It would be difficult to set up a pharmacy led supply scheme as an independent. If you are interested in setting up a pharmacy led supply scheme we would recommend speaking with your local Clinical Commissioning Group and other GP surgeries in your area to consider the potential for collaboration.

Items supplied on prescription are reimbursed through the national Prescription Pricing Department (PPD). The PPD receives all prescriptions dispensed and reimburses individual pharmacies and GP dispensaries accordingly. The cost of each prescription is taken from the appropriate GP surgery prescribing budget. In Northamptonshire, when the pharmacy led supply scheme was introduced in 2006, the funds came from the existing Primary Care Trust (PCT) prescribing budget.

The reaction to eating gluten varies from person to person. In some people, it may trigger symptoms that last several days, while others might not experience any symptoms at all. The amount of gluten someone eats affects the degree of gut damage and your individual sensitivity to gluten affects the symptoms you may or may not experience. You may also find that your symptoms differ in type and/or severity compared to before you were diagnosed.

If a mistake is made and you have gluten by accident, it is unlikely to cause any long term gut damage, although you may suffer from diarrhoea, abdominal pain or vomiting so it is important to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. You may find taking medication to treat constipation, diarrhoea or headaches can ease your symptoms. Speak to your GP or pharmacist for further advice.

We have reviewed other professional networks and offerings and have redeveloped the information we provide HCPs so there is a clear distinction between free of charge professional resources and the Coeliac UK services we provide within a paid for Membership scheme.

Coeliac UK has produced an online training course for caterers. Further information on the course can be found on the Coeliac UK website.

Gluten-free oats may be introduced to the diet at any stage following diagnosis. However, a small percentage of people with coeliac disease are sensitive to gluten-free oats and if a patient has ongoing symptoms whilst including gluten-free oats in the diet, their use should be reviewed by a health professional. Read more about oats.

The law on gluten-free has two categories:

1. Foods containing 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten or less - Only foods that contain 20 ppm or less can be labelled as 'gluten-free'. This includes specialist, substitute foods on prescription and in the Free From section of the supermarket. Also, some mainstream foods that are labelled gluten-free.
2. Foods containing above 20 and no more than 100 ppm gluten - Specialist substitute products (such as breads and flour mixes) that contain Codex wheat starch with a gluten level between 21 and up to 100 ppm may be labelled as ‘very low gluten’.