Every so often, I meet a constituent through one of my surgeries or I read a letter that has a lasting significant impact on me. As important as all constituent correspondence is, many do not compare to the life-changing experiences that some in this constituency take the time to share with me. The most awful cases I hear about involve the death of a child.
Parents of children with severe food allergies face intense worry on an almost daily basis, and with around 7% of children in England having a food allergy, this impacts a significant part of our population. I know that there are families in our area who understand this feeling well, and I am grateful to those that have taken the time to share this with me and raise awareness.
This is why, last week, I met with Anaphylaxis UK, a national allergy charity, and my discussions centred around the steps we can take to make our environment safer for children who are vulnerable to a food allergy, most notably in schools.
While we have made important progress nationally by improving food labelling, clearly for children, schools have a particularly crucial role to play in reducing risk, with 20% of serious allergic reactions occurring at school.
That is why schools have also become better able to minimise the risk for children with food allergies in the place they should feel safest. These changes include allowing schools to hold their own supply of auto-adrenaline injectors (AAIs) and requiring schools to make arrangements for pupils with medical conditions.
Nevertheless, there is always more we can do, which is why I am supporting a cross-party bid for a Parliamentary debate on allergies. If successful, I intend to raise the following suggestions as to how to minimise risk even further for children with allergies.
First, many parents feel that schools should have specific allergy-focussed plans in place, providing clear guidance to all within the school community, and I agree.
Secondly, while teachers do have training in general first aid, many parents suggest that teachers should have specific allergy training so that if the worst happens, they are able to respond quickly. Similarly, schools require the correct tools to act, so we should also encourage schools to purchase their own AAI, for when a child’s personal device is lost or broken.
Finally, I agree with campaigners that Ofsted should look at including specific questions relating to the management of allergies, during school inspections.
I am grateful for the charities and groups that I have spoken to recently to learn more and further their tireless work to improve allergy awareness and preparedness in our schools. This is something I look forward to continuing to work on, alongside local schools, campaigners, and colleagues at a national level.
