The UK’s National Allergy Strategy: A project lead’s perspective

Allergies affect millions across the UK, impacting both quality of life and the healthcare system. Yet, despite their prevalence, allergy services and care provisions remain inconsistent, often leaving patients without adequate support. The National Allergy Strategy Group (NASG) is working to change this by advocating for a comprehensive and coordinated National Allergy Strategy. As the project lead, I am excited to share insights into the NASG’s role, the urgent need for a national strategy, and the goals we aim to achieve.

The UK’s National Allergy Strategy: A Project Lead’s Perspective

Allergies affect millions across the UK, impacting both quality of life and the healthcare system. Yet, despite their prevalence, allergy services and care provisions remain inconsistent, often leaving patients without adequate support. The National Allergy Strategy Group (NASG) is working to change this by advocating for a comprehensive and coordinated National Allergy Strategy. As the project lead, I am excited to share insights into the NASG’s role, the urgent need for a national strategy, and the goals we aim to achieve.

What is the National Allergy Strategy Group (NASG)?

The NASG is a collaborative forum representing the entire allergy community. Established in 2003, it brings together specialist societies and national allergy charities to advocate for improvements in NHS allergy services. Our core members are the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI), Allergy UK, Anaphylaxis UK and the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

Our aims are to ensure that our priorities remain solely focused on the needs of individuals living with allergies. Initially, our focus was on lobbying the government to improve specialist care. Over time, our mission has expanded to encompass a broader range of concerns, including public awareness, education for healthcare professionals, research funding, and policy changes on areas relating to the issues faced by people living with allergy. For example, in 2017 the NASG successfully lobbied for and changed legislation so that schools were able to purchase adrenaline auto-injectors.

We also provide the secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Allergy, which plays a crucial role in engaging cross-party policymakers across the House of Commons and House of Lords who are supportive of the need to improve allergy services.

Why Do We Need a National Allergy Strategy?

The UK is experiencing an allergy crisis. Data highlights the scale of the issue:

• Allergy is common – 39 per cent of children and 30 per cent of adults in the UK suffer from allergies.
• Allergy is on the increase – Hospital admissions for anaphylaxis tripled between 1998 and 2018.
• Over 6 per cent of GP visits are related to allergies, demonstrating the significant burden on primary care.
• Allergy can have an enormous impact on quality of life and be life threatening for some people and can also has a huge impact on productivity and school performance.
• Access to allergy services is highly variable and inconsistent with a marked lack of access in the devolved nations.
• Delayed and inadequate care exacerbates the impact – a simple illustration of this is that over 90 per cent of patients labelled as penicillin allergic are not actually allergic, leading to unnecessary avoidance of this crucial antibiotic and wholly unnecessary use of more expensive alternatives.
• Beyond healthcare, allergies affect everyday life. Children’s school attendance, productivity in the workplace, and even safe access to public spaces and food establishments are major concerns. The geographical disparities in access to allergy services mean that many individuals suffer unnecessarily due to limited specialist support.
• These alarming trends underscore the urgent need for a unified, national approach.

Children’s school attendance, productivity in the workplace, and even safe access to public spaces and food establishments are major concerns.

What the National Allergy Strategy Aims to Achieve

The National Allergy Strategy vision is for improved health and quality of life for people living with all areas of allergy.

The NASG has set forth clear objectives for the National Allergy Strategy, covering a wide spectrum of needs:

• Improved NHS Allergy Services – Ensuring timely and equitable access to appropriate allergy care across the UK.
• Education & Awareness – Providing accessible, evidence-based allergy education for healthcare professionals, particularly in primary care, so that a UK-wide clinical workforce is trained in all areas of allergy to meet a patient’s lifetime needs from paediatrics, transition, and adult services.
• Better Diagnosis & Treatment – Increasing access to evidence-based treatments like immunotherapy and ensuring proper identification of drug allergies.
• Public Health & Prevention – Implementing measures to reduce the incidence of allergies through early intervention and community education.
• Food Safety & Labelling – Advocating for clearer, more logical food labelling and training for the food service sector to better manage allergens.
• School & Workplace Support – Creating safer environments for allergy sufferers in schools and workplaces through policy improvements and training in allergy awareness to be able to manage the healthcare needs of all allergic conditions.
• Enhanced Research & Data Collection – Supporting scientific research into theprevention and treatment of all allergic disease areas to improve health and quality of life for all living with allergy.

By implementing these initiatives, we aim to reduce the burden of allergies, prevent unnecessary deaths from anaphylaxis, improve quality of life for all living with allergy, and ultimately create a safer, more inclusive society.

Learning from successful precedents inAustralia and Finland, NASG has embarked on an 18-month project with input from a broad range of stakeholders.

Developing the National Allergy Strategy

The development of a comprehensive strategy requires a structured and inclusive process. Learning from successful precedents in Australia and Finland, NASG has embarked on an 18-month project with input from a broad range of stakeholders.

• Governance and Consultation – We have engaged experts, policymakers, patients, and advocacy groups to shape a project plan that reflects the needs of the entire allergy community.
• Public Engagement – Initiatives like the ‘Share Your Voice’ survey have allowed us to gather firsthand experiences from almost 1,000 individuals, many of whom have shared personal stories.
• Working Groups– We have established nine dedicated groups, including hundreds of experts as well as lay people, focusing on key areas such as patient pathways, clinical workforce training, food safety, and respiratory health.

Once the strategy is finalised, expected in October 2025, NASG will use it to engage with government agencies, drive policy changes and secure funding for necessary programmes.

The Future of Allergy Care in the UK

Our vision is clear: a well-structured, national approach to allergy care that improves health outcomes and quality of life for all affected individuals. A successful National Allergy Strategy will:

• Ensure equal access to high-quality allergy services.
• Improve public and professional understanding of allergic diseases.
• Reduce the incidence of allergy through public health measures and number of life-threatening allergic reactions.
• Ease the burden on the NHS by reducing emergency visits and misdiagnoses.

By working together—patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and advocacy groups—we can create meaningful, lasting change. The National Allergy Strategy is not just about improving healthcare services; it’s about giving millions of people in the UK the chance to live safer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.

For more information, or to get involved, visit www.nasguk.org or contact me at chair@nasguk.org.