What’s after Brexit?

Jane Braithwaite

How will Brexit affect private healthcare? Jane Braithwaite examines the areas that might catch out independent practitioners.

There has been plenty of doom and gloom about Brexit and how it might affect healthcare, but it is entirely possible that private healthcare may see some benefits from the increased competition.

While the impact on the NHS has been keenly analysed since the referendum result was first announced, there hasn’t been as much dissection of how the private sector might fare. Of course, factors which affect the NHS could also have an impact on private healthcare.

Many commentators have highlighted the risks that Brexit poses to the UK economy, but it is somewhat impossible to predict at this point what repercussions of any Brexit-related economic downturn might have on healthcare.

By contrast, it is significantly easier to assess the following key areas of healthcare which are likely to see significant changes: the workforce, health tourism and the regulation of drugs and devices.

There is so much concern over Brexit’s impact on healthcare that a number of organisations banded together to issue a plea for the UK and EU governments to prioritise patients. This article highlights some of the issues mentioned in the policy statement that are likely to affect the private sector.