Brexit, the NHS and Health Law

The NHS featured prominently in the debates over Brexit due to promises made in relation to the prospect of additional resources to the NHS placed on the side of a big red bus. But the question of NHS funding and ways in which it can be enhanced is only one part of a very complex picture concerning the interface between EU law and the NHS. The implications of Brexit on the NHS give rise to a wide range of practical implications in relation to such issues as delivery of NHS services, access to drugs, patient mobility and professional mobility. All of these raise considerable policy concerns.

This book examines how Brexit may impact on law and policy in the NHS in the immediate, intermediate and long term. It also highlights some challenges which may be posed by Brexit for the devolved jurisdictions. The book sets out the various areas in which the EU has provided enhanced rights for UK patients and for patients from other member states being treated in the EU. It discusses the impact of free movement principles, regulation 883/2004 and the Patients’ Rights Directive. The book then turns to look at the effect Brexit may have on health care professionals and it explores the potential impact of loss of mutual recognition schemes, currently provided by the EU. The impact of Brexit on public health law and policy and on pharmaceutical regulation and pharmacovigilance networks is then analysed.

By highlighting the various challenges that Brexit may bring to the NHS and health care law, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of European Law and Health Law as well as policy makers and practitioners.