Natasha Allergy Research Foundation calls on Government to appoint Allergy Tsar
Around 20 million people in the UK are living with allergic disease, yet allergy care still lacks national leadership. Currently, no single person has overall responsibility for allergy care across Government or the NHS.
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation is calling for the appointment of a national Allergy Tsar, a dedicated leader to drive change and ensure allergy care is no longer ignored by the people who are making decisions about our health.
Shanté Turay-Thomas, the daughter of Emma, died following a severe allergic reaction to eating a hazelnut. Shanté was just 18-years-old. As mothers, they have come together for change so that their tragedies never happen again.
The charity believes appointing an Allergy Tsar would lead a rapid review of NHS allergy services and data, identify gaps in care, and suggest improvements to better protect people living with allergies.
Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, who were appointed as The School Food People ambassadors last year, said: “We know this all too well the difficulties people with allergies face. Our daughter’s death was entirely preventable. Natasha died aged 15, after a severe allergic reaction to a baguette bought at Heathrow Airport.
“Sesame seeds were baked into the dough and not declared on the food label, leaving her without the information she needed to stay safe. No family should ever have to experience this. It is why we have dedicated our lives to making change, so that other allergy families do not have to endure the same heartbreak.”
The campaign calls for an Allergy Tsar to:
- Act as a public champion to tackle the allergy epidemic now.
- Advocate for an increase to the number of specialist allergy clinics, as part of both children and adult services – one in every part of the country.
- Work with Government to achieve mandatory reporting of all anaphylaxis events presenting to hospital, to support comprehensive investigation of fatal and near-fatal anaphylaxis events.
- Work with stakeholders to better align primary care and hospital allergy services so that patients have a coherent NHS care pathway.
- Advocate for more specialist allergy doctors and consultants, and mandatory training in allergies for all GPs.
If you are interested in signing the petition, visit here.