Allergy UK host parliamentary reception to launch the UK’s first National Allergy Strategy.

On Monday, Allergy UK hosted a groundbreaking parliamentary reception to launch the UK’s first National Allergy Strategy.

Attended by a coalition of charities, clinicians and patients, the audience heard speeches by our chief executive Simone Miles, as well as from Professor Adam Fox, chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group and from Jodie Gosling MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Allergy.

Our keynote speaker was a young member of the allergic community, Ella Stoneham, and the audience was silent as she shared her personal and moving story of living with allergies and the real cost of decades of policy neglect for allergic disease.

Finally, following her, Sharon Hodgson MP, the Minister for Public Health and Prevention in the Department of Health and Social Care, spoke about the government’s plans.

Our reception marked a historic moment for the millions of people living with allergic disease across the country.

With more than 200 attendees, including parliamentarians, clinicians, charity representatives, corporate partners and members of the allergic community, the room was alive with conversations.

The Strategy has been developed by the united allergic community, including the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI), Allergy UK, Anaphylaxis UK and The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the strategy provides a coordinated, four-nation response to decades of fragmented care.

It aims to deliver significant benefits to patients living with allergies, as well as the NHS and wider public services through prevention, early intervention and more efficient use of resources, reducing preventable harm and addressing health inequalities.

It has five strategic goals:  

• UK-wide leadership and governance
• Equitable access to quality healthcare
• Prevention Strategies
• Whole Society Awareness and Engagement
• World-Leading Research.

The Strategy also champions two crucial pieces of legislation: Benedict’s Law, which will provide statutory requirements for allergy management in schools, and Owen’s Law which will require written allergen information at the point of ordering across food outlets. 

For too long, despite the scale of the problem, too little has been done to develop solutions. This strategy focuses on system-level change, embedding allergy into national policy, strengthening safety in everyday environments and improving accountability across health, education, food and workplace settings. – Professor Adam Fox.

Looking ahead, the NASG believes that co-development and implementation of the Strategy is the most effective way to address the burden of allergic disease.
Allergy UK is proud to have played a central role in the launch of this vital strategy.

The Strategy can be read in full at www.nasguk.org