Brexit poses a number of major challenges for healthcare collaboration between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned.

It recently held a special seminar on the challenges posed by the UK's decision to leave the EU. Those attending were told that Brexit poses an immediate challenge to how patients from the Republic can access health services in the UK, including Northern Ireland, and vice versa.

Over 570 patients from the Republic received high-tech treatment in the UK under the Treatment Abroad Scheme in 2016. And last year, 700 patients received care in Northern Ireland as part of the Cross Border Care Directive.

The seminar was told that these patients were able to access treatment in the UK based on shared membership of the EU, and this will need to be re-established when the UK leaves the EU.

"A new basis will have to be agreed to support ongoing and future collaboration in health services and ensuring timely and seamless access to care for patients in the border areas," the IMO said.

This would apply to things such as the Cooperation and Working Together (CAWT) partnership between health and social care services in Ireland and Northern Ireland. This has facilitated a number of successful collaborative projects in healthcare in the border regions, managing funding from the EU INTERREG Programme and the Special EU Programmes Body.

Other cross-border service level agreements exist as a result of collaboration and capital investment from both the Republic and Northern Ireland. These include radiation oncology services and emergency cardiology services at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, as well as the provision of all-island paediatric cardiac surgery services for children with congenital heart disease at Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin in Dublin.

"There has been increased sophistication in our cross-border health collaboration. It is vitally important that we remain vigilant during the Brexit negotiations and that this collaboration is not threatened," commented IMO GP committee member and Donegal coroner, Dr Denis McCauley.

Meanwhile, Brexit will also change the current basis for the mutual recognition of qualifications between Ireland and the UK. There are currently almost 3,200 doctors registered with the General Medical Council in the UK who received their primary medical degree in Ireland, and 742 doctors registered with the Medical Council in Ireland who received their primary medical degree in the UK.

Many Irish graduates complete their post-graduate training and/or spend a period of time in the UK before returning to Ireland. A bilateral agreement will now be required between Ireland and the UK to facilitate this.

Ireland will also need to become more competitive in attracting and retaining medical professionals, as the NHS will have a smaller pool of countries to recruit from.

Speaking at the seminar, MEP and vice president of the EU Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, warned that Brexit poses ‘significant risks to patients in Ireland and across the EU'.

"It is positive that both Ministers for Health in Ireland and Northern Ireland have expressed their wish to extend and further develop patient access to quality services on a cross border/all-island basis. And I have met many UK officials who want collaboration on healthcare to continue. But that willingness to continue as we are, will be challenged by the reality of the UK leaving the EU and the follow-on consequences'.

"There are risks to both formal and informal working relationships and arrangements which characterise cross-border health and social care activity in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Issues like diverging regulations could lead to shortages of medicines, and confusion over recognition of qualifications could hinder the continued free movement of doctors and other medical professionals," she said.

She added that overall, there is still ‘considerable uncertainty over the shape of the future EU/UK relationship' and this makes preparing for these challenges difficult.

"Now is the time to outline the challenges, inform the negotiators and put patient safety at the heart of our negotiations."

The IMO seminar took place in Dublin.