Appoint an Allergy Tsar as a champion for people living with allergies
20,518 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 19 July 2021; it closed on 19 January 2022. The Government responded on 25 August 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 15 May 2023.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Appoint an Allergy Tsar as a champion for people living with allergies
The Government should appoint an Allergy Tsar to act as a champion for people with allergies to ensure they receive appropriate support and joined up health care to prevent avoidable deaths and ill health.
At least 2m people have a food allergy. Since 2012, there has been a 615% increase in hospital admissions for anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. However, allergy remains a "Cinderella service" in the NHS. There has been little investment given to NHS allergy services. The care people with allergies receive is often patchy, and at worst has led to avoidable deaths. Without greater priority given to allergies, these problems will continue and more lives may be lost.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 25 August 2021; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
People with allergies continue to be supported through locally commissioned NHS services. New legislation is also being implemented to support those with food allergies through clearer food labelling.
The opening 335 words of the 596-word response:
Most allergy services are commissioned locally through clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). However, to support patients with more complex conditions NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I) directly commissions some specialised services.
Whilst there is currently no specific National Clinical Director or Speciality Adviser for routine allergy services, NHSE/I keeps the position under review and new National Clinical Directors or Specialty Advisers are appointed as necessary. Clinical advice and leadership on specialised immunology and allergy services are provided by the Clinical Reference Group (CRG). To support the implementation of coherent care pathways, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions including food allergy in under 19s, anaphylaxis and drug allergy.
Although allergies are very common, most allergic reactions are mild. Occasionally, however, a severe reaction or anaphylactic shock can occur. NHS Digital have confirmed that their data shows finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis is anaphylaxis between 2011/2012 and 2020/2021 have increased from 3161 to 4359, an increase of 38%. This includes anaphylactic shock due to adverse food reaction, anaphylactic shock due to an unspecified reason, anaphylactic shock due to serum and anaphylactic shock due to adverse effect of correct drug or medicament properly administered. These admissions do not represent the number of patients as a person may have more than one admission within the period. Hospital episode statistics are recorded by financial year and episodes are only included in the data set once they are complete and all clinical information is provided.
The Government recognises the challenges faced by people with allergies and is taking a number of actions to further support them. This includes the introduction of Natasha’s law which will come into force on 1st October 2021. This will make it a legal requirement for all food retailers and operators to display full ingredient and allergen labelling information on every food item they sell pre-packed for direct sale, ensuring that people with allergies are protected appropriately and giving them confidence in the food they buy.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 177, came from Hyndburn.
20,389 of the signatures were from the UK and 129 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Hyndburn | 177 |
| Hammersmith | 147 |
| Chelsea and Fulham | 142 |
| Arundel and South Downs | 139 |
| Wimbledon | 124 |
| Daventry | 119 |
| Esher and Walton | 103 |
| Surrey Heath | 99 |
| Richmond Park | 87 |
| Putney | 86 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 3,437 |
| South East | 3,435 |
| East of England | 2,333 |
| North West | 2,074 |
| South West | 1,366 |
| Scotland | 1,292 |
| East Midlands | 1,291 |
| West Midlands | 1,234 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,220 |
| Wales | 725 |
| North East | 688 |
| Northern Ireland | 568 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 15 May 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/589716.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
97ffea534f94e013… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.