Expanding Allergy Care: The Case for Specialist Nurses and Dietitians in Every ICS 

We continue to make progress in our call for a Specialist Allergy Nurse and Dietitian in each Integrated Care System, with some recent developments we feel are important to share with our clinical colleagues.  

Parliamentary Debate on Allergy Care

In December 2024, the House of Lords held an important debate which focused on the critical need for timely and comprehensive allergy care. Several Peers were vocal in their support for Allergy UK’s call to introduce specialist allergy nurses and dietitians at primary care level, citing the positive outcomes from a pilot of this approach such as ease of access, improved waiting times and adherence to allergy management plans. The debate also addressed the merits of appointing an Allergy Tsar. 

Allergy UK’s calls for the introduction of a specialist allergy nurse and allergy dietitian in each area were formed following a three-year pilot of this approach. The results were overwhelmingly positive with key results noted below 

Reduced Wait Times

Patients waited just 4-8 weeks for appointments, a significant improvement compared to common 6-18 month waits for NHS allergy specialists. This reduction in waiting times not only enhanced patient access but also reduced anxiety associated with delayed care.   

Reduced Secondary Care Referrals

Of the patients seen, only 5% required secondary care referrals. Referring healthcare professionals reported that 90% of patients would have been referred to secondary care if the nurse-led clinic had not been available, underscoring the effectiveness of the primary care clinic model.  

Patient and Professional Satisfaction

92% of patients adhered to their prescribed treatment plans, reflecting the model’s effectiveness and accessibility, while 82% reported improvements in their allergic conditions. GPs praised the model for its ability to reduce patient anxiety, improve outcomes and ease pressure on secondary care services, with 87% of GPs supporting the integration of specialist allergy roles into primary care.  

For further details and evidence from our nurse-led pilot, see the full report here .

Allergy UK’s proposal for each ICS to adopt this approach will eliminate the existing postcode lottery for allergy care that has been created by a paucity of specialist allergy services in some parts of the country. It also makes access to allergy care equitable, irrespective of anyone’s socio-economic status. Importantly, it is deliverable through the upskilling of an existing workforce. With the BSACI published guidelines for the GP with extended role in allergy, there is a framework outlining essential competencies to ensure any healthcare practitioners who wish to specialise in allergy care, are equipped with the skills and knowledge required to effectively support patients with allergic conditions.  

With both calls now really gaining traction with policy makers, it’s more important than ever for the allergy community to unite behind the solutions that are being proposed as part of the National Health Service 10-year strategy. A sizeable demonstration of support adds weight to calls and mobilises action from policy makers.   

If you want to see changes to the way the healthcare system supports people living with allergies, please lend your support to our campaign.   

You can do this by  

• Pledging your support for our policy call 
• Writing to Your ICS Representatives to directly advocate for specialist allergy nurses and dietitians to be included in every Integrated Care System, as a way of ensuring equitable access to high-quality allergy care.  
• Apply for an extended role in allergy; a ready-made workforce will make it harder for policy makers to use the lack of a labour force within the NHS as a reason to not explore this patient-centric solution.    

The growing political recognition of allergy care issues provides a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change. We urge healthcare professionals, policymakers and advocates to support our call for specialist allergy nurses and dietitians in every ICS – ensuring that quality allergy care is accessible to all.  

Together, we can create a future where no patient is left without the allergy care they need.