BRIEFING: House of Commons second reading debate on the European Union (EU) Withdrawal Bill

The UK’s relationship with the EU has had and continues to have, a direct and indirect impact on our delivery of quality health and social care.

As the UK begins to negotiate its future relationship with the EU, the UK government must ensure that there is:

• prioritisation of safe staffing levels across health and care settings;
• confirmation that existing EU nurses and healthcare workers will retain their rights to stay throughout the withdrawal bill and be granted indefinite leave to remain; protection of existing rights of workers; and
• no dilution of health and safety regulations in the workplace.

At each stage of the EU Withdrawal Bill’s passage through Parliament, we will be calling on the UK government work together to ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in clinical innovation and healthcare by enabling health and care services to draw on the knowledge, skills and expertise from the international health sector after the UK withdraws from the EU.

For further information, please contact rachael.truswell@rcn.org.uk