Impact of Brexit on Healthcare in the UK

This report discusses the negative impact of Brexit on the healthcare system in the UK, including challenges in funding, availability of resources, and access to medical devices and medicines. It explores the consequences of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union and how it has affected the delivery of healthcare services to citizens.

Healthcare In
UK
After Brexit

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
How UK affected after the separation from European union.....................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The health care system of UK has affected when the country has withdrawal from
European union. The purpose of EU is to promote monetary system that provides flow of goods
to people in various countries. But after getting separated from EU, the country has to face many
challenges in context of health care services to citizens (Appleby and Dayan, 2018). From this
decision of UK, there are almost all part of the country that are affected. In this report, the impact
on citizens with respect to health care services are cover. The UK implemented various services
of organisation from which they can deliver care services to citizens after separation.
MAIN BODY
How UK affected after the separation from European union.
The separation of United kingdom from European union is termed as Brexit. The
European country refers to economic and political union of different 28 countries. With the help
of this union, people are free to move, work and live in their chosen country. They provide free
trade and goods to people of the country. After the withdrawal of UK from European union, UK
faces many challenges at the time of delivering health care to citizens. The UK joined European
union in 1973 but detached from union on 2019. This negatively impact on health care services
of country as healthcare organisations challenges in delivering care (Brändle, Galpin and Trenz,
2018). The problem arise in the country are such as availability of vaccines and medicines,
workforce, financing problems, health care professionals and research or information to
residents. The country has also faces various problems on economic sector such as trading,
migration of labours and industries.
The European union provides efficient resources to all countries so that people can gain
effective services of health care. The impact of Brexit occur high which become the low
investment of economy in public. After separation, the UK does not have good trade deal as EU
offers to their union countries (Esmaeilzadeh and Mirzaei, 2018). Whenever a new country joins
in European union then the health care services are start improving in their country. The
detachment cause negative impact on health of population occur. The EU laws on health is
structured in a way that they consider employment rights and policies from which a good health
can be sustained. When UK is in the union scheme of EU, they are protect rights of NHS and
other social care services from which health care services can be effectively provided to users.
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After the separation with EU, UK faces many problems and challenges in delivering the services
and these challenges are described below.
Employment regulations:- The European union sets some rules of working time for
employees. They does not force professionals and workers to be forcefully work without any rest
time period. The law of EU among social workers is to provide proper time and paid holidays to
them so that they can treat patients effectively (Ghez and et. al., 2017). This regulation was face
by the people of UK after the withdrawal from EU. The UK is not able to develop laws for
employees according to their wishes. The number of patients are tremendously increased which
lead to exhaustion of professionals and service providers. The healthcare organisations in UK
does not able to handle situation and this will result in poor delivering of care to patients. This
dissatisfy the patients in their treatment which results in more appearance of disease in a
population.
Pharmaceuticals:- The EU supply all pharmaceutical products by their agencies to
countries. The UK is a part of these agencies which supply medicines in market. The government
of UK take decision to separate from European union which results in various uncertainty. There
are several problems can occur among UK as whether they are able to maintain availability of
products or not. However, this depends on the collaboration of UK with other system after the
withdrawal from Brexit. If the UK is not capable to participate in such systems then patients of
the country has to face some serious problems as they are not able to gain proper medication and
treatments.
The supply of pharmaceutical products and equipments are dependent on other system of
supply chains because of their manufacturing, packaging and processing has move from one
country to other. There is necessary to get approval from laws before it supply in market (Ries
and et. al., 2017). But after Brexit, it is become difficult for country to move and supply products
around the country. With this, the shortage of pharmaceutical and medical products arises in
health care settings. This results in increase the cost of services which directly impacted on
health of patients. Some of people are not able access such high cost treatments and services
which lead to the negative impact on their health.
Funding:- After the separation from EU, the UK face many difficulties in their economic
status. The country has low economic status. Due to their low economical status, many health
services and settings are facing difficulties in providing good quality of care to patients. The
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health services are having large financial burden from which they are not able to provide
technologies and medication to citizens. By detachment, EU is no longer able to provide
financial support to health care services.
This will reduce the effectiveness of treatment as there are limited resources of medicines
and professionals are occur (Strban, 2017). This make worsen of health condition of people as
government cut service hours and some services which are providing by professionals. The lack
of medical professionals occur which develop other effects such as increase in waiting line and
deficiency of medication to patients. The high pressure of low funding effect the quality of care
which are deliver by various service system of country. For example, the decrease in the quality
of care of NHS due to low funding problems. This problem will lead to carrying out wrong
treatments by professionals as there are less number of professionals are occur which are not able
to concentrate on treatment.
Public health:- In context of public health, EU consider all rules which are occur for
welfare of public. This includes food, air, water safety, health and safety in workplace, transport
facilities and reduction the use of tobacco which can directly impacted on health of people. The
EU belongs to response system from which they can reduce the public threats. These threats
includes various disease that can be spread in population speedily. So EU built an prevention
control system from which major threats can be controlled. The control system of the EU helps
employees to share important information so that good resources can be obtained which can help
professionals in their investigation process (Why Brexit is bad for our health, 2020).
This also help them work in a new strategic manner so that good health can achieved.
After separation from EU, UK face many negative challenges in their health care services. The
problems which are faced by patients are ineffective communication which lead to delay in care
to patients. This will lead to variation in policies which will develop delaying of treatments that
eventually access of negative outcome on health of public. So it is necessary for government to
take interest in patients by implementing safe and effective health care decisions so that
consequences of threats can be minimized at much level.
Regulation:- There are various regulation and laws of EU which have a impact on health
care setting among people. The laws of EU stand for European working time regulations. Their
aim is to protect the employees from hazards by maintaining their health and safety. The
regulation by EU consist by limiting the working hours of employees and to implement standard
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time duration so that occur 48 hours of work in a weeks so that they can deliver the effective
treatment to patients (Torjesen, 2017). But after separation, UK has no longer bound to this
regulation. This will negatively impact on health of workers as they don't have set of working
hours. This will make the workers to work over their potential which makes them distraction in
treatment of patients.
The impact of laws of EU on health services is disputable. The EU provides combination
of act and policies are prohibited by service providers of country. After Brexit, the policy makers
of UK changes some arrangements of laws and make some new relevant legislation. The UK
need to implement some of policies that can balance benefits of access of health care to markets.
Recognition of professionals:- The medical organisation after separation, is now
focusing on some arrangements so that doctors of European economic area can work in UK. In
their set up they also include some of plans from which medical specialist can be exchange. The
EEA doctors become mandatory in providing health care services in UK and other countries. The
policy of EU is to raise number of health services in UK by including professionals from
different countries. The health care services of UK are totally dependent on doctors of EU as
they provide effective care to patients. But after the Brexit, the services are become sustain as
highly qualified professionals become limited in country. This will lead movement of patient to
other countries where doctors, services and other resources are still available by the European
union.
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In the above graph, number of people are moving to other cities due to Brexit.
Provision of medical devices:- The limitation of medical devices after separation from
European union becomes a great concern among UK. The health care services of UK get supply
of almost third quarter part of medical devices and medicines from the European union. The
government of UK demand medicines from the suppliers up to six months as they know that they
would suffer breakdown of medication after occurence of separation from EU. The deficiency of
devices and medicines can be happen if suppliers change their set of mind while delivering
services to UK. This will lead to the impact on funding policies which is a central of all
resources that are needed in order to deliver good quality of services to patients (Watson, 2018).
From this health condition of patients can be improve at much level. The decisions of
government regulation and bureaucracy also effect supply chain of pharmaceutical products.
This will increase price of medical treatments and services. The each stage of Brexit is directly
impacted on cost of medical products including supply chain process. So the government has
disrupt transportation of medicines as it is not linked with Brexit. Before taking withdrawal from
EU, the supply chain of pharmaceutical are very fragile. But after it, many individuals have no
access in some of the medicines. This may increase the risk of deficiency which lead to raise in
regulatory requirements.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that the separation of UK from EU,
negatively impact on health care services of country. As EU provides number of various
resources that can help the patients to improve their health. From EU, the countries can meet
services with an ease. The separation from European union, made the system to face many
challenges such as low funding and availability of limited resources which directly impacted on
health of service users. This also includes the increase in cost of treatments from which many
patients are not able to deal and move to different other countries in which EU still provide
services. The health condition of patient is broadly affected by decision of government. The
legislation, pharmaceutical products and devices are impacted through Brexit. This will result
number of challenges that are faced by the citizens of country.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Appleby, J. and Dayan, M., 2018. Causes of concern for the NHS after Brexit. Bmj. 363.
p.k4767.
Brändle, V.K., Galpin, C. and Trenz, H.J., 2018. Marching for Europe? Enacting European
citizenship as justice during Brexit. Citizenship Studies. 22(8). pp.810-828.
Esmaeilzadeh, P. and Mirzaei, T., 2018. Comparison of the UK citizens’ perspectives on the
consequences of different Brexit scenarios for healthcare: An experimental study.
Health Policy and Technology. 7(4). pp.325-332.
Ghez, J., and et. al., 2017. Defence and security after Brexit: A snapshot of international
perspectives on the implications of the UK's decision to leave the EU.
Ries, C.P., and et. al., 2017. After Brexit: Alternate forms of Brexit and their implications for the
United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States.
Strban, G., 2017, June. Brexit and social security of mobile persons. In ERA Forum (Vol. 18, No.
2, pp. 165-185). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Torjesen, I., 2017. Four in 10 European doctors may leave UK after Brexit vote, BMA survey
finds.
Watson, R., 2018. " Frictionless trade" of drugs must continue after Brexit, warn European
organisations. BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online). 360.
Online
Why Brexit is bad for our health, 2020 [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/why-brexit-is-bad-for-our-health#is-there-
a-bright-side>
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