§ Lord Onslow of Wokingasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied that general practitioners in England and Wales are aware of the Department of Health's recommendation in May 1994 that all patients suspected of suffering from peanut allergy should be referred to a specialist clinic. [HL961]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)The Chief Medical Officer's Update No. 2 (May 1994), which includes this recommendation in advice on the management of peanut anaphylaxis, was sent to all doctors. There is also other information available to general practitioners on peanut allergy and its management. In October 1994, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists jointly produced guidelines onGood Allergy Practice: standards of care for providers and purchasers of allergy services within the NHS. Guidance on anaphylaxis and its treatment appears in the British National Formulary, which is issued twice a year to all general practitioners, and has been featured in Prescriber's Journal (1997, Volume 37 No. 3). The treatment of individual patients is a matter for the professional judgment of the clinicians concerned.