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#GPnews: All the reaction to the leave vote and how it will affect the health sector

17:10 As we leave you on this tumultuous day, we have some weekend reading with our lead.

The BMA has been working with European GP organisations to try and put general practice on the same footing as specialists, making it easier for them to work across Europe and increasing its standing.

However, the Brexit has put this in jeopardy. Read more here.

16:00 The Press Association has completed an analysis revealing that one in every 20 NHS workers in England comes from the EU.

It shows than 57,608 NHS workers come from the EU – 5% of the total workforce.

Bt.com report Jason Parker, head of healthcare at KPMG consultants, saying: ‘Today’s economic uncertainty as a result of Brexit has a potentially huge impact on the NHS’s workforce. The health sector is enormously reliant on workers from the European Economic Area. We will be advising our clients to look after and reassure these highly skilled and valued workers.

‘We expect there to be further implications for research and innovation in the NHS, as many collaborations and employees in this domain rely on existing links with the European Union.’

14:35 Away from Brexit for the moment, and on to a speech by the  that reveals cakes and sweets are poor for your weight and your teeth. There is slightly more to it – it blames the workplace ‘cake culture’ for our obesity problems.

The dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, Professor Nigel Hunt, will call for employers to stop offering such snacks in meetings, the Independent reports.

In a speech to the Faculty of Dental Surgery’s annual dinner, Professor Hunt will say: ‘It is particularly dangerous that this is lying around the office all day for as we know, sugar has a particularly negative effect if it’s eaten outside of meal time.

‘Cake culture also poses difficulties for those who are trying their hardest to lose weight or become healthier – how many of us have begun such diets only to cave in to the temptation of the doughnuts, cookies or the triple chocolate biscuits?

“I’m not saying we need to ban such treats. But we do need a change in culture.’

11:55 National Association of Primary Care chair Dr Nav Chana, speaking to Pulse in a personal capacity, said: ‘I would want to be very clear about what the impact will be on our workforce, particularly as we currently draw quite a large proportion of our doctors and nurses from the EU.

‘We have to be very clear about some of the statements I have heard, regarding the impact on workload in general practice at the moment, and linking that to immigration issues.

‘These are political statements and I don’t want to get drawn into that – but I would say don’t let the remain or Brexit campaigns distract from the fact that general practice in particular is under-resourced and if people can’t get appointments it’s not because of immigration issues, it is because of the whole way our system works and general issues around resources and funding within primary care.’

11:10 The BMA has now released a statement.

A BMA spokesperson said: ‘In the aftermath of the UK’s vote to leave the EU, the BMA reaffirms its commitment to working with our European partners and the European Union to safeguard the future of our profession and the patients we serve.

‘We urge politicians not to play games with the UK’s health services as the country faces a new future. We stand together as one profession with our colleagues from Europe and across the world, with whom we live, work and study and on whom the NHS depends.’

10:00 The BMA have not issued anything officially, but Junior Doctor Committee chair Johann Malawana said:



9:45 As the UK wakes up to the seismic news, we’ll have all the reaction as it comes.

The NHS Confederation is first out of the blocks. It says: ‘The NHS has broadly benefitted from being in the EU and leaving it will undoubtedly have implications which are yet to be clearly understood. The priorities for those who lead and are on the frontline of delivering NHS funded services are the sustainability and quality of patient care.

‘It is impossible to predict the full impact at this stage, but clearly it is vital that our government seeks a strong, nuanced agreement with the European Union that recognises how interwoven NHS and EU policies have become.

‘The NHS’s top priority will be to adapt to the new circumstances and continue its high quality services for patients. The NHS Confederation, through our European Office will be working in Brussels and the UK to ensure the needs of the NHS and its patients are understood throughout this process.’

8.45 Good morning and welcome to the live blog.

UKIP leader and Leave EU campaigner Nigel Farage appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning, saying that the campaign’s pledge to spend £350m worth of weekly EU contributions on the NHS was actually ‘a mistake’.