People could die as a result of a no-deal Brexit, England’s Chief Medical Officer has said.
As the clock ticks on the October 31 deadline and hopes of a deal branded ‘extremely unlikely’, Professor Dame Sally Davies made her worrying prediction.
She said there would be shortages of medical supplies because of import problems caused by crashing out without a divorce deal.
Dame Sally told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The health service and everyone has worked very hard to prepare.
‘But I say what I’ve said before, that we cannot guarantee that there will not be shortages not only in medicines but technology and gadgets and things.
‘And there may be deaths, we can’t guarantee there won’t.’
Pressed if lives are at risk, she firmly replied: ‘They are at risk.’
The NHS has repeatedly warned of a crisis in both staffing and access to medicines once we leave the EU.
Operation Yellowhammer, the leaked government document outlining the impact of no-deal Brexit, found that the supply chains for medicines and products were ‘particularly vulnerable’ to disruption at the Channel ports.
It noted that the chaos could last up to six months.
While some medicinal products can be stockpiled, those with a short shelf-life cannot.
These include drugs such as insulin to treat diabetes and medicines used by children suffering from cancer.
Britain imports about 37 million medicine packs every month from the EU, industry figures have shown.
Three-quarters of medicines come via the main Channel crossings into Dover and Folkestone.
Those that need to be transported under temperature-controlled conditions are at risk if there are the predicted lengthy delays at the ports.
Some vaccines at risk are those to combat flu and as winter approaches, the UK is about to head into ‘flu season.’
Last week, NHS Wales unveiled a so-called ‘Brexit Warehouse’ to store around 1,000 extra products including medical gloves, needles and dressings at a cost of about £5 million.
The discredited boast by Brexiteers that leaving the EU would save the NHS £350 million a week was one main reason people voted to exit the bloc.
In reality, more than 62,000 NHS staff in England are EU nationals, accounting for 5.6% of staff.
There are concerns over both recruiting and retaining staff once freedom of movement ends.
The NHS is already short of over 100,000 personnel including 43,000 nurses.
Scientists have warned the UK will soon not have access to ground-breaking pharmaceuticals and overseas medical research.
Last month, a Twitter campaign was launched using the hashtag ‘death by Brexit.’
People who rely on EU medicines to survive put a black dot on their Twitter handle to show the government that lives are at risk.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has declared that he can ‘confidently’ say the UK is prepared to leave the EU without a deal at the end of this month.
On the issue of health, a Government report said: ‘The UK will continue to play a world-leading role in health security, patient safety and medical advance after Brexit.
‘Opportunities may include innovative regulation of novel advanced therapies and medicines, and a streamlined approach to clinical trial reporting and conduct.
‘These strengths in health research will be further supported by fast-track visas for world-leading scientists.’
The report outlines plans to set up a dedicated support unit for suppliers of medical goods in the health sector.
It says the aim is to ensure that companies have the necessary customs paperwork in place for border arrangements ahead of a no-deal scenario.
It says suppliers of all medicines and medical products should ensure they are ready to comply with the new customs and border processes required to import and export goods between the UK and the EU.
The report also says adult social care providers should plan for longer lead times of up to five days for products imported from the EU, and be prepared to receive stock deliveries outside normal hours.
