Bah Humbug! UK Scrapping Revered Gluten-Free Food Prescription Subsidy for Celiacs!
- Ciaran Fagan, uk.news.yahoo.com 1
A national charity has urged NHS bosses in Leicestershire to reconsider their “short-sighted” decision to scrap a scheme which provided gluten-free food on prescription to people living with a chronic autoimmune disease.
NHS managers approved the move last week, insisting they had struck a balance between the welfare of coeliac disease patients and the cost of providing them with gluten-free bread and flour.
However, Coeliac UK said the The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board’s decision to remove the £250,000 service at the end of January next year, would place patients, particularly those on low incomes, at risk. Gluten-free food, including bread and flour, was expensive and, sometimes, difficult to find in shops.
Coeliac UK said the disease affects approximately one in 100 people and its symptoms can include bloating, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea and tiredness. It said: “When a person with coeliac disease eats gluten, even a crumb, it can cause debilitating symptoms and in the long term can lead to development of associated conditions such as osteoporosis, neurological dysfunction, unexplained infertility, recurrent miscarriage and in rare cases even small bowel cancer.”
The group said treating such conditions would cost considerably more than the prescription service. Tristan Humphreys, head of advocacy at Coeliac UK said:
- “We are extremely disappointed that NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB has taken this decision. These changes remove a much-needed lifeline for those with coeliac disease at a time when the cost of living crisis is hitting people with coeliac disease particularly hard. Our own research has shown that those on a budget are paying on average six times as much for the cheapest loaf they need to stay healthy.”
Mr Humphreys said for those affected their problems would not be solved by simply “switching bread and flour for rice and potatoes”. He said: “Gluten-free substitute foods are important for both practical reasons and for their nutritional contribution to the diet.
- “Failure to support people with coeliac disease risks them developing serious long-term conditions down the line, the cost of which overshadows that of gluten-free prescriptions. There is a complete lack of mitigation from the ICB for those affected by the additional costs of this decision. We have grave concerns this decision will have a detrimental impact on the coeliac community across Leicestershire and Rutland, particularly those on low incomes. This decision flies in the face of the evidence and testimony provided as part of the public consultation process and places an additional financial burden on families and patients at the most challenging of times.”
Coeliac UK’s concerns were echoed by Dr Mohamed Shiha, gastroenterology registrar at University Hospitals of Leicester. Dr Shiha said: “As a clinician, I have seen first-hand how the increased cost of gluten-free foods profoundly impacts patients with coeliac disease.
- “For these people, a strict gluten-free diet is not a lifestyle choice but the necessary treatment for a serious autoimmune condition. By not supporting patients to maintain their gluten-free diet today, we risk paying a far higher price for treating associated conditions down the line. This is bad news for the NHS and devastating for the individual. It is therefore a real concern that the ICB is taking such a short-sighted and backwards step at the time of a cost of living crisis when patients need the support most”.
Dr Nil Sanganee, the ICB’s chief medical officer, said the decision to axe the prescriptions was “difficult”. He said: “The ICB fully appreciates the impact of any proposed change on people and their families. In reaching what is a very difficult decision regarding gluten-free products on prescription, we have carefully considered all the evidence from financial, clinical and patient perspectives.
“The ICB has to carefully consider health expenditure for all conditions, balancing it with clinical risk and patient needs. For coeliac disease, there is now a much wider range of specific gluten-free products available than previously, in addition to the wide variety of naturally gluten-free food including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, cheese and eggs. It is possible to eat a gluten-free diet without the need for any specialist dietary foods, simply by choosing naturally gluten-free carbohydrate containing food as part of a healthy balanced diet.”
People affected by the change will be contacted via their GP practice next month.
