NHS will get ‘unhindered’ supply of medicines in event of no-deal Brexit Health Secretary Matt Hancock said stocks will be unaffected “if everybody does what they need to do”.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there will continue to be an “unhindered” supply of medicines in the event of a no-deal Brexit “if everybody does what they need to do”.

Mr Hancock said there was no need for individual patients to stockpile drugs and warned that doing so would be “counterproductive” by making it more difficult to build up necessary stocks within the pharmaceutical industry.

The Health Secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are confident that in the event of a no-deal Brexit then, if everybody does what they need to do, we will have an unhindered supply of drugs.

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“I understand how worrying it must be if you need a drug and you worry about the supply. We’ve put in a huge amount of effort and some taxpayers’ money in order to make sure that, whatever comes out of these Brexit negotiations, people will be able to access their drugs.

“There’s 12,000 different drugs that are used in the UK to keep us safe and we have plans in place for the vast majority of those. For the very small number that we don’t yet, we are actively working and we will have those plans in place so people can get the drugs they need unhindered whatever the Brexit outcome.”

Last month, the Health Secretary claimed the UK had become the largest buyer of fridges in the world as the NHS stockpiles drugs to mitigate the risk of a disruption to supplies after 29 March.

Alternative routes

Plans have been drawn up for the use of alternative transport routes and prioritisation of medicines as part of contingency planning for a no-deal Brexit, pharmacists have been told by the NHS.

The government has been reviewing transport routes for all medicines “to maximise the ability for supply to continue unimpeded” after 29 March, according to a letter seen by the Guardian that was was sent out last week.

“In the event of a ‘no-deal’ scenario this additional transport capacity and prioritisation includes prescription-only medicines and pharmacy medicines, general sales list medicines and unlicensed medicines, including specials and investigational medicinal products used in clinical trials and vaccines,” the letter reads.

Mr Hancock said he will not vote for an amendment, tabled in the House of Commons by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Tory Nick Boles, which would provide for a delay to the UK’s departure from the EU.

Asked if he would back the Cooper amendment, he said: “No, because I don’t want to delay Brexit. I want it to happen, but I want it to happen with a deal. The thing is that Parliament needs to come together and approve a deal to stop no-deal Brexit, and so far that hasn’t happened.

“We need to get the support of Parliament behind the Prime Minister’s deal. That clearly also means that the Prime Minister needs to get some changes. The ratification of the original deal failed. We need to get some changes, we need to bring people on board, because that is clearly the best way of delivering the referendum result and avoiding no-deal.”