Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting a pharmacy-led gluten free service in England, with annual health checks and collaboration between pharmacies, GPs and dieticians, in the context of (a) support for coeliac patients and (b) similar arrangements in Scotland.

We are aware of the Scottish Gluten-free Food Service, under which eligible patients can obtain gluten-free foods through community pharmacy and adults are offered an annual pharmacist health check. While health services are devolved and arrangements in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government, we continue to consider evidence and experiences from across the United Kingdom as part of wider policy development.

Community pharmacy in England is already playing an increasing clinical role, but any proposal for a new national pharmacy-led service would require careful assessment of clinical benefit, workforce implications, affordability, and interaction with existing care pathways. The Department will continue to keep relevant evidence and service models under review.