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Clinical Allergy Services in Regional Australia - APS Position Paper: April 2026

Every child in Australia should have timely access to safe, evidence-based allergy care delivered locally where possible, with seamless escalation to specialist services when required.

Executive summary

Problem

  • 30% of Australians live outside metropolitan centres with inequitable access to allergy care
  • Workforce capability and service access are highly variable.

APS Position

  • Care should be local wherever safe, supported by real-time specialist input.
  • This model is fully aligned with the National Allergy Council (NAC) Access to Care Guideline and operates within existing ASCIA clinical guidelines. It provides a practical service delivery and workforce implementation pathway, particularly for paediatric and regional populations.

Solution

  • A tiered, hub-and-spoke model with:
    - Workforce upskilling
    - Regional capability building
    - Rapid specialist support

Outcome

  • Reduced tertiary burden
  • Improved equity, safety, and timeliness

This position statement complements national policy and access frameworks by focusing on clinical service delivery, workforce capability, and implementation rather than clinical guideline development.

Key Recommendations

  1. Establish a nationally supported tiered model of allergy care
  2. Fund regional allergy coordinators and clinical champions
  3. Implement real-time clinician-to-specialist support systems
  4. Develop regional food challenge and testing capability
  5. Embed allergy education across all health training pathways
  6. Create a national evaluation and data framework

See the full position paper here:  pdfAPS Position Paper 2026 Clinical Allergy Services293.14 KB

Content added 11 May 2026