‘Little or no progress’ on Brexit health priorities

The Royal College of Nursing has warned that there has been no progress on key health and care priorities as the UK heads closer to leaving the EU.

On all five of the areas of concern in health and care, outlined by the RCN for the government after the Brexit referendum in 2016, the college says that there has been ‘little or no progress’. Therefore, the RCN says that the government must focus on these areas to ensure patients, the public and the health and care workforce will be protected after the UK leaves the EU In March 2019.

The five key priorities are safeguarding the workforce, preserving regulations governing staff and medicines, maintaining public health, protecting workers’ rights and continuing collaboration on EU-wide research and across nursing organisations.

Maria Trewern, chair of RCN Council, said: “The college is extremely concerned that the government has made so little progress on sorting out vital regulations and agreements with the EU that have a huge impact on British patients, the public and nursing staff. These agreements have been built up over decades through collaboration between the different health systems and governments of Europe.”