People in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland asked to join the conversation about gluten-free prescribing

The NHS is asking people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) to join a conversation about stopping gluten-free products on prescription.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB) has launched a six-week public consultation and is keen to understand the impact of the proposed changes on patients and their families before any decisions are made.

Patients diagnosed with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis are currently prescribed a maximum of eight units of gluten-free bread or flour per month. Prescriptions for gluten-free products are taken up by approximately 1,300 people across LLR.

The public consultation, which closes on Sunday 25 August 2024, will inform future decisions made by the NHS as to whether it should continue to prescribe gluten-free products.

The LLR ICB’s proposals are based on a number of factors, including the increased availability of gluten-free foods. In the past gluten-free foods were less easy to obtain, so they were made available from local pharmacies via prescription. However, with an increased awareness of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance, as well as a general trend towards eating less gluten, there is greater availability of these foods in many supermarkets and online. Improvements have also been made to food labelling so that it is easier to see whether ordinary foods are free from gluten.

Dr Nil Sanganee, Chief Medical Officer for the NHS LLR ICB, said “The ICB understand that a decision to stop prescribing gluten-free bread and flour on prescription will impact people in different ways, so it is really important that we consider the views of patients, families and clinicians, so that we are fully aware of the likely impact, before making a decision on how best to support patients.

“Whilst we recognise that gluten-free food is often more expensive than equivalent products containing gluten, unfortunately, the price paid by the NHS for gluten-free foods on prescription is much higher than the supermarket or online prices and this has been a factor in our proposal.

“It is also possible for people to eat a gluten-free diet without the need for any specialist dietary foods, by choosing foods that naturally contain gluten-free carbohydrates, such as rice and potatoes, as part of a healthy balanced diet.”

Across the country, a number of areas have already removed gluten-free food provision from prescriptions, including neighbouring ICBs in Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire.

People are encouraged to complete a short survey on-line sharing their views:  https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/be-involved/gluten-free-consultation/.

Paper copies of the questionnaire can also be requested by emailing: llricb-llr.beinvolved@nhs.net or by telephone: 0116 295 7532.

Following the consultation, all feedback received will be evaluated and analysed and a Report of Findings will be published on the LLR ICB website: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/be-involved/gluten-free-consultation/.