Mark Dayan, Policy Analyst at the Nuffield Trust, responds to the express freight service contract announced by the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver medicines and medical supplies into the country:
“Preparations to fly urgent medical supplies into the UK for a year after a no deal Brexit show the scale of disruption the Government is preparing for. In the circumstances, this new air service is a good idea. But the delays and extra paperwork that Brexit without an agreement will cause will still be there when the plane lands.
“There will be complicated new processes for customs and gaining permission to use these flights. Companies and suppliers will have to reroute all their supply lines overnight. Any teething problems that result will have a sharp impact on care as vital supplies that can’t last more than a few days become useless.”