We receive no government funding, our existence depends on membership, fundraising, such as the postponed London Marathon, and commercial income through food safety schemes, advertising and sponsorship, which are all at risk as businesses try and weather the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.

England

In order to access further support, including access to priority online delivery slots, you can register yourself on the government database. This is the database of people on the shield list and is being shared with UK supermarkets to help them assign priority slots. If you are not registered on this list your information will not be shared with supermarkets and they will not be able to support you.

Once you are registered on this list you also qualify for a food parcel. If you only need access to an online delivery slot and do not require a food parcel you can choose not to accept it when it arrives so that it can be given to someone else. Whilst you will be asked if you have a dietary requirement there is no guarantee that your food parcel will contain gluten free foods.

Northern Ireland

A helpline has been set up to help to those in vulnerable groups to access information and guidance. The helpline 0808 802 0020 is operating Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

There is support with a food box for those who are not able to leave the home and do not have a support network to help them access food. You can contact the COVID-19 community helpline who will talk to you about your situation to see if you are able to access a food box. Your details will then be passes to partners in the Health Trusts and/or local Councils who will contact you to confirm what support they can offer you.  

These food boxes will contain mainly non-perishable goods. At the moment there is no option to account for dietary requirements so you might receive products that contain gluten, please make sure you check the ingredients.

Telephone 0808 802 0020, email covid19@adviceni.net or text: ACTION to 81025 to access further information.

Scotland

A helpline has been set up to help provide essential assistance to those who don’t have a network of support. The helpline 0800 111 4000 is operating Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and you connected to services to help you access food. Your contact details will be shared with your local authority so they can support you during this time.

If you are at higher risk of severe illness and need support with shielding you can contact your local authorities shielding support line.

Once you have been registered as needing further support you will be asked to sign up to the SMS shielding service. Please make sure you do this, further information can be found here.

Wales

The first thing you should do is contact your GP to check if you need to be identified as needing to ‘shield, if they have done this already then you will receive a letter from the practice.

GP’s in Wales have been provided with the list of those who’ve been sent shielding letter to check against their know patients. If you have not be identified on the shielding list but your GP believes you are high risk they will make sure you are identified, please make sure you discuss your personal circumstance with your GP. People in Wales are not being asked to register as vulnerable which is different to the arrangements in England.

If you are not within the shielding group and are vulnerable and struggling to access food you should contact your local authority straight away. There is also further support from Third Sector Support Wales.

Unfortunately there is no guarantee that you will receive gluten free foods in your food parcel. As the scheme is being run differently in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the best thing for you to do is contact your local authority to inform them that you are unable to use gluten containing foods in your food parcel.

England

If your child is normally eligible for free school meals the government have released guidance on what schools should do to support continued access to free school meals if the pupil is not attending school. As the provision of school meals varies there are different approaches in place so make sure you speak with your school to see how they are able to support your children at this time. Some might be able to provide meals or food parcels through their meal provider or if this is not possible there is a national voucher scheme which has been set up by the Department for Education through a supplier called Edenred, to provide supermarket vouchers. Your school will order these vouchers to the value of £15 each week for children that are eligible for free school meals and who are not attending school. Please check with you school how they are offering free school meals.

Northern Ireland

If your child is normally eligible for free school meals the Minister for Education and Minister for Communities has agreed to make payment to families who have been assessed as eligible for free school meals. You will need to make sure that the Education Authority (EA) has your most up to date bank details, details on how to do this can be found here. The payment is worth £27 per fortnight which equates to £2.70 per meal.

Scotland

If you child is normally eligible for free school meals local councils are making sure that these free meals are supplied while schools are closed. You will need to contact your local council to find out how this works in your area. 

Wales

If your child is normally eligible for free school meals the government have released guidance on what schools should do to support continued access to free school meals if the pupil is not attending school. There are several suggested options on how schools can provide meals at this time. A voucher scheme has been established so that schools or local authorities can purchase gift cards or e-vouchers from local supermarkets or shops. The value of the vouchers is £3.90 per child, per day and it is recommended they are issued on a weekly basis. Another way food items might be provided is thorough delivery of food parcels for those in more remote area and do not have a local supermarket they can access. Another option is to transfer funds to the bank accounts of families eligible for free school meals. Please check with your school ow they are providing support at this time.

It is noted within the guidance that special diets or allergies are catered for so do make sure you discuss this with your school.

Our new app combines both of our old apps into one. This means that going forward our members now only need to download one app. The new app will provide a better, more integrated experience for our members and will receive many new features and developments over the coming months.  

There isn’t evidence that people with coeliac disease are more at risk of viral infections. As coronavirus is a new virus, we don’t have any research specifically looking at the impact for people with coeliac disease, including people with coeliac disease and hyposplenism. The risk of infection due to coronavirus is likely to be no different to the general population. 

Infection with the influenza (flu) virus can lead to additional complications which include bacterial pneumonia. Patients with coeliac disease are at a slightly increased risk of catching bacterial pneumonia. Therefore, vaccinating people with coeliac disease against influenza is not due to an increased risk of acquiring the viral infection itself, but an increased risk of having more severe disease complications if they were to get it.

So even though there doesn’t seem to be an increased risk of viral infections, in my local area we decided to offer everyone with coeliac disease vaccination against flu (a virus) as it seemed a sensible thing to do as so many other groups are offered it. The flu vaccine is given to lots of people with health conditions and we didn’t want to exclude people with coeliac disease from having the vaccination. Having this vaccination does not in itself mean you are in an ‘at risk’ group.

Hyposplenism relates to reduced (not a total loss of) function of the spleen to do its job. The figure used for adults with coeliac disease and hyposplenism is around 30%. This is the figure that is referred to by Public Health England in their guidelines on vaccination. The risk of hyposplenism in adults is low and probably relates to the number of years over which their condition went undiagnosed before treatment. There is good evidence to suggest that impaired spleen function is at least partially reversible by following a good gluten free diet – which is the best advice to follow at this time (and always!).

Naturally gluten free foods include meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, rice, potatoes and lentils, but there are many gluten free versions of foods like bread, flour, pasta and cake, so your child doesn’t have to miss out on their favourite foods. Learn more about the gluten free diet.