NHS staff shortages ‘could be made worse by Brexit’

The UK's decision to leave the European Union could serve to further exacerbate the recent staff shortages encountered by the NHS.

Health sector leaders have expressed fears that doctors and nurses from Europe may be put off accepting jobs after the referendum, reports BBC News. There are currently 130,000 EU health and care workers in the UK, accounting for ten percent of doctors and five percent of nurses.

A report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee earlier this year warned frontline NHS care in England may be in need of as many as 50,000 members of staff to fill key gaps. This is out of a workforce of slightly more than 800,000 clinical staff.

Elisabetta Zanon, director of the NHS Confederation's European office, said: "There is a real risk the uncertainty and the falling value of the pound will make people think again. If that happens, we could see shortages in some key areas get worse."

Meanwhile, former health secretary and Tory peer Lord Lansley noted that the medical research community is "distraught" over the result of the EU vote, agreeing that the care sector "cannot deliver" without a steady supply of European workers.