A no deal Brexit could place up to a £500 million a year added strain on the NHS, health bosses have warned.

A report backed by the NHS Confederation suggests that tens of thousands of British pensioners living in Europe could be forced to return home if the Government is unable to strike a deal with the EU to continue existing healthcare arrangements.

It warns that patients could suffer dramatically if reciprocal rights to healthcare were scrapped because they could face huge medical bills if they fall ill while travelling abroad while the cost of travel insurance could prove prohibitive for people with existing conditions.

Brussels and the UK are currently negotiating on what will happen to those rights after Britain’s point of withdrawal in March 2019.

A report compiled by the Brexit Health Alliance suggests a no agreement outcome would potentially put the future of some 190,000 UK pensioners living in the EU at risk.