28246711066_52e38bc591_z

NHS Confederation chief says news of Brexit extension is a relief

pharmafile | April 12, 2019 | News story | |  EU, NHS, UK, brexit, health, medicine 

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, has said news of the decision to extend the Brexit deadline to the 31st October had come as a ‘relief’.

However, Dickson, who co-chairs the Brexit Health Alliance, called for an end to the ‘circus of uncertainty’ surrounding the UK’s exit from the European Union.

In warning of the detrimental effects of a no-deal on patients in the NHS, Dickson said: “No deal tomorrow would have been bad for patients so it is a relief that threat has gone away, for now. But of course the extension leaves that as one potential outcome which means everyone involved in healthcare must continue to prepare for this possibility and keep contingency plans in place.”

Dickson added: “We are now in a “phoney war” and the risk is complacency – the system needs to assume we could crash out and do everything we can to make sure patients are protected if that happens.

“Like everyone else in the UK and Europe we want an end to this circus of uncertainty and we need to see the political will to bring that about.”

Louis Goss

Related Content

NICE approves first treatment for obstructive HCM for NHS use

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced that it has approved …

NICE recommends Pfizer’s rimegepant for preventing episodic migraine attacks

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced that it has recommended …

towfiqu-barbhuiya-hn2hqoalbck-unsplash_1

European Parliament shares goal to tackle antimicrobial resistance

The European Parliament has shared its recommendations for a “coordinated EU response to health threats …

Latest content