Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has cemented its place as one of the country’s leading adult allergy services after gaining new recognition from the Royal College of Physicians.
The Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS) award means the trust becomes only the ninth in the UK, and the first in the North of England, to gain full allergy accreditation.
The certificate adds to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals’ Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services accreditation from the same royal college.
The trust’s clinical immunology and allergy unit delivers specialist investigations and treatments to patients with an array of allergy issues.
The unit cares for people in the South Yorkshire catchment area, but also as far as places like Lincoln, Scunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Grimsby, according to trust consultant clinical immunologist, Dr Dilani Felicia Arnold.
“We provide many specialist investigations and treatments and are the only regional adult allergy centre in the country to offer aspirin desensitisation to patients who develop hypersensitivity to this common drug,” said Dr Arnold.
"Other specialist services include reviews of patients with food intolerances and irritable bowel syndrome by the unit’s specialist dietitian. We also provide omalizumab treatment, which is given to those with severe spontaneous urticaria (hive like rash) which have failed treatment with high dose antihistamines.”
Other NHS settings with the IQAS accreditation include:
- Homerton University Hospital – Homerton University Hospital NHS FT
- Southmead Hospital – North Bristol NHS Trust
- Queen’s Medical Centre – Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS FT
- Royal Stoke University Hospital – University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
- Birmingham Heartlands Hospital – University Hospitals Birmingham NHS FT
- Glenfield Hospital – University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Derriford Hospital – Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Image credit: iStock
