The UK left the European Union’s single market on 1 January 2021. A Withdrawal Agreement made special provision for Northern Ireland. However, ‘grace periods’ concerning supply of goods were agreed, delaying full application of the new rules. The Northern Ireland NHS is heavily reliant on supplies from Great Britain. If these supplies are disrupted, the quality of care offered to patients will diminish. This article shows the legal details of applicable law once the ‘grace periods’, which are currently securing supply, cease to apply. It reveals significant costs and uncertainties associated with supply of products to the NHS in Northern Ireland. The direction of travel, unless something changes, is that new products will reach patients later than in Great Britain, and there is a real possibility that some products become difficult or impossible for the NHS in Northern Ireland to source. The result will be reduced quality of patient care.

英国于 2021 年 1 月 1 日离开欧盟单一市场。脱欧协议对北爱尔兰作出了特殊规定。然而，就货物供应的“宽限期”达成一致，推迟了新规则的全面实施。北爱尔兰NHS严重依赖英国的供应。如果这些供应中断，为患者提供的护理质量将下降。本文展示了当前确保供应的“宽限期”不再适用时适用法律的法律细节。它揭示了与向NHS供应产品相关的重大成本和不确定性在北爱尔兰。除非有什么改变，否则新产品将晚于英国到达患者手中，而且北爱尔兰的NHS确实有可能难以或无法采购某些产品。结果将降低患者护理的质量。