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<p>The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels in the
health and social care sectors and we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates
of European Union staff on a regular basis since the 2016 referendum. While we do
not expect our exit from the EU to lead to a significant number of health staff leaving
on or around exit day, we are not complacent and are continually monitoring staffing
levels and working with other Government Departments and local areas to put in place
mechanisms to respond to any shortages.</p><p> </p><p>We hugely value the contribution
of EU staff working in health and social care and the Government has made it clear
that we want them to stay. That is why EU staff in health and social care have had
early access to the EU Settlement Scheme since December 2018, allowing them to secure
their rights to live and work in the United Kingdom. In March 2019, we put in place
legislation that ensures the continued recognition of qualifications from EU countries
by all professional regulators covering the health and social care sectors. This means
EU staff who are currently practising in the UK can continue to do so, and that professionals
qualified in the European Economic Area and Switzerland can continue to apply for
registration after ‘exit day’, even if we leave without a ‘deal’.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore,
the NHS Long Term Plan sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the
next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs, so that nurses
and doctors can administer the expert compassionate care they are committed to providing.
Baroness Dido Harding, Chair of NHS Improvement, working closely with Sir David Behan,
Chair of Health Education England, will lead a number of programmes to develop a detailed
workforce implementation plan. Baroness Harding and Sir David will present these initial
recommendations to the Department this spring.</p><p> </p><p>On medicines, the Department
has been working closely with trade bodies, product suppliers, the NHS in England,
and the devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies, to ensure the continuation
of the supply of medicines to the whole of the UK in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit.
This includes the NHS, social care and the independent sector and covers licensed
medicines (prescription only, pharmacy and general sales list medicines) and unlicensed
medicines (specials, investigational medicinal products and UK imports).</p><p> </p><p>The
Department, together with industry and the NHS, has analysed the supply chains of
12,300 medicines and we are grateful for excellent engagement from all parties, which
means our plans are well advanced. As a result of this analysis, the Department has
put in place a multi-layered approach to minimise any supply disruption.</p><p> </p><p>We
are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines
and medical products will be uninterrupted in the event of exiting the EU without
a deal.</p>
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