NHS makes plans for ‘no deal’ Brexit
Medicines are being stockpiled north of the Border... just in case
‘Doomsday planning’
NHS chiefs have drawn up ‘detailed plans’ to ensure there are stockpiles of medicines for Scottish patients in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer revealed the move yesterday, saying some supplies might be ‘problematic to access’.
Dr Catherine Calderwood spoke out amid rising fears that a no deal Brexit could leave Britain with a shortage of medicines, blood supplies and vital equipment.
Concerns have been raised that some drugs and equipment imported from Europe could encounter problems with transportation, or at the border, if a deal to guarantee the free flow of goods is not worked out.
Experts have warned that patients with serious diseases such as cancer could miss out on drugs manufactured in the EU if Britain leaves next year without a deal.
Dr Calderwood told BBC Scotland: ‘We have been working very closely with our colleagues in the Department of Health in England because many of our drugs and some of the fluids and equipment that are used in the NHS are manufactured in Europe.
‘We have some very detailed plans, a report of what might be problematic to access and will be working again very closely with the Department of Health to ensure there are enough medicines for us in Scotland – vital medicines like insulin, which is needed immediately.
‘The plans that we have discussed involve ensuring there is a supply of medicines. That will mean having those available within the UK – and particularly us in Scotland having our own supplies.
‘So if there is a problem with ferry and air freight and the border, we already have the medication, we already have the intravenous fluids and the equipment in the country for the use of our patients in the NHS in Scotland.’
The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29 and the two sides are currently negotiating the terms of its exit and its future relations over a whole range of issues.
Both sides insist they want to avoid a no deal Brexit, where the UK leaves without a formal agreement in place – but key differences remain as they enter the critical phase of talks.
The UK is sticking by its insistence that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’, with ministers dismissing fears of shortages and queues of lorries at ports if a solution cannot be agreed.
Fears have also been raised over supplies of food, with around 40 per cent of Britain’s fresh produce coming from the EU. A free flow of goods means minimal delay in transit, crucial for anything fresh or medicines with a short shelf-life.
Scottish Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘No deal Brexit medical planning is getting pretty Doomsday. No one was sold the vision of a Britain where drugs would be stockpiled, blood supplies could run out and cancer treatments would be jeopardised.
‘It’s not too late to turn this around. People deserve the final say on whether Theresa May’s final deal is good enough.’