Minister counters royal college claims about NHS allergy services
BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7457.72-b (Published 08 July 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:72
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Responding to calls for an improvement to the UK's allergy services,
Dr Stephen Ladyman, a minister at the Department of Health, states that
"on the evidence we have, the service is coping."
Our organisation, a national charity which represents people at risk
of anaphylaxis, has provided the Department of Health with an abundance of
evidence that many allergy patients are receiving an appalling service.
Parents of anaphylactic children (for example, those with life-threatening
food allergy) are often left floundering when they try to access care for
their children. In desperation, many of them turn to patient support
organisations for help. We are in the front line, and see their anxiety at
first hand.
Living with a severe allergy places an extremely heavy burden on the
families affected. Those who shoulder this burden every day of their lives
will be incensed by Dr Ladyman's casual assessment of the situation.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
So Stephen Ladyman, a health minister, believes the NHS is coping
with allergy? Our local large district general hospital copes by not
having a service. No service, no waiting list, no problem.
Competing interests:
I work in an nhs allergy clinic 30 miles from my home as there is no local service
Competing interests: No competing interests
Let them eat sesame!
What planet is Dr Ladyman on? It is clearly nonsense to say that the
NHS is "coping" with allergy control. In addition to the totally
inadequate allergy services, there is the question of patient information,
which is often inadequate and sometimes incorrect.
It has long been known in medical circles that infants who are
exposed to sesame run the risk of becoming allergic to it.
In the light of this, I find it astonishing that in the current NHS
Birth to five book [2004 edition], which is given free to all first-time
mothers in England, hummus - a sesame product - is recommended for
inclusion in the diet of infants:[page 67, More foods to try].
Because of the frequency and severity of allergic reactions to
sesame, sesame seeds have been included on a European list of allergens
known to cause severe allergic reactions.
Talk about "coping", the gap between what is known about sesame
allergy and what filters through to the ministers at the Department of
Health, let alone the general public, is extremely disturbing.
Preventing allergy is much easier than treating it.
Anyone interested in sesame allergy should read my articles.
Maggie Spirito Perkins
Perkins MS Sesame allergy is also a problem BMJ 1996:313:300
Perkins MS Sesame Allergy,A review.Pharm J 1998:260:678-9.
Perkins MS Raising Awareness of Sesame Allergy. Pharm J 2001:260:757-758.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests