The struggle to improve the health of the public is never-ending. As the pandemic has shown, there are always new threats that can emerge. Looking ahead, it is apparent to all but the most determined denialists that these threats will increase in scale and number, driven by the damage that we are doing to our planet. And those whose actions undermine health, such as the corporations trading in harmful commodities, the perpetrators of state and nonstate violence, and those who benefit from corruption and organised crime, have not gone away. Yet, mostly, those of us engaged in the struggle for ..read more

Leaving the EU will damage health in this country where it was suffering the most before the pandemic, and where covid-19 hit it hardest, says Martha McCarey The UK definitively left the European Union and its underlying frameworks on 31 December 2020, both parties having signed a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) charting out their future relationship. Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister announced that the UK had “taken back control of laws and our destiny…of every jot and tittle of our regulation.” Taking back control, however, comes at the cost of aggravating systemic public health is ..read more

Mark Dayan looks at the impact Brexit is having on the UK medicines, medical devices, and life sciences industries After almost 50 years as part of a European market, the UK medicines, medical devices, and life sciences industries were among the foremost in the world. This was highlighted recently as they rapidly identified treatments and a vaccine for covid-19. They have been a bright spot on the often bleak national picture of productivity. The NHS benefited from easy access to a large market, which was first in the queue for the latest innovations. By 2018, the ease of supply lines meant t ..read more

The message from British ministers is clear. 2020 may have been a terrible year, but that is behind us now. We can see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel as the NHS and its partners have initiated one of the largest vaccination efforts in recent history. Boris Johnson has delivered on his promise to “get Brexit done.” There may be a few bumps in the road, such as questions about vaccine supply, difficulties moving food across borders, and unhappy fishermen (although happier fish). We are reassured by ministers that these are no more than teething problems that will soon be resol ..read more

Public health workers, struggling with a new covid-19 variant, cannot be expected to deal with a chaotic end of the Brexit transition too As 2020 draws to a close, the United Kingdom faces a perfect storm. A new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has emerged with multiple mutations, several of which seem to increase the risk of transmission. This variant is now spreading rapidly from its apparent origins in the South East of England. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has conceded that it is now out of control and new Tier 4 measures are necessary to deal with this crisis. All of this is b ..read more

We risk having a deeper public health emergency in 2021 in the aftermath of Brexit and new trade deals, warn Richard Smith, David J Hunter, Paul Kingston, and Heather Lodge A potential “perfect storm” is on the horizon for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of obesity as a risk factor for poor health outcomes; raised concerns over people’s alcohol and dietary habits; and in England alone is likely to result in an estimated 59 204 to 63 229 additional years of life lost due to breast, oesophageal, colorectal, and lung cancers. Covid-19 is associated with ..read more

After nearly five years of negotiation, delay, and drama, there are now less than 100 days until the UK leaves the EU’s single market and Brexit becomes a reality for many areas of healthcare, social care, and science. With the deadline for extension now passed, these changes will wait for no pandemic. They will be felt primarily in the areas of supplies, workforce, and finances. Clog in the channel Leaving the EU customs union and single market will mean many checks and declarations are needed at currently frictionless borders, with a huge leap in overall bureaucracy involved in importing it ..read more

No one could have predicted the scale of the change we have all experienced as a society in recent months as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, and still the future looks very much uncertain. One thing that has remained steadfast throughout, however, has been our National Health Service. At the height of the pandemic, the NHS became a bastion for all that is good in our country and its workers were deservedly exalted as the heroes at the forefront of the battle. Yet, the preservation of our health service as we know it hangs in the balance. While the glare of the media and the health agenda h ..read more

Just like every other year, midnight on the 31st December 2020 will be a time of mixed emotions. Some will look back fondly on happy times, such as weddings, graduations, and holidays. Some will reminisce about the loved ones they have lost. This time, the latter will far outnumber the former. With a few exceptions, such as those who bought shares in Amazon in January, 2020 will be a year to forget. Hopefully, although it is still too early to be sure, 2021 will be much better. If we are lucky, covid-19 will be under control in large parts of the world, thanks to a combination of distancing m ..read more

In climate change, AIDS, tobacco control, and many other areas, the phenomenon of denialism is well established. To this list we can now add Brexit Word has it that the UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson wants the word “Brexit” to be consigned to the history books at 11pm on the 31st January 2020. He will have “got Brexit done,” allowing his government to move on to the measures needed to “make Britain great again” as the United Kingdom takes back control of its “laws, borders, money, and trade.”  The event will be commemorated by issuing a new 50 pence coin, identical to the 3 million manufa ..read more