APS and Federal Government Inquiry into Allergy and Anaphylaxis

The APS recommended

• complete review of undergraduate and postgraduate medical training to incorporate allergy training and to provide resources for developing allergy skills as a special interest for potential rural paediatricians.
• supporting ASCIA recommendation for improved access to skin testing reagents for allergy diagnosis by clinical immunology/allergy specialists. APS enhanced the recommendation by including general paediatricians who have completed specialist training in allergic disease and practice paediatric allergic medicine.
• a specific food allergen challenge MBS item number with scope of practice and patient triage for this procedure in regional areas to be agreed between ASCIA and APS.
• supporting further research into allergy and food allergy treatments and upskilling of all general paediatricians on sublingual immunotherapy for grass pollen and house dust mite.
• Establishing a national anaphylaxis and drug allergy registers, recognising many children with anaphylaxis DO NOT present or are currently NOT RECOGNISED by Emergency Departments. Hence some funding to allergy practitioners to complete data sets must be considered for such a register to contain accurate data.
• Federal government funding support for regional, rural and remote outreach programs, to provide the right care for the right patient at the right time in the right place. This should include regional paediatricians with a special interest in allergy providing outreach to more remote areas of their region.
• The ability for Paediatricians to claim funding for a practice nurse. This is a significant barrier to optimal and efficient community allergy care for eczema and allergy education, Epipen demonstrations and skin prick testing.