Emergency Adrenaline

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

Monday 15th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

We have been focusing our efforts, as I said, on whether changes to the law are required to allow wider access to, for example, adrenaline nasal sprays, which are a welcome development. Our focus is on that, rather than on the appointment of a tsar, to which the noble Earl referred. We will be establishing national clinical directors, and I am sure that this will be considered in that regard.

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB)]

My Lords, with the disaster of poorly managed allergy, only 24 ICBs have been able to state the extent to which they have services, and none are able to state whether they have a specialist nurse and dietician. Will the Government use the opportunity of the single patient record to provide guidance to ICBs for commissioning, to make sure that those who have serious allergies, such as we have heard about, can get the advice and support they need and be guided to the most appropriate way to manage their allergy in the immediate emergency and in the long term?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I certainly agree with the noble Baroness that the single patient record gives us all sorts of absolutely key opportunities, including in this regard. It is important that we note how common allergies are—they affect nearly one-third of the UK population. Although in most people allergic reactions can be mild to moderate, in some cases they are severe. We need to cut that risk and, in particular, tackle the approximately 50 suspected cases of deaths each year that we currently have. I agree with her contention.