​#GPnews: Brexit could cause ‘chaotic disruption’ to NHS medicines supply

16:30 A new service funded by a CCG is hoping to avert health and social crises for patients in a West Yorkshire town, reports Pulse’s sister title Healthcare Leader.

The Keighley Pathway scheme is designed to prevent people’s problems escalating and having an adverse impact on their health.

It offers weekday sessions to tackle issues including drugs and alcohol problems that could beset some of the town’s 51,000 residents.

There are also meetings about domestic violence and mental health.

Staff can also make referrals to other agencies to help people get the best support.

NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG’s clinical chairman Dr Jane Thomas said: ‘People who are in crisis generally do not access more traditional health and care services and therefore suffer poor mental and physical health.’

She said she hoped the service would offer easily accessible support to people.

She added: ‘This service will address that unmet need and our volunteers and community services are best placed to deliver the support to these individuals.’

14:00 UK leaving the EU without a deal is a terrifying prospect for the NHS, as Reuters reports.

Think-tank the Nuffield Trust warned that this could risk ‘chaotic disruption’ to medicine supplies and worsening staff shortages.

For Northern Ireland it could have particularly dire consequences, as treatments for rare diseases are currently coordinated with the Republic of Ireland.

The report said: ‘A scenario where the UK leaves without any deal would cause extensive problems for the NHS. It would risk a chaotic disruption to supplies of medical products, and a rise in prices that would push hospitals deeper into deficit.

‘Many different parts of EU law and EU institutions play an important role in enabling care to be delivered to the standards we see today. Suddenly ending them with no replacement would do serious damage to an already strained British NHS.’

12:40 Royal College of Nursing (RNC) chief executive Janet Davies has asked ministers and the NHS to plan a scheme to help homeless people get registered with a GP surgery.

From this month, the RCN has started working with the Big Issue as an official partner.

In an opinion piece for The Big Issue, Ms Davies said: ‘A nurse’s role focuses on maximising potential and enabling independence – which is why we believe supporting the work of The Big Issue is so relevant for us.’

‘We are enormously grateful to The Royal College of Nursing for sponsoring our iconic red tabards for the next three years and helping us to support our vendors across the UK,’ said Lord John Bird, founder and editor of the Big Issue.

They said the cooperation comes as rough sleepers are admitted to A&E four times more often than those who have a roof over their head.

09:50 Hospital leaders have warned that the NHS is now functioning on the ‘edge of safety’, reports the BBC.

NHS Providers’ report said that although staffing levels are up 6%, compared to three years ago, the level of demand has risen three times as much in some areas.

This included GP referrals increasing by 11%, said the report.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘This is a damning report. The staffing crisis facing our NHS reflects a fundamental failure at national level on workforce strategy.

‘In the upcoming Budget, the government must fully fund the scrapping of the pay cap for NHS staff and bring forward wider funding to put our NHS on a sustainable footing.’

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Janet Davies said: ‘Ministers can no longer dismiss warnings of this kind.’