26
PRESCRIPTIONS
these products are
widely available from all
supermarkets…”
We know this is not
entirely true. Access to and
availability of gluten-free
food is a significant issue and
research published in the
British Medical Journal in
September 2015 concluded:
“There is good availability
of GF food in regular and
quality supermarkets
as well as online, but it
remains significantly
more expensive. Budget
supermarkets which
tend to be frequented
by patients from lower
socioeconomic classes stocked
no GF foods. This poor availability
and added cost is likely to impact on
adherence in deprived groups”. This
research supports one of our key
arguments – those most in need will
be left vulnerable.
The cost to the NHS
The cost of gluten-free food has been
the most important issue raised by the
NHS. Several CCGs have highlighted
that, in some cases, the price the
NHS pays for a gluten-free product
can be higher than the price of the
same product in the supermarket.
While this is true in some cases, in
others like for like products have not
been used for comparison.
While the NHS pays for the product
in the first instance, it does then
recoup some of the cost through
prescriptions charges.
Gluten-free food via NHS prescriptions
also means that products are available
in any community pharmacy around the
country, or delivered to the home for
those who need them.
Coeliac UK has been looking into
these issues and started by talking
to the British Specialist Nutrition
Association (BSNA), the trade
association that represents gluten-free
food manufacturers, to ask about cost
discrepancies. Following our discussion
BSNA issued a statement on costs
(see opposite).
L
osing a much needed
service is difficult for
many people, but
when some CCGs present their
proposals in a slightly misleading
way it can also be very frustrating.
Over the last year we have seen
a number of myths perpetuated
in order to make a case for
the restriction or removal
of gluten-free services and
it’s part of our campaign
to dispel these and put the
facts across.
Media misreporting
The Daily Mail reported in August 2015
that “£116m was spent on ‘gluten-free
junk food on prescription.’” In fact, the
total NHS expenditure on gluten-free
prescribing for the year in question was
£26.8m or £194.24 per patient. This
can only be considered a low cost NHS
treatment for a lifelong autoimmune
condition. The story also focused on
a handful of GPs, who had prescribed
off-list, ignoring the fact that the vast
majority of gluten-free foods prescribed
were staples.
The Daily Mail corrected their
errors in the end, but it took sustained
pressure from Coeliac UK, our Members
(see Member Jayne Walker’s role in this
on page 46) and our networks.
The correction was finally printed in
the paper in December which was a
real coup.
NHS misinformation
But it’s not just the media, the NHS
has also been tailoring its messages
on prescriptions. When consulting
on the continuation of gluten-free
food prescriptions last summer, NHS
Nottinghamshire said: “The NHS does
not provide food for any other patients,
such as people with diabetes, lactose
intolerant or those with allergies.”
Pitching patients against each other like
this is not the way to make decisions,
especially when the statement isn’t
factual. The NHS does provide food on
prescription to patients diagnosed with
Phenylketonuria, a condition that requires
a low protein diet in conjunction with
additional essential amino-acids.
We’ve also found inaccurate statements
on the issues of availability. When asking
for patient views NHS North Norfolk
CCG said: “[Gluten-free products] were
added to the list of products available
on prescription when they were not
easily available to buy locally. Today
“THIS POOR AVAILABILITY AND
ADDED COST IS LIKELY TO IMPACT ON
ADHERENCE IN DEPRIVED GROUPS.”
