Brexit will put pressure on Welsh NHS at winter, senior doctor says

Medicines were stockpiled last year, in case a no-deal Brexit occured

Brexit creates "additional planning pressures" for the NHS as it prepares for the winter, Wales' chief medical officer has said.

Frank Atherton was talking about a potential spike in coronavirus cases later this year.

The transition period for the UK leaving the EU is due to end on 31 December.

NHS bosses are thinking about the possible impact if a deal is not achieved, Dr Atherton said.

The post-Brexit trading relationship between the UK and the EU remains uncertain as negotiations with Brussels continue.

This month it emerged the UK government had urged drugs companies to have six weeks' worth of drugs stockpiled, in readiness for the end of the Brexit transition period.

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Dr Atherton said: "Last year, when we were looking at a no-deal Brexit, there was a lot of activity to plan for potential shortages of medicines, supplies, PPE, all of those things, so all of these things add additional planning pressures on to our NHS."

As well as a backlog in routine treatments and the annual flu season, he said NHS bosses were "also thinking about the possible impact of Brexit at the end of the year if we don't get a deal".

"It makes planning quite uncertain for health boards and they have got a huge challenge in getting ready for this winter," he said.

A warehouse was bought by the Welsh Government near Newport last year to stockpile medical supplies in case a no-deal Brexit disrupted imports.

The post-Brexit trading relationship between the UK and the EU remains uncertain

Dr Atherton said the space was still storing medical "devices and consumables", adding: "We are fortunate because having gone through this process twice now we do have systems in place for additional stockpiling.

"So we are not where we were two years ago, but there's still a lot of thinking that needs to happen."

In June, the pharmaceutical industry warned some supplies had been completely used up by the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of July the UK and EU said they remained some way off reaching a post-Brexit trade agreement.

UK government negotiator David Frost said there were "considerable gaps" in certain areas, but a deal was still possible.