Allergy Uk Impact Report

A message from our CEO,

No one should die from allergy. Yet we know that people are struggling day-to-day and tragically some are dying. We still have a long way to go to be able to say for sure that the UK takes allergy seriously.

Welcome to our Impact report for 2023. It has been a year of change, notably the organisation welcoming me as the new CEO. I have been at Allergy UK for 5 years and so delighted and excited to be honoured with this role and eager to continue the great leadership of the previous CEO Carla Jones. It would be fair to say that the year has been a challenging one with leadership change, a demanding fundraising landscape and a continued pressure on the services we provide for people affected by allergy. However, witnessing our amazing team work so hard to relentlessly achieve our priorities as set out in the Strategy for Change 2020–2025, has been humbling to experience.

Allergy UK has made great strides in providing support for people with allergies. The organisation’s dedicated Helpline team has been instrumental in offering essential information and a friendly ear to individuals living with allergies and their families. We have also made access to dietitians easier for parents of young children – filling the gap in NHS services and providing timely professional support. The organisation’s collaboration with healthcare professionals and other allergy charities has also helped to improve standards in education and healthcare for individuals with allergies.

There is no denying that our services which we provide are critical, but this has to be on the backdrop of key policy asks for long term change. The development of the Patient Charter was a pivotal action for the charity and has been the platform to have our voice and that of the allergic community with policymakers, to instigate change so allergy is taken seriously. We have engaged with key players such as the Department for Health and Social Care Department for Education and the Food Standards Agency to agitate impactful conversations for change in food labelling, improved awareness of the management of allergy in schools, and improved access to timely diagnosis in primary care.

We hope our efforts demonstrated Allergy UK’s determination to support, people just like Stephen, and raising awareness among the wider public, with the ultimate goal of preventing allergy-related fatalities and ensuring that allergies are taken seriously in the UK.

Another highlight for Allergy UK was to achieve The Patient Information Forum accreditation. This means that the information we develop and make available to the public can be understood and is 100% accurate. We cannot do this work alone. Allergy UK continues to work alongside its partners to advocate for the needs of people living with allergies. We still have much to do, but we come together with our partners to continue to fight for what people living with allergies need.

The organisation’s commitment to collaboration, community engagement, and support reflects our continued dedication to addressing the challenges faced by individuals living with allergies and advocating for change at both local and international level.

This report will highlight some of our great achievements which I hope demonstrates our commitment to serving our allergic community and raising awareness among the wider public. We could not do what we do without the support and generosity of all those who get involved, whether through volunteering, making donations, taking part in fundraising challenges and events, or through grants and sponsorship.

We thank you all for your continued support and for working with us to ensure that the UK takes allergy seriously. Your efforts mean Allergy UK can continue to make a difference on behalf of all UK people living with allergy.

Simone Miles, CEO