brexit

Question 1

what are six key questions that brexit poses for the nhs

Answer 1

will we run out of medicines

will we have enough staff

Question 2

how many packs of medicine does the uk import from the eu each month

Answer 2

The UK imports 37 million packs of medicine each month from the EU - although it exports even more.

Question 3

what will be the key challenge in terms of medicines

Answer 3

The key challenge will be if there is a no-deal Brexit, because there is concern of potential huge delays at the port (the key supply route of medicines).

Question 4

what has the government asked firms to do with medicines if there is no deal, and what problems does this cause

Answer 4

The government has asked firms to stockpile a six-week supply of drugs to mitigate any problems if there is no deal.
However, that is logistically difficult for medicines that need refrigerating, like insulin and vaccines, or those with a short shelf life, such as some cancer drugs.
Supplies of radioactive materials for scans could also be hit.
Contingency plans have been put in place to fly in vital treatments, the government has said.

Question 5

give figures on the nhs eu workforce

Answer 5

1.5 million staff work in the nhs
1 in 20 is from the eu
9% of doctors
5% of nurses and midwives
16% of dentists
2,385 drop in eu nurses and midwives in the past year

Question 6

how many staff do the health and social care sectors employ, and what percentage are from europe

Answer 6

The health and social care sectors are huge employers with one-and-a-half million and two million staff respectively. About 5% of the registered workforce in each area are from Europe.

Question 7

what does the brexit agreement for european staff in the health and social care sectors

Answer 7

The Brexit agreement means all those currently working will have the opportunity to obtain “settled status” to allow them to stay.

It is not clear what a no-deal Brexit would mean.

Question 8

what type of system for workers has the government indicated it will create

Answer 8

The government has also indicated it will create a skilled migrants system similar to the one that operates for workers from the rest of the world. That system - known as tier two visas - allows doctors and senior nurses to be recruited from overseas.

Question 9

what is the problem with the skilled migrants system that the government has indicated that it will create

Answer 9

Unions have pointed out that some lower-paid nurses and non-clinical staff such as health care assistants, porters and care workers will not be covered by such a system, because the cut-off is that the worker must be earning at least £30,000 a year.

Question 10

how else could brexit worsen the staffing shortages currently being seen in the health service

Answer 10

The message Brexit sends to people from Europe and the weaker value of the pound, which means any money sent back to their homeland is worth less, could put off people from working in the UK.

It predicted Brexit could worsen the staffing shortages currently being seen in the health service.

The government is more confident, arguing staff from Europe will stay and that it has a plan to “grow its own”, with increasing numbers of doctors and nurses in training.

Question 11

give figure about uk being a world leader in medical research

Answer 11

The UK is considered a world leader in medical research, having produced around 25 of the top 100 prescription treatments.

Question 12

how does brexit affect medical research

Answer 12

The country currently benefits from access to research funding from the EU via programmes such as Horizon 2020 and the Innovative Medicines Initiative.

These will continue during the transition phase, but beyond that it seems likely the UK will be treated as a third-party collaborator, meaning it will be less likely to lead programmes and will have little role in the design of them.

Question 13

how might brexit affect medical research on rare diseases in the uk

Answer 13

Collaboration on rare diseases could also be put at risk. As the number of patients with rare conditions in each country is low, it is only possible to recruit enough patients for clinical trials by carrying out those trials across countries, according to the Brexit Health Alliance.

Question 14

how could restrictions to the free movement of researchers and academics affect medical research

Answer 14

Restrictions to the free movement of researchers and academics could also have an impact. Around three-quarters of UK researchers have worked abroad and currently nearly a fifth of science, technology, engineering and mathematics academics at UK institutions are from the EU.

Question 15

what is the government trying to do in terms of brexit affecting medical research

Answer 15

The government believes a “mutually beneficial outcome” is perfectly possible to deal with all these problems, given the UK is such a key player in medical and scientific research.

The government is also increasing its spending on research and development.

Question 16

give fact on how nhs is struggling to cope with the number of patients it is seeing

Answer 16

The three key waiting time targets for cancer, A&E and hospital operations are being missed in every part of the UK.

Question 17

give figure on how the public believes migrants are a factor in the nhs struggling to cope with the number of patients it is seeing

Answer 17

Clearly, the NHS is struggling to cope with the number of patients it is seeing.
The public does believe migrants are a factor in this - or at least the wider demand on services.
In 2017 an Ipsos opinion poll found 58% of people in the UK agreed with the view that immigration placed pressure on public services.

Question 18

what did the government’s Migration Advisory Committee’s report on this find

Answer 18

Its report found migrants were net contributors to the health service - in that they gave more than they took.
That is because of the significant numbers working in the health service and the fact they were less likely to use it.
The committee said this was because they tended to be young and healthy.
The only exception was in maternity care, the committee said.
The proportion of births to mothers from the EU has trebled in the past 15 years to one in 10.

Question 19

what did vote leave say about increased money being

Answer 19

Vote leave said that we send the eu 350 million a week, and that this would be spent on the nhs if we were to leave.
It was one of the most controversial claims of the referendum campaign.
Vote Leave said the money saved in payments to the EU would mean an extra £350m a week could be spent on the NHS.

The prime minister has claimed this has come true. Over the summer she announced the NHS budget would increase by £20bn by 2023.

On top of that, about £4bn will be given to the rest of the UK.

That amounts to more than the promised £350m a week.

Theresa May has said it will be partly paid for by a Brexit “dividend”.

Question 20

Why is the 350 mil brexit dividend being spent on the nhs not as good as it sounds

Answer 20

Although, as the UK is committed to paying into the EU budget until the end of the transition period and will also have to pay the £39bn divorce bill, it arguably leaves little to cover the cost of the rise.

The Treasury has said a combination of economic growth and perhaps even tax rises may be needed.

Another way to look at it is to ask whether the NHS would have got such a rise if Brexit was not on the cards?

Many think so. After all, it was long overdue.

Since 2010 the NHS has been receiving between 1% to 2% extra each year - half the average rises it previously enjoyed.