All-Wales gluten free subsidy card scheme (WHC/2025/027)

Status:

Action.

Category:

Policy.

Title:

Changes to supply of gluten-free foods in Wales; all-Wales
gluten-free subsidy card scheme.

Date of expiry / review:

Not Applicable.

Action by:

• Chief executives, health boards/trusts.
• Medical directors, health boards/trusts.
• Executive directors, allied health professionals and health care science.
• Directors of primary and community care, health boards/trusts.
• Nurse executive directors, health boards/trusts.
• Directors of pharmacy, health boards/trusts.
• Directors of public health, health boards/trusts.
• Directors of finance, health boards/trusts.
• General practitioners.
• Community pharmacies.
• General Practitioner Committee, Wales.
• Community Pharmacy Wales.

Required by:

15 August 2025.

Sender:

• Paul Casey, Deputy Director, Primary and Community Care.
• Andrew Evans, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Welsh Government.

Health, Social Services, and Early Years Group.

Welsh Government contacts:

Pharmacy and Prescribing Branch,
Welsh Government,
Cathays Park,
Cardiff.
CF10 3NQ.
Email: Pharmacyand.PrescribingBranch@gov.wales

Dear Colleagues,

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has agreed to the implementation of an all-Wales Gluten Free (GF) subsidy card scheme for patients with a diagnosis of coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis in Wales.

A pilot scheme in Hywel Dda University Health Board and evaluation by Health and Care Research Wales’ Evidence Centre, has demonstrated the subsidy card scheme is considered acceptable to patients and offers significant benefits, such as reduced financial burden, and increased choice and convenience when obtaining GF foods. Adoption of the scheme also has benefits to GPs and community pharmacies by reducing workload associated with the management and dispensing of prescriptions for GF foods.

A GF Subsidy Card Scheme Delivery Board was established in 2023 including key stakeholders across Wales. The aim of the board was to oversee the implementation of the GF subsidy card scheme and ensure a consistent approach to the provision of GF products to people with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis in Wales.

The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) will oversee the implementation of the all-Wales GF subsidy card scheme and pending a review of the original membership, will re-establish the delivery board later this year with the intention of enrolling eligible people in the scheme at the earliest opportunity.

In order to support timely implementation of the scheme, health boards are required to identify an executive director as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the scheme and to establish arrangements to enable local implementation as soon as possible. Each health board’s SRO will be, or required to nominate someone to be, a member of the national GF Subsidy Card Scheme Delivery Board. Health boards must also establish arrangements (for example a generic email address) for responding to queries about implementation of the scheme in their area.

Summary:

Each health board must:

• identify an executive director to be the SRO for implementing the scheme in their health board
• the SRO must establish arrangements to enable local implementation as soon as possible
• the SRO must attend, or nominate their representative to attend, the All-Wales GF Subsidy Card Scheme Delivery Board

Action required:

The name and contact details of the SRO should be sent to Pharmacyand.PrescribingBranch@gov.wales ^{[footnote 1]} by 15 August 2025 alongside confirmation of the health board arrangements to enable local implementation ahead of the date of the All Wales GF Subsidy Card Scheme Delivery Board this autumn.

Details of the health board contact (for example a generic email address) for patient queries relating to the implementation of the scheme within the health board should be sent to Pharmacyand.PrescribingBranch@gov.wales ^{[footnote 1]}.

Enclosures:

Pharmacy de-medicalising of gluten free products through a subsidy card scheme – exploring views on the scheme, including impact on quality of life, perceived economic implications and potential barriers to uptake. | Health Care Research Wales.

[1] This will be shared with NWSSP to direct patient queries to the health board.