WHISTON Hospital bosses have said it is “business as usual” as it prepares for the UK to exit the EU.

All NHS organisations are currently in emergency planning mode under instruction of the government, in the event the UK will leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement in place.

Board papers for St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have revealed that a regional emergency preparedness network and chain of command has also been established.

The report said the trust has completed all the actions required by the Department of Health and Social Care in relation to medical equipment and supplies, medicines and workforce.

Sue Redfern, the trust’s director of nursing, midwifery and governance, is the trust’s lead director for the trust’s Brexit preparations, as the director responsible for emergency preparedness, resilience and response.

An update on the trust’s Brexit preparations was provided to the board this week.

Nicola Bunce, the trust’s director of corporate services, said: “We’ve got structures in place that are required and there’s a number of requirements that are being asked of us in terms of looking at our suppliers, working with those.

“And we’ve done everything that we need to do and are being required to do to comply with the requirements.

“Again, it’s been widely reported we’re not meant to stockpile ourselves, we’ve got to work with the supply chain and everything else to make sure everything’s in place should there be a no-deal EU exit, which his very much up in the air.

“The message has been business as usual."

The UK is due to withdraw from the European Union on March 29.

This week Theresa May promised MPs a meaningful vote on her Brexit deal by March 12.

The Prime Minister also said that if her withdrawal agreement fails, a vote will take place the following day to see if there is a Parliamentary majority for a no-deal Brexit.

If that fails, she said MPs will get a vote by March 14 on whether to request an extension to delay EU withdrawal beyond March 29.