Coeliac UK calls for improvements to gluten-free prescribing

May 19, 2016

Coeliac UK Chief Executive Sarah Sleet, Director of NHS Services Alastair Buxton, and Chair of the Clinical and Prescribing Committee of the BMA GPs Committee Dr Andrew Green jointly sent a letter to the Minister of State for Community and Social Care calling for improvements to gluten-free prescribing services in England.

The letter calls to attention the removal of gluten-free prescription services by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across England, and the impact this could have on the most vulnerable people with coeliac disease.

The proposed solution looks to the example set by NHS Scotland’s Gluten-free Food Service (GFFS), which uses community pharmacy to both consult with people with coeliac disease and provide them with gluten-free products. This type of service offers huge benefits to both patients and practitioners alike, freeing up GP time and offering valuable patient support in a community setting.

Coeliac UK, in association with British Medical Association (BMA) and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiation Committee (PSNC), hopes for the opportunity to outline the case for a similar centralised Gluten-free Food Service in England. We will keep our Members up to date with any developments. For more information about our campaigning activity, please visit our Campaigns and Research page.