Originally Posted by lancsdave (Post 920785)

Another example of the wasting money in the NHS. They should clamp down on pathetic scum who don't need prescriptions but still continue to get them ( or should it be the doctors who need striking off for keep writing them out )

This morning I witnessed one of Accringtons many town centre low lifes come out of Lloyds chemists with 2 bags of what I assume were prescribed 'necessities' and walk to some other low life waiting at the corner of the market. The waiting low life handed over a sum of cash and the other one handed over his goods. 10.30am at one of the busiest points in the town centre :mad::mad::mad:

Originally Posted by jaysay (Post 920778)

That wasn't the point I was making Margaret, they may say they are gluten free but are they, its all down to the prep and people do that, if we get people who are supposed to nurse the sick are accused of killing them whats the chance of every employee at an eatery sticking to the correct procedures,

Nearly 20 years ago, when Joan was first diagnosed, we went on holiday to Torquay, but we stopped overnight in a hotel near Truro, we first checked if they catered for gluten free, which they did. When we arrived Joan mentioned about the gluten free meal, and the chef actually came out to see her. when we went into the dinning room the Italian matradee showed us the the table, the waitress took our order, Joan was having soup, as the waitress came out of the kitchen the matradee actually picked up some croutons and put them in both bowls of soup, doh, He wasn't amused when Joan told him it was no use fishing them out with a spoon and wanted a fresh dish:rolleyes:

I think if I remember rightly Barry Yates said on here that he and little pom had had a meal in Accy somewhere and her meal was supposedly gluten free, but she was ill afterwards, I'm sure he will confirm this if he sees this post.

So you see because an establishment says its provides gluten free food, doesn't always mean that it does, mainly because of human error

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920790)

John you are quite right about the prep.
Gluten free meals need to be prepared in an area where wheat containing foods have not been prepared....some coeliacs are so senstivie that even food prepared in an environment where a sandwich has been prepared can affect them very badly.....and this is something that Kitchen staff sometimes do not appreciate.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920790)

John you are quite right about the prep.
Gluten free meals need to be prepared in an area where wheat containing foods have not been prepared....some coeliacs are so senstivie that even food prepared in an environment where a sandwich has been prepared can affect them very badly.....and this is something that Kitchen staff sometimes do not appreciate.

Originally Posted by Retlaw (Post 920792)

Reading all this about gluten free bread, I don't think there is an eatery in the country that could afford the expense of a separate area, and a chef, just in case someone comes in who is allergic to flour based products.
Retlaw.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920797)

The thing is Retlaw, if you make an eating establishment aware of your special needs and they say they can fulfil them, then if you suffer as a result of their failure to adequately do so, you could take legal action against them.
My nephew is severely allergic to Peanuts....he went to a chistmas party where they played cards and one of the boys had been eating peanuts before the game.....my nephew touched the cards handled by this boy, and ended up on a ventilator in ICU.
He is also allergic to milk and milk products....his reaction when he comes into contact with these is an anaphylactic shock....he carries and adrenaline pen everywhere he goes.

Originally Posted by jaysay

I think if I remember rightly Barry Yates said on here that he and little pom had had a meal in Accy somewhere and her meal was supposedly gluten free, but she was ill afterwards, I'm sure he will confirm this if he sees this post.

So you see because an establishment says its provides gluten free food, doesn't always mean that it does, mainly because of human error

Originally Posted by Barrie Yates (Post 920810)

Spot on Jay, it was an omelet, served upstairs in the Market Hall. I very carefully explained the need for it to be untainted by bread or other gluten food. When it arrived it looked like no omelet I have ever seen and had probably been a couple of eggs stirred around in a frying pan. The ensuing results were pretty bad and we could only assume that the pan had been used to do fried bread.
However, there are quite a number of local eating establishments that are fully aware of the requirements for a gluten free dish, serving and kitchen staff are obviously well trained in those places - went to one last night, the Grey Mare - the waitress was quite knowledgeable, so no problems.

An earlier posting compared diabetics to coeliacs - sorry but that is like comparing apples and strawberries. If you took the time to compare the relevant prices in Asda/Tesco/Morrison's between ordinary foods and gluten free foods you may be in a position to comment.

Is it alright to provide drugs or alcohol to people who have self inflicted themselves with the problem. If it is then what is wrong with providing the basic staple foods to people who have a condition that is no fault of theirs.

If you have no knowledge or experience of the subject then I suggest that you refrain from commenting on the subject.

Originally Posted by Neil (Post 920724)

I don't agree with food on prescription either.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920944)

What is your stance on those who require PEG Feeds? That is also prescribed food......and what about the nourishment drinks provided(on prescription) to Cancer sufferers, who become malnourished because of a sore mouth due to chemo....or who just can't face solid food.......should they too be paying for their food.
What about hospital in patients too....should a fee be levied because thay are eating whilst in hospital(after all they would be buying this food at home....so aren't they getting something for nothing?).
Neil, I am not having a go at you, I'm not being facetious or nasty........I am just putting these points to you, to ask where do we draw the line?

I know life is not impossible without the staple foods that wheat provides, but it is a lot less pleasant and harder to manage.

Why don't you try a month of no wheat products and see how hard it is.....no pasta(pasta is healthy isn't it - yes unless you are coeliac) no bread, no cake, no biscuits, no food that contains wheat based thickeners...so any casseroles stews would be runny and thin(unless you used potato starch) and look unappetizing......and as for desserts well, your choice would be strictly limited.

I do not begrudge coeliacs getting whatever help they can, to improve their lives....their condition is lifelong, it is not self induced.
I do however, begrudge the money given to alcoholics and drug addicts.....they get help with their conditions despite the fact that contributed to their ill health.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920944)

What is your stance on those who require PEG Feeds?

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920944)

...and what about the nourishment drinks provided(on prescription) to Cancer sufferers, who become malnourished because of a sore mouth due to chemo....or who just can't face solid food.......should they too be paying for their food.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920944)

Neil, I am not having a go at you, I'm not being facetious or nasty........I am just putting these points to you, to ask where do we draw the line?

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920944)

I do not begrudge coeliacs getting whatever help they can, to improve their lives....their condition is lifelong, it is not self induced.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920944)

I do however, begrudge the money given to alcoholics and drug addicts.....they get help with their conditions despite the fact that contributed to their ill health.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920980)

The peanut allergy thing isn't really an issue....how many people do you know who can't live their lives without having a peanut....so No, I am not in favour of people with nut allergies getting food on prescription.

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington (Post 920980)

Coeliac disease is a bit different....and if the gluten free bread in Tesco(or any other retail outlet) was the same price as a Warbies toastie loaf then I would be saying exactly what you are saying, but it isn't....in some instances gluten free food is more than double the price of the ordinary product....so how about this for a compromise.......the coeliac sufferer pays for their bread what you and I pay for ours,
and the rest of the cost is taken care of by vouchers...issued on prescription.