Gluten-free prescriptions axed to save money

NHS bosses have voted to scrap gluten-free prescriptions in South Yorkshire in a move dieticians say will have a "inordinate impact on patients".

South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it had taken the "difficult decision" amid a "difficult financial climate" in order to help it deliver the "best possible value for money within the resources available".

Coeliac specialist Dr Nick Trott said it was the "wrong thing at the wrong time" and would deliver "very little saving".

Meanwhile Jody and her eight-year-old son Asher, who both have coeliac disease, said they were "very anxious" about the impact as shopping bills were already "sky high".

Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten, damaging your gut so your body cannot properly take in nutrients.

It can cause a range of symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.

The ICB's decision to axe all gluten-free prescriptions came after it had initially suggested it would retain them for under 18s.

Jody, from Barnsley, said her son was diagnosed with coeliac disease when he was just one.

"He deteriorated really fast," said the 43-year-old said.

"It started with constipation and then it just got worse to the point where we couldn't actually leave the house.

"He was in pain and we just got back from A and E when he projectile vomited."

She said after the diagnosis he was "like a different child".

The ICB said it had surveyed the price of bread in several supermarkets and found at the highest end Lidl's GF 480g white loaf was £2.99 compared to an 800g normal loaf for 49p.

Jody said her family would struggle as a result of the change, saying: "Prescriptions [have] saved us an absolute fortune, it makes a massive difference.

"Buying gluten-free bread in the supermarket is not cheap, we would have to cut corners elsewhere. The cost of living crisis is massive and taking prescriptions away from under 18s will be really detrimental."

A public consultation on the issue received more than 1,100 responses, with 63% calling for the prescribing guidelines to remain the same.

Dr Trott, who works at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital where they see 400 to 500 patients per year, said he was disappointed with the ICB's decision.

"This is purely a financial decision, but it's actually going to save less than 1% of the South Yorkshire budget," he said.

"It's going to have an inordinate impact on patients that have a significant disease. This is not a lifestyle choice and we have to take it seriously.

"It's a complete U-turn from the ICB's decision in March 2023 when the board said they were going to support gluten-free prescribing to improve equity.

"As a clinician working in this area, I don't understand what's changed in the intervening years, the diseases are the same. This is doing the wrong thing at the wrong time for the wrong group of patients for very little saving."

The ICB says the total spend on GF prescriptions for the year ending February 2025 across South Yorkshire was £443,847.

Chris Edwards, interim chief executive at NHS South Yorkshire, said: "The board has made the difficult decision to decommission gluten free bread and mixes prescribing, except for the most at risk of clinical harm by not adhering to a gluten free diet.

"We are assessing a range of services in relation to our organisational priorities, the needs of our citizens, clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and the provision of essential services.

"This decision has not been taken lightly, However, in a difficult financial climate we have a responsibility to balance the needs of all our communities and ensure that we are delivering the best possible value for money within the resources available."

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