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<p>The Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement to support
National Health Service healthcare providers ahead of winter. This includes £240 million
of funding that has been made available to help patients with adult social care needs
leave hospital when ready and free-up hospital capacity.</p><p>As part of a responsible
Government, the Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for European
Union exit. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the supply of
medicines and medical products remains uninterrupted when we leave the EU on 31 October.</p><p>The
Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels in the NHS and
we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates of EU staff on a regular basis since
the 2016 referendum. We are not complacent and have plans in place to ensure there
will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high-quality services on which
the public relies. Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and continuously
updated and will stand irrespective of the terms in which the United Kingdom leaves
the EU.</p><p>The Department is also working more broadly with delivery partners to
ensure that the health and care system as a whole is prepared and ready to respond
to disruption caused by EU exit.</p>
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