21 June 2018

The CCGs are asking local people for their views and we are contacting you to make sure you have the chance to respond, and to let you know what we are doing to campaign against restrictions.

National consultation on gluten free prescribing

You may have heard that gluten free prescribing has been reviewed at a national level by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The Department announced their decision in February to retain access to gluten free bread and flour mixes on prescription.

We believe that the national recommendations to prescribe gluten free bread and flour mixes for all ages should be followed and are concerned by the decision by these CCGs to hold a local consultation when a national position has only recently been agreed.

Wiltshire CCG are proposing to restrict further than the national recommendations and have put forward two proposals:
•    End the prescribing of all gluten free foods in primary care
•    Restrict gluten free prescribing to bread and mixes only, for patients up to the age of 18 years

Currently across Nottinghamshire, there are different policies on prescribing. Nottingham City CCG currently follows national prescribing guidelines and the three South Nottinghamshire CCGs (Nottingham North and East CCG, Nottingham West and Rushcliffe CCG) allow four units of bread and flour to be prescribed each month. In the surrounding area, some CCGs have removed access to all gluten free foods on prescription.

To check which CCG area you live in, you can check our CCG map.

Whichever proposal is approved would apply across all four CCGs.

Have your say - NHS Wiltshire CCG

The consultation NHS Wiltshire CCG closes on Sunday 22 July and you can complete the online survey here.

If you would like to request a hard copy of the survey, or if you would prefer to share your view over the phone, please call the CCG on 01380 728 899. You can also send comments by email to communications.wiltshireccg@nhs.net.  

We would also encourage you to write to your local MP, we have a sample letter on our website which you can use, or please feel free to write your own letter explaining how the proposed changes would affect you.

Have your say - NHS Greater Nottingham Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG)

The consultation closes on Thursday 26 July and you can complete the online survey here.

You can also share your views by attending a drop in session, details of the county events and city events are available on the CCG’s website.

If you would like to request a hard copy of the survey, or if you would prefer to share your view over the phone, please call the CCG on 0115 883 9594. You can also send comments by email to nnestccg.pet@nhs.net.

Coeliac UK communication with the CCGs

We will be submitting a formal response in support of continuing access to gluten free food on prescription in line with the national guidance. Our arguments will focus on the importance of gluten free staples on prescription to support management and adherence to the gluten free diet in view of higher cost and limited availability. Research shows that gluten free staple foods are not readily available to purchase in budget supermarkets and convenience stores and that gluten free staple foods are 3-4 times more expensive than gluten containing equivalents. We will also be asking local healthcare professionals for their support.

Media

Norma McGough, Coeliac UK’s Director of Policy, Research and Campaigns was recently interviewed by BBC Radio Wiltshire about the consultation. The interview is available for the next few days here (starting at 1hour 4mins).

Become a case study

As part of our work in opposing prescription cuts, we are looking for people affected by these changes to act as case studies. This will enable us to give examples to the media of how this policy change would affect people with coeliac disease. To become a case study or to find out more about interview opportunities please call us on 0333 332 2033 or complete the online case study form.

We will provide updates as the situation progresses through direct mailings, Crossed Grain magazine and on our website.