Brexit will have painful impact

Sir, – On Saturday, I was at an event, hosted by the Dundee and Angus independence group, where Philippa Whitford MP talked about poverty, health and the effects of Brexit on our Scottish health service.

Philippa Whitford is not only the SNP MP for Central Ayrshire and the shadow SNP spokesperson (health and social care), she is also an eminent breast surgeon and humanitarian who has worked with women suffering from breast cancer in Palestine.

She knows what she is talking about.

What Philippa had to say about how Brexit will affect our health service made for disturbing listening.

In short, it will not be good.

For example, leaving the EU will adversely affect patients’ access to medicines and clinical trials.

There will be less collaboration in medical research.

The EU operates systems for the surveillance and early warning of communicable diseases, managed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and

Control, which allows rapid sharing of information and technical expertise in response to potential pandemics and other cross-border health threats.

But the way in which I suspect everyone will notice the devastating effects of Brexit is in the matter of staffing.

Philippa Whitford told us on Saturday that there has been a 90% drop in nursing staff applying to come to the UK from Europe.

Around one in 20 of our doctors come from outside the UK.

If these medical professionals have to leave Scotland because of a Brexit we did not vote for, the effects on our health service will be devastating.

The prospect of life in post-Brexit Scotland is very alarming and the nightmare vision of what our health service will become because of it only makes this message more urgent.

We are shackled to a neighbouring country which seems determined to hurl itself over a cliff.

On Saturday, I heard an analogy of Scotland’s situation which seemed to me to be very apt.

As part of the UK and facing Brexit, we are in the boot of Theresa May’s car with our mouth taped and our hands tied behind our back.

With independence, we are in the driving seat of our own car. And we will be going where we want to be.

Jane Phillips. Yewbank Avenue, Broughty Ferry.