A WAREHOUSE in South East Wales has been acquired by the Welsh Government to provide space in which to stockpile medical supplies and food in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The site, which will house items such as syringes and sharps boxes as well as non-perishable food items, is well on the way to being filled in preparation for ongoing uncertainty over the UK’s future with the EU.

Vaughan Gething AM, Minister for Health and Social Services, said in a statement: “I am pleased to announce the acquisition of a warehouse in South East Wales to provide additional storage capacity for medical devices and clinical consumables to ensure there is a continuity of supply for Wales.

“These are key products which could be impacted by potential changes to trading relations with the EU, if for example there should be a restricted flow of goods into the UK through border ports.

“The facility will enable the stocking of more health items, and the stocking of at-risk categories of social care items, meaning our dependency on external supply chains is decreased and our resilience is increased.”

South Wales Argus: Mark RoscrowMark Roscrow

Mark Roscrow, Director of Procurement Services, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, was present at the opening of the facility. He said that the majority of the items being stored in the warehouse were EU country of origin items.

“It’s been a huge challenge for us,” he said.

“Before you could put anything in here, the infrastructure had to be put in place.

“The stock has been brought in over the last two months, close to £4m worth with another half a million pound’s worth waiting to come in.”

Mr Roscrow went on to say that alongside stockpiles already in place at hospitals and other stores in the area, the overall medical stockpile could last the region around four months. However, he stressed that considerable risk-assessment and contingencies were in place to avoid having to rely solely on the site.