I rarely talk politics BUT today I'm making an exception. The government has now agreed a Brexit deal. Will will exit the EU at 11pm tonight after more than 3 years of negotiations. .The Brexit decision has already had a devastating effect on the NHS , staff recruitment and retention. A large proportion (but not all) of those who voted for Brexit did so in the belief that new immigration rules would be passed reducing the number of immigrants. The NHS was built on immigration and limiting that will sure as hell cripple an already creaking health service. Both my cardiac surgeons are 'immigrants', The First Lady (who did op 1 and 2) is a Canadian heart surgeon. The gentleman who operated on me back in 2003 is a man of Chinese origin. He has dedicated over 20 years to saving hundreds of babies and children at a leading London hospital. I have been a patient at The Royal Brompton (RBH) for three years. In that time I have been treated by Australian, Spanish, Italian, German, Irish, American, Chinese and Greek staff. The British medical staff are significantly outnumbered by the 'foreign' staff population. At a guess I would estimate that the foreign (non-white British) staff make up at least 30% of the medical staff at RBH. Last year two leading congenital cardiologists left The Brompton ,to move abroad, within a space of 6 months. I have spoken to another who is still considering his options. This may not sound like a lot but there is already a major shortage of 'congenital cardiologists' in the UK. What matters about a doctor or nurse is not where they were born or what they look like but whether they passed all their exams, their ability to diagnose & if they can hold a scalpel "rock steady".
Many large pharmaceutical companies are based outside the UK. Therefore, the supply of 'prescription only medicines' is in doubt due to Brexit. Some health boards have been stockpiling supplies of clinical items e.g. gloves, medicines etc. They have obtained large warehouses at considerable cost and have a supply for approximately 8-12 weeks. Some medicines are 'life saving' whereas others are about preserving quality of life for those with long-term health conditions. For example, I take warfarin to thin the blood and prevent clots. If I were to be denied Warfarin I would be in grave danger of developing clot(s) and/or suffering a catastrophic stroke. It would be like playing "Russian roulette".
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/06/for-me-fear-about-drug-supplies-is-real-i-could-go-blind
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/21/almost-10000-eu-health-workers-have-quit-the-nhs-since-brexit-vote
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/30/nhs-trusts-run-out-medical-supplies-without-brexit-deal-hospitals-chief
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