Brexit Impact on Healthcare Services Sector

1. How Will Brexit influence Healthcare service Center? Brexit is having a significant impact on every sector in the UK such as corporate, education, service and healthcare. There are substantial implications of Brexit on health and social care as well. Britain has avoided clashing with the European Union by increasing the deadline of the negotiation period twice. But still, several issues remain without a solution. Especially on the work staff front, Brexit is likely to cause a shortage of the workforce in Britain.

2. In addition to this ongoing debate in the parliament, uncertainty about some of the major decisions is becoming a contributing factor for all the chaos. The department of health and social care has published guidelines for organizations. They have created a national operational response center to lead the following stands of health and service care industry. Factors affecting the Healthcare industry during Brexit: • Staffing Across the National Health Services (NHS) trusts, there is a shortage of nearly 100,000 people, including medical practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals. The vacancies in the healthcare industries are rising at an increasing rate. Currently, 1 of 10 social workers’ and 1 of 11 care workers’ role is unidentified in the industry. The only solution that can try to resolve these vacancies is International recruitment. Brexit will have an impact on the ability of the NHS to successfully fulfill these needs. A few other workforce issues need to be addressed, including: 1. The additional cost factors for the NHS for requiring sponsor visas.

3. 2. An update of employment law according to the guidelines provided by the NHS. 3. Mutual recognition of qualification needs to increase. • Treatment access inside and outside the country In the current situation, the EU gives the UK citizens access to health care services in the EU and vice versa. Every citizen who belongs to the European Union has an access card, which is known as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This card gives access to every necessary healthcare and medical service. Both the ends of the Brexit negotiations have agreed to preserve the right of every citizen to avail medical health care right until the end of the transition period. But until the outcome of the negotiation becomes a clear picture, everything is just a theory. In case the negotiation comes to a dead-end, the main goal of the government will be to protect and preserve the rights of the citizens with regards to the healthcare and social care services.

4. • Regulations There are several regulations which come under the rules of the healthcare industry. 1. The Regulation of Medicine EU has a homogenized approach for every member of the European Union. The UK is currently a part of the centralized authorization system for medical regulations known as the European Medical Agency (EMA) which has now been replaced by Amsterdam and the participants of EU medical regulatory network (EMRA). 2. Competition Law The impact of the EU competition and acquisition laws of NHS are controversial. Although a combination of all the rules and acts advocate in favor of the regulatory actions of the healthcare industry, it can only be regulated to a certain extent. However, leaving the EU will allow policymakers to modify these arrangements and other relevant contracts.

5. 3. The working time Directive The UK government has signified their intentions of making changes in the current working time directives. According to the law of the EU, the working time of employees should be about 48 hours each week. According to the latest Brexit News, Britain can evaluate the domestic legislation to modify this amendment. The current government has been committed to preserving the working directives after the UK leaves the EU. This, in turn, will result in the Brexit impact on the healthcare industry being more significant. • Cross Border Cooperation: 1. Public Health The health legislation for different areas, such as the healthcare industry alcohol, tobacco, smoking, the effect of radiation, housing standards as well as chemicals is drawn from relevant directives in the EU legislation. 2. Research The most elite and educated members from academic, pharmaceutical and medical backgrounds are concerned that Brexit is going to have a significant impact. Moreover, they posit that the impact can be harmful as

6. well as positive. The researchers in the UK have warned that Brexit can be a disaster for the research and development spheres of the country. 3. Clinical Trials Clinical trials for some of the drugs are carried out in the UK, under the legislation of the EU. This can cause several problems like: a. A negative impact on the status of a UK based patient who is participating in multinational clinical trials of EU. b. Recruitment issues for new clinical trials, especially for some rare diseases or paediatric illnesses. c. The increasing confusion and stress for the clinical trial sponsors if two different systems are getting operated in the UK and EU. The Brexit is going to have both- a positive as well as a negative impact on the UK as well as the EU. The information above gives you a little peek at the Brexit Scenarios. To all the people who are working in the healthcare industry, keep an eye on every Brexit news from now onwards.