NHS trusts could run out of medical supplies if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, a hospitals chief executive has warned.

Dr David Rosser, of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS foundation trust, said he could not envision any scenario whereby a no-deal Brexit does not significantly affect patient safety.

“In the event of a chaotic, no-deal exit, many NHS trusts could quickly run out of vital medical supplies,” Rosser wrote in a memo to the UHB board of directors last week. Even if there were central stockpiling, shortages would likely occur due to “unprecedented” distribution challenges, he added.

Britain is due to leave the EU on 29 March and MPs voted for Theresa May to return to Brussels to renegotiate parts of the withdrawal agreement on Tuesday evening.

In the memo, Rosser said: “In terms of the potential for major operational impact and severe and widespread risks to patient safety, by far the greatest concern is the availability of medicines, devices and clinical supplies.”

A significant proportion of the medicines used at UHB on a daily basis could be at risk, he added.

While the Department of Health and Social Care had identified potential supply shortcomings, these findings had not been shared with trusts, Rosser claimed.

The memo also raised concerns around staffing. UHB employs about 1,200 EU staff, of which 262 are doctors and 375 are nurses or midwives.

“While we have not seen large-scale departures so far, it is quite likely that an even more hostile public atmosphere towards Europe in the event of no deal, combined with a further fall in sterling against the euro and other currencies, would affect staff morale and potentially decisions to stay and work in the UK,” Rosser wrote.

“It is difficult to prepare detailed predictions or plans for such unpredictable concerns.”