The oldest and largest coeliac disease charity in the world, Coeliac UK, has slammed proposals by the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (IWCCG) to scrap gluten-free food prescriptions for patients.
As part of a review prioritising healthcare spending the IWCCG is currently consulting on proposals relating to its policy on gluten-free (GF) foods. The proposal is to cut back on GF food prescriptions for this year (2016-17) and then completely scrap them from April 2017.
Serious long term health complications
Coeliac UK believes any cuts to GF prescriptions will leave vulnerable coeliac disease patients without support, affecting their ability to stick to the gluten-free diet, which is the only treatment for the condition.
Gluten-free food staples, such as pasta, can be three to four times more expensive than comparable gluten-containing products.
Switching to foods such as rice and potatoes means patients will miss out on 10 to 20% of the most important nutrients such as protein, calcium and iron which can be found in bread.
Spending more per head
Chair of the CCG Governing Body, Dr John Rivers, argues that the Isle of Wight spends more per head than any other CCG in England on GF prescriptions for staple foods such as such as bread, pasta and pizza bases.
However, the charity say the potential serious long term health complications of not maintaining a GF diet include osteoporosis, infertility and, in some rare cases, small bowel cancer, conditions could cost the NHS a lot more in the long run.
Gluten-free staples are critical
The charity also goes on to refute the claim by Isle of Wight CCG, where in their consultation document it states:
‘There is a much wider choice of food and gluten-free alternatives are also widely available.’
Sarah Sleet, said:
“For someone medically diagnosed with coeliac disease there is no choice but to stick to a gluten-free diet, day in day out for life and so access to gluten-free staples is critical, and is not as easy as you might think. The expansion of Free From aisles in large supermarkets masks the reality of very patchy provision.
“In particular, small stores and budget supermarkets have little, if any, gluten-free staples. Additionally, high prices make such products unaffordable for some. Both these issues put those most in need at risk – those on a limited budget or with limited mobility.”
Cost a drop in the ocean
The cost to the CCG of providing the gluten-free food prescriptions is around £226,000 per annum, which some might argue is a ‘drop in the ocean’ and vital to avoid knock-on healthcare costs.
The charity go on to say,
“Having access to gluten-free staple foods on prescription provides an essential level of support to individuals trying to keep to the gluten-free diet which is the only treatment for coeliac disease.
“The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has calculated that the cost of gluten-free food to the NHS equates to £194.24 per diagnosed patient per year, making it an extremely low cost treatment. Last year Isle of Wight CCG spent £226,000 on prescribed gluten-free foods.”
Ms Sleet continued,
“Any reduction in the gluten-free prescription services for people with coeliac disease is being based on budgets rather than patient need or clinical evidence. The provision of gluten-free staple food on prescription is a vital element of the support offered to all patients by the NHS and it is essential to prevent long term damage to health.”
What is Coeliac disease?
This is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks healthy tissue in the small intestine in the presence of gluten leading to damage so the body can no longer absorb nutrients.
There is no cure for the condition and the only option is to avoid all food containing gluten.
Foods containing gluten include wheat, rye and barley products such as bread, pasta, many cereals, biscuits and cakes.
How the prescriptions work
The IW CCG currently commissions the Wightbread service to enable access to gluten-free products: this allows people to order a limited amount of gluten-free food each quarter, which can then collected from pharmacies across the Island.
Coeliac UK encourages all those that might be affected to complete the questionnaire so that their opinions are heard. The consultation is running until 21 October 2016. Take part online.
