Contemporary Medical Practices at National Health Service (NHS)

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to determine the impact of Brexit on the NHS service. Other objectives included an examination of some of the challenges that the NHS system might face while striving to assure better health outcomes in the post-Brexit era, as well as recommend some of the strategies that the institution could implement towards addressing the perceived challenges with which Brexit might be associated. Imperative to note is that the study employed the Games Theory to explain some of the effects that a country’s withdrawal from a continental bloc could have on its public service; including the health sector. It is further notable that this study relied on secondary data to collect and analyze information regarding the current and future impact of Brexit on the NHS. Indeed, most of the findings concurred with the current literature regarding the complexity and mixed outcomes surrounding the debate of Brexit versus NHS. On the one hand, some of the secondary sources consulted acknowledged that Brexit promises positive outcomes in terms of improved funding. Particularly, these studies contended that the £19 billion that the UK has been channeling to the EU could be redirected to other government priorities and public service in the UK, including the NHS. However, studies that argue that Brexit poses a negative impact on NHS suggest that future uncertainties surrounding the immigration status of EU-origin staff account for the mass exit. The studies hold further that the departure might lead to a significant increase in vacancy rates, with the cost of training nurses and doctors to replace the departing groups documented to exceed that which the UK would have incurred to import trained workers. Therefore, lasting solutions lie in the provision of adequate resources, political will, and the involvement of EU staff in feedback provision, cost-effective analyses of response strategies, and regular seminars and conferences that seek to sensitize workforces regarding the criticality of aligning their personal goals to the overall mission and vision of NHS. Whereas Brexit’s uncertainties reflect a looming crisis at the NHS, the manner in which senior leaders and managers will transform challenges into opportunities for improvement will shape the ability of the institution to emerge victorious.