UK doctors' leaders have urged the Government to take all possible steps to avoid a no-deal departure from the institutions of the European Union (EU).
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson dampened hopes of a deal with the EU last week, suggesting the country has to "get ready" to trade next year without any agreement.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said the news has solidified concerns in the medical profession around the future supply chains of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and protective equipment, NHS staffing shortages, severe shortages of medical products and nuclear isotopes, and damage to medical research and the production of COVID-19 vaccines.
A no-deal exit would also raise concerns regarding disruption to the provision of cross-border healthcare and the flow of medicines and medical devices between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
BMA council chair Chaand Nagpaul said: “A no-deal Brexit would have been deeply damaging for our members and their patients even before this pandemic crippled our health services and deepened the desperate health inequalities in our society. But now the results of a no-deal outcome would be even more devastating, with the NHS struggling to deal with the massive backlog of non-Covid-19 work, a severe workforce shortage and the country facing a second peak in infections during an already challenging winter period.”
He said the BMA had long warned that trying to handle these negotiations of unprecedented complexity during a global pandemic could result in the transition period ending without a negotiated deal being agreed, which is what now has been signalled.
Dr Nagpaul added: “Once again, I urge the Prime Minister to do whatever is needed to avoid this disastrous scenario. A no-deal Brexit would have catastrophic consequences for the NHS, the workforce and patients in this country and now, more than ever, this cannot be allowed to happen.”
