Leicestershire NHS asks for thoughts about stopping prescription of gluten-free products

Patients diagnosed with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis are currently prescribed gluten-free bread or flour per month.

People in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) are being asked to have their say on stopping the prescription of gluten-free products.

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.

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.”

Approximately 1,300 people across LLR take up the prescription.

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.

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