Bollocks to Brexit- Defend the NHS

The Tories promised £350 million a week extra funding for the NHS, writes Nick Jones. Instead we face privatisation, staffing crisis, cuts and an NHS ripe for a Trump US trade deal.

• Medicines are being stockpiled because we have withdrawn from the European Medicines Agency. We are no longer part of clinical trials for life saving drugs and therapies. Permission would be required from the National Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MRHA) creating delay and potential rejection.
• Staffing – Over 45% of key NHS medical specialism posts are filled by those from outside the UK. Free movement has sustained the NHS and social care – 55,000 of the NHS staff come from the EU and 80,000 members of the adult social care workforce are from the EU. The hostile atmosphere has seen a 10% drop in EU doctors. Nurse recruitment from the EU is down by 96%.
• Scrapping regulations – from training to working time directives. Mutual recognition agreements allow a smooth transfer for health professionals wanting to live and work in the UK.
• EHIC The Tories will scrap the European Health Insurance Card. This gave free access to medically necessary state-funded treatment in the EU countries. It enables people with pre-existing conditions to live, work, study and retire in an EU country. These conditions include a range of disabilities from physical to mental health. Many pensioners living abroad face an uncertain future if their conditions are not covered. Over 1.2 million British citizens reside in other EU countries and 3 million EU citizens reside in the UK.
• Privatisation – The NHS is being broken up as part of their Integrated Social Care schemes – limited budget given, limited services that can be provided by outside agencies. This makes the NHS ripe for a US Trade deal.

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