Sir, We are in the midst of an allergy epidemic with about 20 million children and adult allergy sufferers in the UK. Indeed, we have one of the highest prevalences of allergic diseases worldwide — diseases such as asthma, anaphylaxis, drug and food allergy, eczema, rhinitis and insect-sting allergy. There is an enormous burden on patients and their families, and costs to the NHS are rising.

Many problems could be helped or prevented by expert allergy diagnosis and management. Despite reports (Royal College of Physicians, 2003; House of Commons Health Committee, 2004; the Department of Health, 2006) calling for better provision of NHS allergy services, nothing effective has been done.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report (September 2007) on allergy, chaired by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, again identified the scandalous lack of NHS allergy services and called on the Government and DoH to institute urgent practical measures, including creating more allergy specialists; educating GPs; and creating a specialist centre in every health region to reduce the postcode lottery.

The DoH has acknowledged the need for improvement, but nothing has been done yet to implement the key recommendations from the most recent report. Instead, it has passed the responsibility to local agencies, which cannot solve the problem because it requires a national solution. Meanwhile, patients are suffering.

We urge the Health Minister to adopt the Lords’ recommendations without further delay.

Christopher Corrigan
Professor of Asthma, Allergy and Respiratory Science, King's College, London

Dr Helen Cox
Consultant Paediatric Allergist, St Mary's Hospital, London.

Adnan Custovic
Professor of Allergy, University of Manchester

Dr Tina Dixon
Consultant Allergist, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital, Liverpool

Stephen Durham
Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Imperial College, London

Pamela Ewan
Consultant Allergist, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

Anthony Frew
Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, University of Brighton

Stephen Holgate
MRC Professor of Immunopharmacology, University of Southampton

Peter Howarth
Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, University of Southampton

Gideon Lack
Professor of Paediatric Allergy, King's College, London

Tak Lee
Asthma UK Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, King’s College London

Dr Susan Leech
Consultant Paediatric Allergist, King's College Hospital, London

Dr Shuaib Nasser
Consultant Allergist, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge

Dr Glenis Scadding
Consultant in Allergy and Rhinology, Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, London

Andrew Wardlaw
Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Leicester

John Warner
Professor of Paediatric Allergy, Imperial College, London

Dr Lawrence Youlten
Consultant Allergist, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge

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