‘Labour must lead the way on allergy care’

At seven years old, I had my first anaphylactic reaction to food. 

Since then, I have lived a life with constant risk. 

A trace of nuts could close my airway within minutes. Every meal, every event, every day demands a level of vigilance that most people never have to consider.

My whole life, I have had to exist on high alert. Things that the majority take for granted – eating out, boarding a plane, even trying a new hand cream – are fraught with danger. One false move, whether by me or by others, can mean a life-or-death situation. 

As a new parent, this anxiety is now magnified. The sense of responsibility I feel for my daughter adds a new perspective to the daily risks I have to manage as someone with a severe food allergy. 

My experience is not an isolated story. It is the daily reality for millions.

READ MORE: ‘Building an NHS that is truly fit for the future’

Around one in three people in the UK live with allergic disease; including asthma, eczema and food allergies. That’s roughly 25,000 people in every parliamentary constituency in the country.

At least 6% of the adult population, 2.4 million people, live with a food allergy. 1 in 13 children live with food allergies, around two children in every classroom. 

Emergency hospital admissions for food-induced anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, have doubled in just two decades. Yet allergic disease remains one of the most neglected areas of NHS care.

For a country that prides itself on universal healthcare, this is nowhere near good enough. 

Despite the huge numbers of people affected and the lives at risk, allergy has too often been overlooked by successive governments. Labour needs to lead the way and begin transforming allergy care and give it the priority it deserves. 

A system defined by inequality

Allergy care in the UK is a textbook example of a postcode lottery. Access to diagnosis, treatment and specialist support varies dramatically depending on where you live.

There are only around 40 adult allergy specialists in the entire country – roughly one for every 1.3 million people – leaving some patients waiting years for care while others have no local service at all. 

We need a more efficient way to deal with a condition that can become life-threatening within minutes.

Tragedy must not be the only catalyst for change

When progress has been made in allergy policy, it has too often only come in the wake of tragedy.

After the death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who ate a baguette containing hidden sesame seeds which weren’t identified on the packaging, a new law – Natasha’s Law – led to transformational changes in food labelling. 

The death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who was accidentally exposed to cow’s milk at his primary school, has driven new statutory guidance in schools in England, following campaigning by his mother Helen and a positive response from Labour Minister Olivia Bailey.

Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse (OBEs) and Helen Blythe, the parents of these children, have campaigned tirelessly for live-saving reforms, and I’m so encouraged by the recently announced Natasha’s Prize – a groundbreaking new £10 million global research prize to create a future without food allergy

But we cannot continue to rely on bereaved, heartbroken families to force change. 

 The need for leadership

Despite the scale of allergic disease in our country, there is still no single point of accountability for allergy within the NHS or government. With no national lead; there is no coordinated approach.

Allergy is barely mentioned in long-term planning. Services are fragmented across primary care, hospitals, schools, and public health, with no one responsible for joining them up. The result is inconsistent care, missed opportunities for prevention and avoidable harm.

From strategy to action

I was proud to attend the launch of the UK’s first National Allergy Strategy, a bold plan to tackle the allergy crisis over the next decade. It sets out urgently needed improvements in healthcare, education and food safety. It demands allergy is recognised as a serious chronic condition.

The new National Allergy Strategy provides a clear, evidence-based roadmap for change, including better GP training, more allergy specialists and higher standards of care. 

But we have been here before. Reports have been written. Recommendations have been made. And too often, under previous governments, little has changed.

Under Labour we are starting to see action. The Government’s Health Bill introduces the single patient record in England, giving clinicians a complete view of patients’ medicines, allergies and prescribing history. Something that has been widely welcomed by the allergy community. 

However, what matters now is delivery and we need to go further.

Appoint an Allergy Tsar

Clinicians, campaigners, and parliamentarians are calling for a national clinical lead, an “Allergy Tsar”. It is not a radical idea, but a proven model.

Dedicated national leadership has played a critical role in improving outcomes in the development and delivery of the NHS Cancer Plan. This has been pushed forward by the creation of a dedicated Cancer Tsar providing accountability, coordination, and sustained focus. Allergy needs the same.

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An Allergy Tsar would drive implementation of the new national allergy strategy, reduce regional inequalities and ensure that allergy is no longer overlooked.

A moment for Labour

This is an opportunity for Labour to lead on an issue rooted in its values: fairness, prevention and strong public services. Fixing allergy care would improve millions of lives and show what a modern, responsive NHS can deliver. 

The case for change is clear. The evidence exists and the strategy is ready. Our Labour Government can ensure allergy care has the leadership it needs. 

Without it, we face the very real prospect that millions more people will continue to be failed by an NHS that has overlooked allergy for too long. 

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