31 August 2016

We’re thrilled to announce the publication of an innovative new approach using community pharmacies to assist in finding people with undiagnosed coeliac disease.

The pilot study indicates that community pharmacies could be used to speed up recognition and boost low diagnosis rates if adopted by the NHS. By targeting those suffering with the most common symptoms of coeliac disease for testing, the scheme could have the potential to reach people earlier and also reduce the number, and therefore, the cost of repeat GP appointments.

The proof of concept project was funded by Coeliac UK and supported by Tillotts Pharma Ltd., Rowlands, Jhoots, Cranston Pharmacy and Pinnacle Health Partnership LLP. Project managed by the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) and published in the August 2016 edition of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, the project investigated the use of 15 community pharmacies for targeting people with coeliac disease.

Over a period of 6 months, people accessing medicines used for treating IBS, diarrhoea and other gastro-intestinal problems and anaemias were offered a free point of care test to check for antibodies produced in coeliac disease. Of the 551 people tested, 9.4 % were given a positive result, potentially indicating coeliac disease as the cause of their symptoms.

Of 43 customers who returned the satisfaction survey, all would recommend the service to others, believing the community pharmacy to be a suitable location for testing for coeliac disease. Community pharmacists believed that it enabled them to improve relationships with their customers and that medical practices were receptive to the service.

The study has proved to be a successful part of the Is it coeliac disease? campaign, identifying a potential method of reaching the estimated half a million people in the UK with undiagnosed coeliac disease. For more information about the campaign, visit www.isitcoeliacdisease.org.uk, and read more about the study in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. Our press release can be viewed in our media centre.