17 August 2012

Coeliac UK is disappointed to hear that Dudley NHS has introduced a policy to restrict the amounts and type of gluten-free food available on prescription.

After receiving enquiries on our Helpline about difficulties accessing gluten-free foods, we followed this up by contacting Dudley NHS.

The Dudley NHS policy recommends that;

only bread, bread mix, flour, flour mix, bread rolls and pasta will prescribed
pizza bases will only be provided to adolescents and children below the age of 18
fresh breads will no longer be prescribed
adults over the age of 18 will be limited to a quantity of 10 units a month
children and adolescents will be able to access 18 units a month
Further information on their policy is available on the Dudley NHS website; http://www.dudley.nhs.uk/Formulary/Index.aspx?id=24

Coeliac UK believes that gluten-free staple foods, including fresh bread should remain available on prescription. We feel that the amounts recommended in national guidelines to be available on prescription should be treated as the norm. We are concerned that restrictions to staple items on prescription could result in a negative impact to those that are elderly or on low incomes.

Gluten-free foods sold in supermarkets can cost up to four times more than equivalents containing gluten. Research from King’s College London shows that if you rely on convenience stores or budget shops for your shopping it will be very hard to meet your needs: ‘budget supermarkets and corner shops had almost no gluten-free versions’.

The availability of gluten-free fresh bread on prescription has been a huge break through providing an important support to many people in following the diet. Since fresh bread does not need to be refreshed, it can successfully be used in packed lunches and often people prefer the taste to that of long life bread.

A key point of concern for NHS Trusts is the issue of additional charges being added to the cost of gluten-free fresh bread on prescription for transport and administration. We are pleased to see that there has been recent movement by manufacturers and a wholesaler to guarantee that such costs are not added on further down the supply chain. This means that the cost of gluten-free fresh and long life bread on prescription is comparable in price and there is no rationale to restrict.

We will be contacting Dudley NHS to raise our concerns and to make a strong case for alignment with the national guidelines.