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Friday, 21 July 2006 11:37 | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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A government review of services has found that people with allergies often feel let down by the NHS, and can wait months to see a specialist.
More than 20 million people in the UK are believed to be suffering from conditions caused by allergies and several million of them have become seriously ill.
The figures for the review were submitted by doctors who accused the Government of failing patients needing treatment for conditions such as hay fever, eczema and allergic asthma.
The Royal College of Physicians and the patient group Allergy UK led the criticism, pointing out there are only 33 allergy specialists in the country and GPs are not trained in diagnosing allergic causes of disease.
In a foreword, care services minister Ivan Lewis said there was a need "to remedy the shortage of specialist allergists".
"The review has heard that people with allergies often feel let down by a poor and frequently unobtainable service.
"For those living with an allergy severe enough to require specialist care, the lack of allergy services is a problem which can greatly affect their quality of life.
"Not-for-profit organisations help, through helplines and other information services, to fulfil an important need that is yet to be addressed by the NHS, but this is not enough.
"Some people can wait three to nine months for an appointment to see a consultant in secondary care”.
He said GPs should also be able to offer the information and guidance people needed to manage their allergies.
But Dr Pamela Ewan of the Royal College of Physicians, who helped compile a 2003 report on allergy services, said: "The Department of Health review has tried to address the issues, but their recommendations will hardly scratch the surface of the problem.
"This needs central direction and funding and cannot be left to devolved local systems.
"That has been the situation for the last decade, and patient care has not improved”.
She added: "Without funding, targets, and an increase in the number of doctors with expertise in allergy, we will be going backwards”.
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