The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh have this week endorsed a briefing document prepared by the Welsh NHS Confederation summarising what we believe are the key issues for health and social care organisations in Wales as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
The briefing, which has also been endorsed by 20 organisations from across the medical and social care sectors, calls for a range of actions to be taken such as
- Ensuring UK immigration rules recognise healthcare as a priority sector for overseas recruitment.
- Continued recognition of professional qualifications trained in the EU27 and mechanisms to alert each other of health and social professionals who are prohibited or restricted to practice.
- That workers’ employment rights and patients’ rights are protected post Brexit.
- Health and social care organisations across the UK will be able to continue to participate in EU collaborative programmes
- Ensuring patients continue to benefit from early access to the wide range of innovative health technologies available on the EU market and ensuring regulatory alignment for the benefit of patients and the public’s health
- Preserving reciprocal healthcare arrangements.
- Continued engagement between the Welsh Government and the UK Government to ensure the interest of health and social care sector in Wales are safeguarded during the withdrawal process and beyond.
In response to the release of the paper, Professor Michael Lavelle Jones, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh said “The College has been active in its attempts to minimise the impact of Brexit has on our health services, so we are delighted that the Welsh NHS Confederation has produced this call for action and look forward to working with partners on this important issue.”
RCSEd (www.rcsed.ac.uk) was first incorporated as the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1505, and is the oldest surgical corporation in the world with memberships approaching 25,000 professionals in over 100 countries worldwide. The College promotes the highest standards of surgical and dental practice through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical and dental workforce. It is also home to the UK’s only Faculty of Surgical Trainers, open to all those with an interest in surgical training regardless of College affiliation. Find RCSEd on Twitter www.twitter.com/RCSEd and on Facebook www.facebook.com/rcsed
The College is based at Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DW and can be reached on (0)131 527 1600 or mail@rcsed.ac.uk. In March 2014, a new base opened in Birmingham, catering to the 80% of the College’s UK membership who are based in England and Wales.
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