"Gluten free food"

Dear Ginty Coeliac,

This is a very interesting question. I have a close friend who is also gluten intolerant and I think she too experiences this. I can only ask the question and come back to you. It may take me a while as I will not be at my desk for nearly 2 weeks starting on Wednesday pm this week).

Thank you for your question, I will try to get the answer for you.

best wishes,

Eunice

Dear Ginty Coeliac,

I thought it would be useful to understand the big picture regarding Gluten free items in Ayrshire and Arran so please forgive the large amount of information below. At the bottom, there are some choices.

Gluten free (GF) food in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran Hospitals

We are required to use National Procurement contracted suppliers for the maximum amount of goods purchased and have been obtaining Gluten Free food items from those companies, unless if it’s very small numbers of specialised items (I.e. the bill is less than £20),in which case we need to go to Supermarkets.

We have some challenges trying to get other suppliers onto NHS systems. However, The Catering Managers will have a look at the supplier suggested to establish if they can supply into the hospitals. The process requires that we need Environmental Health inspection records for the premises and then inspect them ourselves. Issues we may encounter are: The supplier may be unable to deliver to the various sites, our required volumes may be too small, getting them onto supplier customers list, suppliers getting onto our systems and getting the supplier paid.

(Janice Gillan, Head of Clinical Support Services – East, Department of Corporate Support Services)

Gluten free(GF) food in the community via Pharmacy/prescription

The GF Formulary used in NHS Ayrshire and Arran guides both GPs and community pharmacists and is based on the national GF Food list. This has been compiled with full input from the Coeliac Society. Their website contains further information (https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-diet-and-lifestyle/prescriptions/ ) about availability of staple foods on prescription.

NHS Inform website contains further information on the community pharmacy gluten free food service (GFFS).

http://www.nhsinform.co.uk/common-health-questions/a/am-I-eligible-for-the-new-scottish-nhs-gluten-free-food-service/

The NHS Ayrshire and Arran GF Formulary is under constant review, considering any changes to the national GF Food list and also feedback from patients and healthcare professionals.

Diane Lamprell, Community Pharmacy Advisor (South HSCP, Pharmacy and Prescribing Team)

Options

Would you like to contact for advice on GF food?

Would you like to contribute to the updating of the formulary by contacting us? If so, could you please email me by email on eunice.goodwin@aapct.scot.nhs.uk and I will forward to the appropriate individual on my return (from Annual Leave).

Best wishes,

Eunice