Skip to main content

What impact will Brexit have on the NHS and universities?

I spoke recently at a Public Policy Exchange Symposium on the topic of ‘Brexit: What impact will it have on the NHS and universities?” The event was chaired by Dr Philippa Whitford MP. In my presentation, I outlined how Brexit will lead to major challenges for the UK’s NHS and universities, as well as for public health and the life sciences industry in the UK.

For the NHS, key issues include the retention of NHS employees from other EU countries; and the future recruitment of health professionals after the UK leaves the EU. The NHS will need to implement policies to train considerably more health professionals (including doctors) and retain them in the workforce. Another key issue is the right to publicly-funded healthcare of the EU nationals living in the UK and the UK nationals living in other EU countries. The future of the EHIC card also needs to be determined.

For public health, a key issue will be how the UK participates in future EU-wide public health initiatives. These cover many areas including food regulations, road safety, air pollution, tobacco control, and chemical hazards; and are important when dealing with cross-national issues (e.g. air pollution) or with large multi-national corporations.

There are also uncertainties for the wider health economy including the future location of the European Medicines Agency and the risk that the UK may become less-favoured as a site for commercially supported clinical research.

For universities, there will be a loss of research funding from the EU, less scope to recruit academic staff from other EU countries and threats to our future participation in the ERASMUS Student Mobility Programme. We also need to consider if and how we continue to take part in the Bologna Process (agreements between EU countries to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher education qualifications). Linked to this is a risk that students from the EU may be less likely to apply to study at UK universities, particularly if their fees increase to the level paid by overseas students.

In conclusion, Brexit will have important impacts on the NHS and the UK’s universities. Most impacts appear to be negative. It's important that the NHS and universities engage with government to ameliorate these risks and also gain public support (e.g. to reinforce that immigration has positive benefits).

A copy of my presentation can be viewed on Slideshare.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Protecting Against the "Quad-demic": Influenza, Covid-19, Norovirus and RSV

As the NHS braces for a challenging winter season, it is grappling with a "quad-demic" of health emergencies caused by influenza, Covid-19, norovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This confluence of viral threats poses a significant risk to public health in the UK as well as putting strain on healthcare resources, emphasising the importance of preventive measures to safeguard public health. Public health measures such a vaccination and good personal hygiene are pivotal in reducing the impact of these illnesses, particularly for vulnerable groups. The Four Viruses: What Are They? Influenza: A highly contagious respiratory infection that causes significant illness each winter. It can lead to severe complications, particularly in the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic health conditions. Covid-19: Though its most acute phase has passed, Covid-19 remains a concern, especially as new variants of SA...

The Hidden Cost of Cheaper NHS Contracts: Losing Community Trust

NHS budgets are under considerable pressure. It is therefore unsurprising that many NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) In England will aim to prioritise price in contract awards, But this approach is a significant threat to community-centred healthcare. While competitive tendering is a legally required, an excessive focus on costs in awarding NHS contracts risks overshadowing key factors such as established community trust, local expertise, and the long-term impact on continuity of care. This shift towards cheaper, often external, commercial providers threatens to cut the links between communities and their local health services. The argument that competitive tendering is solely about legal compliance, and not cost, is undermined by the very nature of such tendering, which by design encourages the lowest bid. This approach risks eroding the social fabric of local healthcare provision, where established relationships and understanding of specific community needs are essential. Establishe...

MPH Student Presentations on the NHS Care.Data Programme

As part of a session on primary care data in the Health Informatics module on the Imperial Master of Public Health Programme, I asked students to work in two groups to present arguments for and against the NHS Care.Data programme. Care.Data is an NHS programme that will extract data from the medical records held by general practitioners (GPs) in England. The Care.Data programme takes advantage of the very high level of use of electronic medical records by GPs in England. After extraction, data will be uploaded to the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). The data will then be used for functions such as health care planning, monitoring disease patterns and research. The programme has been controversial with proponents arguing that the programme will bring many benefits for the NHS and the population of England; and opponents arguing it is a major breach of privacy. You can view the two presentations to help inform you further about these arguments: Arguments fo...