NHS trust suggests coeliac children use food banks after cancelling prescriptions to cut costs
NHS trust’s gluten-free changes labelled ‘cruel and risky’
- Healthcare leaders in Cheshire and Merseyside have decided to cease providing gluten-free food prescriptions for children with coeliac disease to cut costs.
- Doctors have labelled the decision as "cruel and risky," warning it will exacerbate health inequalities and lead to serious long-term health complications for affected children.
- The independent care board (ICB) initially discussed food banks or food pantries as an alternative for families, though they later stated this was not an "official mitigation."
- The prescription cuts, which affect around 2,300 people in the region, are set to end for children in November, following a six-month extension.
- Experts, including those from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, say that relying on food banks is a symptom of rising child poverty, and they cannot reliably meet specific nutritional needs.