Implications of Brexit on Health and Social Care

This article discusses the implications of Brexit on health and social care in the UK. It explores workforce changes, proposed regulations, and potential opportunities for the healthcare sector. The decision to leave the EU has had various outcomes, including the relocation of the European Medicines Agency and a decrease in the workforce.

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Statistics indicate that the UK produces the highest number of doctors who work for the
EU. Efforts to increase the domestic workforce are ongoing but the government of the UK
proposes that regulations should be put so as to consider the earnings cap for the skilled workers
(Helen 25). This will help the NHS and social care to recruit workers of relatively lower skills
from anywhere around the globe. This will increase the healthcare workforce. The decision made
by the UK to leave the EU has been for the betterment of the nationals of the UK since there has
been compounded pressure in the recruitment and retention of workers in the healthcare sector.
Working in the NHS is procedural and not easy as it should be and it is even tougher for the EEA
migrants (Helen 14). EU rules out that people who come from EU countries or leave the EU

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countries to live in other non-EU countries have access to healthcare on the basis of the nationals
of that country. The UK government’s decision to withdraw from EU so as to seek to protect the
healthcare rights for its citizens would include the negotiations on how the citizens of non-
member states living in the UK will be charged (Helen 23). The emigrants of the UK are the
older people and hence they would be required to have travel insurance since they are prone to
sicknesses. This will mean that the EHIC will not be valid anymore and hence no need to remain
in the EU.
Merits
The medicines and healthcare regulatory agency works under the European Medicine
Agency. After the withdrawal of the UK, the MHRA will operate as a sovereign regulator
outside EMA and will be able to work with other international partners.
The UK will be able to retain its sovereignty in that it will come up with a notified body
that will ensure that the companies that manufacture medicine comply by the laws of the land on
the standards of the products (Hunt and Wheeler 13). The domestic medicinal firms in the UK
will increase their revenue in the short run since they have already been advised by the UK
government to increase the products so as to cater for any deficits as the government plans a way
forward in an event of a no deal Brexit (Helen 25). If the UK exits EU it will mean that there
have to be amendments of the law so that the domestic firms face no competition from the EU
medicinal firms. The government tenders will be allocated to the domestic firms alone hence no
competition from foreign firms. Precisely, leaving the EU will enable the government to align
with the collaborative approach and shun from the competitive approach. This will call for
further clarification and clarity and hence calling for legislation amendments.

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Conclusion
The decision made by the UK to leave the EU has had several outcomes on social care.
For instance, EMA has been moved to Amsterdam and the number of workforces has decreased.
Brexit might open opportunities for the UK to go faster in public regulation and remove
competition but it will be costly in the long run for the UK.

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Work cited
Helen , McKenna . "Brexit: the implications for health and social care." 13th December 2017.
Kingfund.22nd,February 2019 <https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/brexit-
implications-health-social-care#accessing-treatment>.
Hunt, A and B Wheeler. Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU; BBC News.
News Report. New York: BBC News, 2017.