Arthritis: Health Services

(asked on 17th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to (a) ensure patient safety and (b) support pioneering medical research to tackle (i) rheumatoid arthritis and (ii) other inflammatory conditions in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 20th June 2019

The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. However, as a responsible Government, we must plan for every eventuality, including no deal.

We have been working closely with partners across the health and care system and industry to ensure the continued health and safety of patients, including ensuring supplies of medicines and medical products, and securing the future of our EU health and care workforce.

The Department has published EU Exit operational readiness guidance for the health and care system in England outlining actions that providers and commissioners of health and social care services should take to prepare for, and manage, the risks of a no deal exit scenario.

We continue to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the National Health Service and adult social care, and we are working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high-quality services on which the public relies following the UK’s exit from the EU.

The UK has an outstanding track record for research into rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. The Government invests over £1 billion in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This provides direct funding for health research and clinical trials and also the skills, facilities and infrastructure to undertake clinical trials in the health and care service funded by public, charity and industry funders.

In 2017/18, the NIHR provided £11.7 million funding for research on the inflammatory and immune system (this includes rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue diseases, autoimmune diseases, allergies and normal development and function of the immune system, as per the UK Clinical Research Collaboration Health Research Classification System, of which £1.2 million was for research on rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, the NIHR Clinical Research Network provides the support to deliver research by public, charity and industry funders in the health and care system.

The UK and the EU have a long record of jointly tackling global challenges, with strong existing links already in place between our research and innovation communities, and we want to continue this important collaboration in science, research and innovation, including in pioneering medical research for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

As a responsible Government, we are continuing to prepare for all scenarios. In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal at the end of this extension period, the Government has confirmed that the funding commitments made under the guarantee and the extension still stand. Through these commitments, the Government will underwrite funding for all successful competitive eligible UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before the end of the Programme. This guarantee will apply for the lifetime of projects and will provide funding for UK participation in pioneering Horizon 2020 medical research projects can continue.

Reticulating Splines