Response to our petition

We had petitioned the Government to improve diagnosis rates of coeliac diseaseA condition where a person is unable to eat gluten as it makes their body attack itself. by including a target for GPsGeneral Practitioner, or local doctor in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOFThe Quality Outcomes Framework is the annual reward and incentive programme detailing GP practice achievement results.). By getting a target on coeliac disease into the QOF, GPs would have to deliver better rates of diagnosis of the condition. Many of you signed the petition and we had nearly 9,000 signatures; a good result for our first petition.

We’re disappointed with the response, but we will be continuing the campaign, and we have already made a new submission to NICENational Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. NICE had produced a clinical guideline on the recognition and assessment of coeliac disease. to get a target for diagnosis onto QOF.  This year, we have the support of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSGBritish Society of Gastroenterology - an organisation focused on the promotion of gastroenterology within the United Kingdom, with a membership drawn from physicians, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, scientists, nurses, dietitians, and others interested in the field. The BSG is a registered charity.) and the Primary Care Society of Gastroenterologists (PCSGThe Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology is a membership organisations for gastroenterologists who work in primary care. It provides input on commissioning or clinical governance from a primary care perspective.) which really add weight to our submission.  We’re keeping the pressure up and we’d like to say thank you everyone who helped gather signatures so we could pressure Government.

You can see the original petition here http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/coeliacdisease/

You can see the Government’s response here http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page23048