What are the reasons for the worsening shortage of doctors in the UK after Brexit?
What problems did the dependence of the British health system on EU doctors cause after Brexit?
What have been the problems of the NHS after Brexit?
What are the reasons for setting up a war room in the British National Health Service?
The shortage of staff in UK hospitals is a problem. The survey results show that Brexit has led to a significant reduction in the recruitment of personnel from the EU for the health and care sectors of the UK and a severe shortage of personnel and doctors in these sectors. The UK healthcare system is dependent on an influx of foreign specialists. The survey results show that the UK’s damage caused by leaving the EU has been high. The shortage of staff in UK hospitals is severe.
A worsening shortage of doctors in the UK after Brexit
The shortage of staff in UK hospitals has increased after Brexit. According to a recent study, Brexit has exacerbated the UK’s doctor shortage. Accordingly, the UK healthcare system is short of around 4,000 doctors from EU countries in the most critical specialist areas. In a report published by the Guardian newspaper commissioned by the Nuffield Trust think tank, it is stated that the increase in the number of employees in the EU and the countries of the European free trade area (EFTA) has slowed down and has fallen below the level of forecasts.
Dependence of the UK health system on EU doctors
Accordingly, the UK healthcare system was mainly dependent on EU doctors before Brexit. This significantly affected the anesthesiology, paediatrics, cardiac surgery and psychiatry departments. According to the study, more than 41,000 doctors from the EU or the EFTA countries of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein would need to be based in the UK by 2021 to fill the shortfall. But their number increased by at least 4 thousand people. The shortage of staff in UK hospitals is due to the dependence of the country’s health system on doctors from the EU.
Stagnation in the number of EU doctors
Researchers see the apparent reason for this turn in 2015 and 2016 due to the Brexit referendum. In addition to the initial uncertainty about the new entry and work regulations, stricter visa regulations and deteriorating working conditions in the UK health system have also contributed to reducing staff numbers. The study’s findings show that a slump in the number of EU doctors has exacerbated existing shortages in areas where the NHS cannot find enough qualified staff elsewhere.
The problems of the NHS after Brexit
The shortage of staff in UK hospitals worsened after Brexit. The study comes when the crisis-hit NHS grapples with many complaints after years of underfunding. In addition to the lack of doctors, caregivers, and nurses, these problems include long waiting times for some hospital treatments due to the Covid-19 epidemic. The British National Health Service (NHS) has set up “war rooms” on the eve of a massive strike by nurses and ambulance drivers, as well as in response to the deplorable condition of the emergency department of the country’s medical centres, to manage the pressure on hospitals.
We are setting up a war room in the NHS.
According to British news sources, as many as 42 war rooms have been formed in the country’s medical Centre, which collects and shares data related to the emergency room operation, patient waiting time, the number of staff and available beds. This data allows medical centers to direct ambulances away from hospitals at capacity and to centres with more space. War rooms will be active 24/7.
Waiting 12 hours for a doctor’s visit
This action is taken while, according to published statistics, 4,000 patients in the emergency department of British medical centers have to wait 12 hours for a general doctor’s visit. The latest published data shows that 43,792 emergency patients spent half a day in the waiting room last October just for the doctor to decide whether to admit them. This amount shows a 50% increase compared to the previous year, and it is said that the more difficult access to the emergency room is the cause of the death of about 2,000 people per month.
Delay of ambulances in serving patients
Statistics also show that ambulances served patients with a delay of 47 minutes, While 18 minutes have been targeted for them. From the observers’ point of view, this situation is a complete disgrace for the country that claims to be the flag bearer of human rights. The awful condition of the British medical centres, while nurses and ambulance drivers are planning to stop working for the first time in the country’s history before the Christmas holidays. They want to increase their wages due to rising prices and the cost of living crisis.
Compensating for the shortage of nurses with army personnel
It is said that more than 100,000 nurses will participate in this protest movement. The government will use army personnel to compensate for the lack of nurses in medical centres. The protesters demand a 5% increase in their wages in addition to the inflation rate and claim that their salaries have not changed since 2010. They also want improved benefits despite labour shortages and claim that overtime is not paid.
The new wave of strikes in the UK
The world’s sixth largest economy these days, the UK is facing a wave of strikes in the public sectors of this country due to economic problems and the aggravation of the cost of living crisis. From the transport system to healthcare facilities, thousands of UK public sector workers plan to walk off the job in the final days of 2022 in protest of the status quo.
Cancellation of 20% of patient appointments
Despite the commitments given by the British government, on average, 20% of patient appointments in hospitals in this country are cancelled due to a lack of staff and medical services. Despite the government’s pledge to clear the backlog of the healthcare system, UK hospitals are cancelling 22,000 appointments every day, and 6.8 million people in the UK are waiting to start treatment. The average number of daily cancellations this year so far has increased by 20% compared to pre-coronavirus figures.
Waiting for millions of people to start treatment
This data shows how many times some patients’ appointments are cancelled. In 2021, NHS cancelled 30,267 patient appointments. This number is 2019 was 17,884 cases, which offers an increase of 69%. About 6.8 million patients are waiting to start treatment, the highest on record through July.
Cancellation of visits by hospitals
Official figures published by the NHS Digital show that in 2021-2022, one in 10 (9.5%) doctor’s appointments (11.6 million) were cancelled by a hospital. Although there have been improvements since 2020, the number of outpatient visits in 2021-2022 is still below pre-pandemic levels, at 122.3 million compared to 124.9 million in 2019-20.
This significant number of cancelled appointments in hospitals is due primarily to one thing, and that is staff shortages. The UK needs an urgent workforce plan; hospitals will cancel more appointments without more doctors and nurses. The lack of staff in UK hospitals is severe, and if this problem is not solved, the British healthcare system will collapse.
