Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for appointing a specialist allergy nurse and dietitian in each Integrated Care System area.

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of appointing a specialist allergy nurse and dietician in each integrated care system, in which integrated care boards make local decisions about how best to meet the needs of their populations, including for those with allergies.

Work is ongoing across Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, and patient representative groups to consider how allergy care and support could be improved. The Expert Advisory Group for Allergy, which was established in 2023, met again in early December and continues to bring all key stakeholders together to inform policymaking and identify priorities in relation to the care of people with allergies.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention met the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) and NHS England in December to discuss how allergy care and support could be improved, and to discuss the NARF’s calls for an allergy tsar who could act as a champion for people with allergies. The Department and NHS England are proactively considering the case for appointing a national lead for all allergy services.