Brexit
We've carried out a Health Impact Assessment to better understand the potential implications of Brexit for future health and well-being in Wales.
It examines the potential effects of Brexit on the short, medium and long-term health of people living in Wales.
The report does not address the consequences of any specific Brexit outcome but considers both the potential harms and benefits that could be realised from any Brexit process. Moving away from existing European systems that underpin agriculture and investment in deprived regions of Wales provide opportunities to develop better, more sustainable food production and ensure children and adults living in poverty get adequate support to protect their health. However, this requires that the health of vulnerable individuals and communities is a central consideration in how Brexit is resolved. The report calls for the unique Welsh Well-Being of Future Generations legislation, that supports sustainable, equitable and long-term well-being, to be a key consideration in how Wales approaches Brexit and its on-going consequences.
The Health Impact Assessment also identifies health issues potentially affecting the whole population and include ensuring protection of, or strengthening in, public health regulations on tobacco, food, and alcohol and ensuring such protections are not diluted by changes in legislation, regulation or future trade agreements. Other broader health considerations included in the assessment consider the impact on health of:
- Reduced or delayed access to new medicines, clinical trials and devices due to the UK leaving key regulatory and coordinating bodies
- Reduced health protection capability due to the UK no longer participating in key public health coordinating systems and evidence sharing mechanisms
- Impacts on the recruitment and retention of workers in the health and social care sector in the UK and Wales
- Loss or reduced access to future EU funding for research and development, infrastructure, tackling inequalities and poverty and economic development
- Mental health and well-being impacts as a result of uncertainty about the future of the economy and employment.