This is just a little information for those who may wish to put forward ideas for their own petition (perhaps to do with gluten, coeliac disease, gluten intolerance or other worthwhile causes).
Here is the site for 38 Degrees where you can, if you wish make suggestions for petitions to get something done!
I think the most pressing thing is that people stand up to the privatisation of the NHS and actually support the 38 Degrees campaign here: 38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Pro...
Without it we'll have an even harder time.
Twitter fans may also like to follow:
twitter.com/clarercgp (Chair of GPs)
Spain has people protesting on the streets each week about the cuts to their health care, jobs and services. What do we have in the UK? Apathy. Very very sad. When it's gone people will be shocked and will miss it - warts and all.
Im a single parent with two young children with coeliac disease. My youngest being 4 yrs old and a fussy eater. The only bread he will eat is the glutafin fresh bread but as they will only prescribe the long life ( which he hates) I have to buy a box of eight loaves of the fresh every 2 weeks for £32 direct from glutafin. If i didnt then my children would not have packed lunches for school etc. Its an important part of their diet and Im a single parent on benefits ( desperately looking for work) and i cannot afford to do this. It has put me in debt just to feed my children. Something should be done about this. It makes me very angry that my children are having to suffer because of a disease that is not their fault. It seems you have to be rich to be a coeliac. Understandably fresh fruit, vege, meat etc is ideal but when you have a fussy eater it is almost impossible to feed them. so when you find something they will eat then you have such a sense of relief that they are eating!!. I feel something should be done about the fresh bread rule. Maybe people on low incomes should be entitled to something a little more when children are involved??
Hi Hayley, It sounds as though you have a really rough, tough up-hill struggle. However, if the prescription is for a child (children are classified as aged under 16 years of age) - there is no charge and your pharmacist should not be taking any money from you. You should just be signing the exemption on your child's behalf on the back of the prescription.
"The current (2012) basic NHS prescription charge in England is £7.65p. However, many people are exempt from paying this fee; indeed according to the Government, 88% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge.
Those exempt include:
Children under 16, pregnant women, people over 60, young people in full-time education, people in receipt of certain benefits such as Income Support or Jobseekers' Allowance and people suffering from specific conditions, such as certain types of physical disability, diabetes, or epilepsy, for which they hold a valid exemption certificate."
Please see the following for an explanation:
dialdoncaster.co.uk/informa...
politics.co.uk/reference/nh...
glutafin.co.uk/coeliac-chil...
I hope that this may be of help to you.
*****
On behalf of Hayley to all of our mothers, fathers, grandmas, grandads, aunties and uncles with children on this site or others with any useful additional information:
If any of our members have further information could they please offer Hayley any advice on other help that may be available for parents with children who have coeliac disease.
Thank you all!
Additional information:
coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-...
Table: Recommended amounts per month
Number of units
Child aged 1-3 years ..... 10 units
Child aged 4-6 years ..... 11 units
Child aged 7-10 years ... 13 units
Child aged 11-14 years ..15 units
Child aged 15-18 years ..18 units
Male aged 19-59 years ..18 units
Male aged 60-74 years ..16 units
Male aged 75+ years .....14 units
Female aged19-74 years14 untis
Female aged 75+ years ..12 units
(Sourced from Coeliac Org UK - dated 06.10.2012)
coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-...
Prescribing Guide:
Does anyone test food for gluten on request in UK? 
Gluten is not just hidden in the foods we eat!
