer finished by conveying a message of reassurance.

He added: “We are trying to mitigate potential risks.”