Brexit poses risk to provision of safe and effective care

The Royal College of Nursing has written to the leaders of the UK's main political parties warning that Brexit poses an ‘immediate risk to the provision of safe and effective care’ for patients in the UK.

Campaigning on behalf of its 435,000 members, the letter warned that Brexit could exacerbate ongoing problems in the NHS, such as workforce sustainability, with the RCN also encouraging the parties to back a second referendum on any Brexit deal, to ‘give citizens the opportunity to make an informed choice’.

With the UK leaving the European Union on 29 March 2019, the union warned that a bad deal could have particular implications for nursing staff providing care in areas that interface between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, along with threats to fair employment practices, workers' rights and cross-border exchange of knowledge, research and skills.

Maria Trewern, chair of council at the RCN, wrote: "As the debate across our membership has made clear, the implications of Brexit for the health and care system will be numerous. There are risks that, if not credibly addressed, may damage population health, as well as severely impact on our members' ability to provide safe and effective care for their patients in both the short and the long term."