Thank you for contacting me about support for people with allergies.
I agree that people living with allergies need access to appropriate, high quality care to help manage their conditions.
I note Allergy UK’s call for each Integrated Care Systems (ICS) to have a fully funded specialist allergy service with one specialist allergy nurse and one specialist dietician. The majority of allergy services are commissioned locally by ICSs, with specialist allergy services for patients with complex and severe allergies commissioned nationally by NHS England. There are resources available to support health care professionals in making referrals to specialist services, including guidance from the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The Government and NHS England continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the needs of people with allergies and how services could be improved. This includes patient and public voice membership in NHS England’s clinical reference group which provides clinical advice and leadership on specialised immunology and allergy services.
NHS England Specialised Commissioning is responsible for commissioning specialist allergy services, in line with the published service specification. This guidance sets out standard referral processes for services, as well as the response time and prioritisation targets. Regular review meetings take place between regional commissioning teams and providers to ensure compliance with service standards.
To help promote awareness of allergies, NICE has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions. NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters and other media. The Food Standards Agency also works to raise awareness of food hypersensitivity, and has carried out several campaigns aimed at supporting both people with food hypersensitivities and food businesses.
I welcomed the introduction of Natasha’s Law which came into force on 1 October 2021. All food retailers and operators are now legally required to display full ingredient and allergen information on every food item they sell pre-packed for direct sale. This will give the millions throughout the UK who are living with food allergies and intolerances better protection and more confidence in the food they buy.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.