With the Brexit date of 31 October fast approaching, the current political situation in the UK remains uncertain and unpredictable, with a ‘no-deal’ scenario being a real possibility.
DMU is doing all we can to mitigate and reduce the impact of this outcome on university life and the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. This means we are acting on and sharing any government directives, advice and guidance that affect home and EU students.
With this in mind, we’d like to share an update on what the government is advising as far as obtaining medicines is concerned in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In addition, we’d like to clarify how EU students can continue to access healthcare in the UK if no agreement is reached.
Ordering your medicines
The government has stated it is working with the NHS and suppliers to help ensure medicines and medical products continue to be available. Contingency measures include the building up of extra supplies, the purchase of extra space on ferries for rapid importing of supplies and close working with medical suppliers.
As a result of these measures, the government is instructing all citizens to keep ordering repeat prescriptions as normal and not to ask for more than you need, as this could put pressure on availability of medicines for other people.
The government has stated that the NHS has tried-and-tested ways of making sure you get your medicine if there is a temporary disruption in the supply. If your medicine is temporarily unavailable, the NHS will work with you to prescribe the best alternative.
If you have concerns about this, you should speak to your GP or a pharmacist.
Further information about the implications a no-deal Brexit may have on medicines can be found here.
EU nationals’ access to UK healthcare
EU students studying in the UK can continue to use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) to access free NHS healthcare if they have begun a course of education or training in England before the UK leaves the EU. This will apply until the end of your course, even if it finishes after exit day.
However, for any students starting their education or training in England after the UK leaves the EU, their EHIC may not be valid. The government is instructing that these students should buy insurance to cover their healthcare, as they would if visiting another non-EU country.
For more information on how EU students can continue to get healthcare in England following a no-deal exit, please click here.
If you have any concerns at all on any of the above, then please contact the relevant teams below:
Posted on Tuesday 8 October 2019