The NHS and Health Law Post Brexit: Views from Stakeholders and the Devolved Jurisdictions

The NHS has played an important role in the Brexit debate since the Referendum and the Big Red Bus. This report, from a ESRC UK in a Changing Europe project “Health Law Outside the EU: Immediate, Intermediate and Long Term Impacts”, considers the impact of Brexit on the NHS in the devolved jurisdictions, from the perspectives of professionals and patients, pharmaceuticals and public health. Drawing upon 22 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the health sector in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, we show that experts on the ground are concerned about many aspects of health post-Brexit. There are particular worries about a No-Deal Brexit, especially on the island of Ireland; in terms of supply of basic consumables to hospitals; and in how robust current practices for responding to shortages would be.