Nurses back referendum on any deal with EU – BBC News

by danielbarker on 29 August, 2018

Brexit poses an “immediate risk to the provision of safe and effective care” for patients in the UK, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

The union has made the warning in a letter to leaders of the UK’s main political parties on behalf of its 435,000 members.

It also wants the parties to back a second referendum on any Brexit deal.

In the letter, Maria Trewern, chair of council at the RCN, wrote: “As the debate across our membership has made clear, the implications of Brexit for the health and care system will be numerous.

“There are risks that, if not credibly addressed, may damage population health, as well as severely impact on our members’ ability to provide safe and effective care for their patients in both the short and the long term.”

The letter warned that Brexit could exacerbate ongoing problems in the NHS, such as workforce sustainability.

‘Informed choice’

The union also said that it could have particular implications for nursing staff providing care in areas that interface between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, along with threats to fair employment practices, workers’ rights and cross-border exchange of knowledge, research and skills.

The letter said the union is backing a second referendum on any final deal for Brexit to “give citizens the opportunity to make an informed choice and vote on decisions that will affect generations now and in the future”.

Content published and promoted by Willenhall Liberal Democrats all at 23 Lynwood Close, New Invention WV12 5BW

   Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>