Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a public health campaign to raise awareness of coeliac disease and its symptoms.

We have made no assessment of the potential merits of assisting primary healthcare professionals to carry out clinical audits for coeliac disease, or the effectiveness of dietetic-led services across the country for people with coeliac disease. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including the diagnosis and ongoing management of coeliac disease.

In making commissioning decisions, we would expect ICBs to consider relevant guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the recognition, assessment, and management of coeliac disease [NG20]. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20

Whilst there are no current plans to instigate a public awareness campaign around coeliac disease, to help raise awareness, NICE promotes its guidance on coeliac disease, which includes information for the public via its website, newsletters, and other media.

Information for the public on coeliac disease is also published by the National Health Service and is available on the NHS.UK website.