Get you up to speed: NHS may face critical supply shortages due to Iran conflict, warns report
Sir Jim Mackey, head of the NHS in England, warns of imminent shortages in critical medical supplies due to impacts from the Iran war.
Sir Jim Mackey warned that the NHS could face critical shortages of medical supplies within days due to disruptions caused by the Iran war.
Sir Jim Mackey of the NHS has warned that critical medical supplies could run low within days due to ongoing disruptions from the Iran war.
What we know so far
The NHS faces an impending shortage of critical medical supplies due to disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran, warned the head of the health service in England, Sir Jim Mackey. He expressed serious concern over potential shortfalls of essential items such as syringes, masks, and surgical equipment, noting, “We are really worried.”
Deliveries have been significantly impacted by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, leading to delays or diversions in shipments. Sir Jim highlighted the NHS’s heavy reliance on imports, stating, “The UK imports 75% of its medicine.” He mentioned that a team is actively assessing risks within supply chains.
Currently, while there is enough supply for a limited period, urgent measures are necessary to avoid further complications. Sir Jim indicated that some products may only have days’ worth of stock available. The Independent Pharmacies Association reiterated concerns about various pressures exacerbating existing shortages.
Despite these warnings, a Government spokesperson stated that there are no reported medicine shortages linked to the ongoing conflict. They are actively monitoring the situation and maintaining processes to manage any potential disruptions in the medical supply chain.
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NHS could be ‘days away’ from running out of key supplies because of Iran war | News UK
The NHS is only days away from running out of some medical supplies because of the Iran war, the head of the health service in England has warned.
Sir Jim Mackey said ‘we are really worried’ about potential shortfalls in the number of critical supplies like syringes, masks and surgical equipment.
Deliveries have been affected by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with shipments either being held up completely or having to be diverted around the world.
Asked about what contingency planning is in place in the NHS because ‘the UK imports 75% of its medicine’, Sir Jim said: ‘We are really worried about this.
‘We’ve already had a couple of supply shocks in the last 12 to 18 months of key supplies.’
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He said there is a team in place to ‘focus on where the risks might be through the supply chains’.
Asked on the LBC phone-in how much supply there is, he replied: ‘It depends what you’re talking about.
‘In every area, we’ve got enough to get through for a reasonable period… so generally, a few weeks
‘Because things perish and it costs money to store and various other things go out of out of use, you can’t hold years and years of supply, generally dependent on the product we keep a reasonable period.
‘Some of that is held centrally, some held locally.’
Asked what was at risk, Sir Jim said: ‘Well, everything, honestly – everything’s at risk.’
Asked whether in some instances it would be ‘weeks’ worth of supply’, he replied: ‘Yeah, it could be days for some products.’
On Monday, the Independent Pharmacies Association said the UK was facing a ‘perfect storm of factors exacerbating medicine shortages’.
Chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck said: ‘The UK pharmacy sector depends heavily on imports, particularly from India and China, and ongoing pressures, from rising energy costs to constrained raw ingredients from the Middle East conflict, are already disrupting supply and risk worsening shortages without decisive action.’
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: ‘We’re not currently seeing shortages of medicine directly linked to the conflict in the Middle East, but pharmacies are seeing disturbing spikes in prices which can be an early indicator of challenges.
He added that ‘the supply chain is very international’ and said ‘we import a lot of medicines, but it’s an international system’.
‘The Department of Health have issued unprecedented numbers of price concessions designed to cope with price surges, which are likely exacerbated by this current situation.
‘The NHS has driven down the price of medicines over many years, which leaves the UK vulnerable in a global market and contributes to the rising problem of medicine shortages, which are a daily reality for many years for our members.
‘Pharmacies will always do everything they can to ensure patients get the medicines they need but they must do this in an increasingly competitive global market.
‘The Government needs to ensure both that physical supply routes are protected during this conflict but also ensure that the NHS is providing sufficient funding to ensure that Britain is not left behind in the international market at a time when both supply and demand for medicines are very challenging.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘There are currently no reported medicine shortages as a result of conflict in the Middle East.
‘We continue to monitor the situation closely for any impacts on the medical supply chain.
‘The department actively monitors emerging threats to supply resilience and has established processes in place to manage disruption across the health and social care sector.’