2 February 2010

On 2 February 2010, Coeliac UK Ambassador Dr Chris Steele MBE visited Number 10 Downing Street to hand in a petition that we have been collecting signatures for since March 2009.

This petition, which was signed by 8,783 people, urges the Government to work harder to find the half a million people in the UK with undiagnosed coeliac disease. It aims to do this by pushing for the introduction of a target for diagnosis to be put into the GP contract.

For the past three years Dr Chris Steele MBE, who is ITV’s This Morning’s resident doctor, has been Ambassador for Coeliac UK. Ironically, he has also recently been diagnosed with the condition.

“I have supported the need to raise awareness of diagnosing coeliac disease for many years but never thought that I would be diagnosed myself! It is a condition often over looked and misdiagnosed by GPs, which has resulted in half a million people in the UK currently undiagnosed. Consequently, people are suffering unnecessarily for many years which can also lead to an increase risk of osteoporosis and bowel cancer,” said Dr Steele.

“There is also the possible increase cost to NHS caused through undiagnosis, by ongoing repeat visits by patients to their GP, and we also know of people having unnecessary operations such as gall bladder removal when a simple blood test could start the road to diagnosis; so I urge the Government to include a target for coeliac disease into the Quality and Outcomes Framework,” he added.

You can read about all of Dr Chris's recent activities on our 'People campaigning for you' page.