Opinion: Brexit and its impact on healthcare - What is happening now?

Dr Layla McCay, director of international relations at the NHS Confederation, warns that Brexit “should not hinder” the collaboration between the UK and other European countries in the field of health research. After several decades of EU membership, UK and EU co-operation in many mutually beneficial areas is strong, underpinned by European legislation and infrastructure such as shared regulatory standards, databases and networks. We therefore need to keep a watchful eye on the unfolding Brexit process, which aims to move us further apart from alignment with the EU, in order to understand its impact and find ways to continue to achieve our shared priorities. A key question from a health perspective is how we can maintain the common benefits of continued collaboration in pan-European medical research.