3 Ways to Restore Patient Confidence in Healthcare Post-Brexit

Uncertainty around Brexit is worrying for both patients and healthcare providers. Daily articles warn of import delays, medicine shortages and further NHS disruptions. For example, research by Fahy et al (2017) looked at the possibly impact of a hard, soft or failed-Brexit on health services in the UK. With a hard Brexit looking ever more likely, they predict UK health-services are likely to be majorly negatively effected in areas of Workforce, Service delivery and Leadership. In addition, they predict moderate negative effects will be felt in areas of Finance and Medical products, vaccines, and technology. However, they do state some potential positive impacts, such as improved rules surrounding trade and workforce regulation. They conclude, “[Brexits] effects on health range from somewhat negative to very negative, with few opportunities”. Therefore, considering these findings, we provide 3 ways to restore patient confidence in healthcare post-Brexit.

3 ways to restore patient confidence post-Brexit:

1. Emphasise Planning. Recognise purchases surrounding healthcare are a high-risk extended decision-making problem. As a result, providing patients with information on the strategies in place to cope with uncertainty surrounding Brexit will mitigate against anxiety/worry. For example, you could provide data on of stock-pile longevity, pharmaceutical supplier guarantees, or staffing measures put in place to cope with any market irregularities.
2. Encourage Conversation. Patients will inevitably have questions/queries on how the healthcare they receive will be affected by Brexit. Therefore, providing a platform or forum for patients to engage in dialogue with their service provider will dismiss any feelings of neglect or worry. In short, assure your patient feels listened to and respected as an individual and not neglected or ignored. Read our article on patient value co-creation for more information.
3. Emphasise Positives. Although media report may not reflect this, the UK has the best healthcare system in the world. According to research by the commonwealth fund (2017) the UK ranked first when assessed across domains of care process, access, administrative efficiency, equity, and healthcare outcomes. Furthermore, Brexit may provide options to increase engagement with some of the fastest growing economies in the world.

For more info on the likely impact of Brexit on healthcare, click the links below:

• What are the implications for the UK healthcare industry post-Brexit?
• The impact of Brexit on the NHSW

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References:

Fahy, N., Hervey, T., Greer, S., Jarman, H., Stuckler, D., Galsworthy, M., and McKee, M. (2017). ‘How will Brexit affect health and health services in the UK? Evaluating three possible scenarios’. The Lancet, 390(10107), 2110–2118.

E. C. Schneider, D. O. Sarnak, D. Squires, A. Shah, and M. M. Doty, Mirror, Mirror 2017: International Comparison Reflects Flaws and Opportunities for Better U.S. Health Care, The Commonwealth Fund, July 2017.