NHS stockpiling drugs plan to protect Britain if EU refuses Brexit deal
NHS bosses have started stockpiling plans to ensure Britain has enough drugs to keep the health service afloat if the EU refuses a Brexit deal and Britain is forced to walk away.
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Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said “significant planning” was underway, including working with pharmaceutical companies to make sure there will be no breakdown in supply if there is no deal with the EU.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show he said: "There is now significant planning going on around all the scenarios including the medicines supply scenarios.
"There's extensive work under way now between the department of health, other parts of Government, the life sciences industry, the pharma companies.
“Nobody is pretending this is a desirable situation but if that's what we get to then it will not have been unforeseen."
The EU warned Britain again last week that time was running out for Prime Minister Theresa May to negotiate a deal and stop the country from crashing out of the bloc.
May has promised to thrash out an agreement with her top team of ministers at a meeting this week and intends to present a policy document, or white paper, setting out the Government's aims for a future partnership after that.