PEOPLE suffering from gluten intolerance will get more help from doctors in Bury, health chiefs have said.

Medical bosses have admitted their knowledge of the number of people with Coeliac Disease was limited until they consulted sufferers late last year on whether to withdraw special food prescriptions.

In March, the NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) board said it was minded to stop prescribing gluten-free good in a bid to save £79,000.

But the board has decided to hold off making a final decision until it can be sure that nobody is at risk of harm if prescriptions stop.

In a new report, considered at the board's latest meeting on May 25, the CCG's clinical lead Dr Kiran Patel acknowledged people with dietary conditions need more support.

The first obstacle, he suggests, is knowing how many sufferers live in Bury.

"Accurate numbers of patients are unknown because there is no national requirement to maintain registers of these patients and, historically, there has been inconsistent recording of diagnosis within GP practices," said Dr Patel.

He added: "To resolve this, it is proposed to work in all practices to identify patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Coeliac Disease and to compare local prevalence with national prevalence to identify any opportunities for improved diagnoses."

Dr Patel also wants doctors to give sufferers more advice on self-care and symptom management.

"The guidance is intended to empower patients with Coeliac Disease to maintain good control of their condition and encourage patients to seek advice from healthcare professionals to maintain up to date knowledge of best care for their condition," said Dr Patel.

Dr Patel told the Bury Times: "The board requested the proposal (to stop gluten-free food prescriptions) be further developed to provide full assurances that the approach would improve both the equity and quality of support for patients."

The board will next consider the matter on July 27.

Coeliac UK, the charity that represents suffers, took part in the consultation process, and wrote to all its Bury members to raise awareness of the proposal.

A spokesman for the charity praised the CCG for its proactive approach to the issue and added "we will continue to provide updates as the situation in Bury progresses through Crossed Grain magazine, our electronic newsletter and on our website."