“Terrifying” Brexit plans for a Sussex NHS trust

A campaign group called the plans ‘terrifying’, as the Sussex Partnership NHS foundation trust may be unable to deliver care if a no-deal Brexit goes ahead.

According to The Argus, a spokeswoman said that a no-deal Brexit could cause a shortage in EU staff and pharmaceutical products.

She said “impact on patient safety, staff health and wellbeing and the trust’s performance”.

Hospitals were told not to discuss the damage they expect to suffer from Brexit by the Department of Health and Social Care back in March of this year.

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However, an anti-Brexit group, Best for Britain, sent out 150 Freedom of Information requests to NHS foundation trusts across the country and received responses from 36 of them - the Sussex Partnership NHS foundation trust was one of them.

According to The Argus, Interim chief executive of Best For Britain Naomi Smith said “It’s no wonder the Government didn’t want local hospitals releasing these Brexit planning documents.

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“They’re terrifying and highlight the scale of damage to our local communities that would be caused by a no-deal Brexit.

“No-deal may have hit the news less recently, but these documents show that the spectre of Brexit still looms large over our NHS.

“We cannot allow our local hospitals to collapse under the strain of this ideological project.

“That’s why the public need to be given the final say on Brexit, with the option to stay and strengthen our treasured NHS.”

According to statistics released by the NMC earlier this month, almost 5,000 EU nurses and midwives have left the NHS over the past two years, with Brexit being identified as a trigger.

Although the number of nurses and midwives from the UK on the register has increased by over 5,000 in the past year, EU nurses still play a vital role in the NHS and their absence will have a big impact.

This comes after news of an Oxford hospital was set to close temporarily at the end of May due to a staffing crisis.

The closure of the City Community Hospital in Oxford will have a ‘domino effect’ on surrounding hospitals as they face greater pressure, says the Oxford Mail.

The staffing crisis in NHS trusts across the UK continues.