A National Strategy to tackle Allergy
United we will tackle allergy
Millions of people in the UK have some form of allergy and hundreds of thousands have one severe enough to endanger their lives. Hospital admissions for severe allergic reactions have increased by a staggering 615%* in the past twenty years. 29.5 million UK adults have at least one allergy and 48%** live with more than one. The percentage of children diagnosed with allergic rhinitis or eczema has trebled over the last 30 years.
Allergy isn’t going to go away and there are significant gaps in the way in which the NHS responds to the needs of patients. The National Allergy Strategy Group was established in 2002 to address the need for better NHS allergy services but is now stepping up to address this much wider growing challenge with a united voice from the whole allergy community.
The National Allergy Strategy Group brings together an alliance of professional allergy voices from the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Allergy UK, Anaphylaxis UK and the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. Between them, they bring over 145 years of allergy research and patient experience to the table and are ideally placed to affect future policy, education and patient pathways.
A key focus of the NASG is the UK National Allergy Strategy 2025-2035 which was launched in late 2024. This is the largest project of its kind relating to Allergy undertaken in the UK, bringing together hundreds of experts together with patients and their families. It will outline key projects and areas of focus to be prioritised to challenge the unmet needs of the UK allergic community with the aim of improving health outcomes and quality of life.
“Working with a common purpose helps us to define the change we wish to make and to take clear, measurable steps towards achieving this”, says Professor Adam Fox, NASG Chair. “Our mission is to come together as a united front to tackle allergy together with hundreds of experts across the UK who are actively involved in developing the first UK comprehensive plan. Over the next 6 months we will be working to produce the UK National Allergy Strategy and sharing this with everyone”.
Areas of focus will include improving GP education and training and increasing the number of specialists to enhance patient pathways within the NHS and result in a higher standard of care for allergy sufferers. The recent NHS: Patients with Allergies parliamentary debate in December 2024*** revealed the scale of the gaps in NHS training but also, encouragingly, it was announced that from 1st August 2025, the GP Curriculum will be updated to include doctor training on how accelerating and largely man-made climate change is exacerbating respiratory health and allergy.
Commenting on the new GP training guidance, BSACI President, Dr Robin Gore said, “This is an exciting example of what can be achieved when we come together and influence change in the key areas that will make a real difference to patient’s lives”.
The same debate heard that more than 50 young people have died in less than a decade due to severe allergic reactions to food or drinks bought in public eateries, shops or schools. These avoidable deaths highlight the vital need for stricter allergen management procedures in food retail and is another of the NASG’s core focuses.
The Group’s focus on education will also expand to include public awareness campaigns as well as targeted guidelines for schools and other educational departments to assist them in managing the healthcare needs of allergic students.
The National Allergy Strategy will bring together respiratory health research and this evidence-based data will be used as a strong foundation for political advocacy and future policy advice as well as highlighting areas of research that need attention.
“With a clear purpose and a united voice to lead the campaign”, says Professor Pamela Ewan CBE, co-founder of NASG and Consultant Allergist, “the National Allergy Strategy is taking the first step in developing a highly targeted programme to make a real difference to the lives of adults and children in the UK living with allergy.
Editor’s notes:
** https://www.allergyuk.org/about-allergy/statistics-and-figures/
For further information please contact:
Pauline Kent of Satellite Health: 01603 978030 or email [email protected]
The full release including the partners involved can be found here.