Coeliac UK fundamentally opposes the complete removal of access to gluten free food on prescription

Coeliac UK has published their response to the Department of Health's Consultation on the availability of gluten-free foods on prescription.

Coeliac UK welcomes the NHS consultation which offers the chance of a national approach to providing gluten free foods on prescription, in contrast to the postcode lottery facing patients across England today, but fundamentally opposes the complete removal of access to gluten-free foods on prescription.

Chief executive of Coeliac UK Sarah Sleet said: “There is an economic case for retaining access to gluten free prescribing in primary care. National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Health Economic analysis estimates the basic cost of gluten free food on prescription is £194.24 per patient per year [1]. By contrast, treatment of an osteoporotic hip fracture costs on average £27,000 [2] – the equivalent to 138 years of prescribing gluten free staples for an individual. Given around 40% of adults with coeliac disease have osteoporosis or osteopenia at diagnosis there is a real risk that short term savings will result in long term expense.”

You can read the press release here.

The charity’s full response to the consultation can be read here.

The deadline for the government’s open consultation is midday on 22 June.

[1] NICE, NG20 Coeliac disease; recognition, assessment and management Appendix G HE Report. 2015.[2] NICE, Clinical Guideline CG124: The management of hip fractures in adults. 2011.