News

---

Service expands access to GPs’ allergy education

---

It is no news that challenges exist for accessing healthcare in rural and remote areas compared to cities.
 
Accessing care for one of Australia’s most common conditions is no exception, but a newly expanded allergy care service aims to fill that gap.
 
A collaboration between the National Allergy Council (NAC) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), the Allergy Assist platform is now available to all GPs and Rural Generalists (RGs) across Australia.
 
The free online education and advice platform was initially launched in February this year for GPs and RGs working in Modified Monash Model locations MM2–7, with the expansion earlier this month to include metropolitan GPs.
 
It is designed to improve patient access by supporting local doctors to diagnose, treat and manage allergies, resulting in reduced wait times for specialist consultations and minimising patient travel.
 
Dr Nick Cooling is Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Allergy and RACGP representative on the NAC’s Shared Care for Allergy project. He welcomes the expanded platform to address access issues.
 
There are inadequate numbers of allergists and immunologists in Australia, and they are maldistributed with very few in regional and rural areas,’ he told newsGP. 

‘Even in cities, access to these specialists by vulnerable populations is difficult – especially in the private sector – with consultation costs being a significant barrier.’
 
Dr Cooling notes that wait time is also a major obstacle, with current waits for allergy consultations up to six months and mostly accessed only in major capital cities. For food challenges, the wait can be three years in some public hospitals.
 
‘Patients and families wait for unacceptable times to receive quality advice about anxiety provoking conditions such as food allergies, anaphylaxis, venom allergies, severe allergic rhinitis, asthma and mysterious conditions such as urticaria and angioedema,’ he said.
 
‘This can lead to worsening of their anxiety and also the acquisition of inappropriate information by untrained sources.’
 
He said Allergy Assist also fills these gaps by providing education and advice from clinical immunology and allergy specialists to upskill GPs.
 
‘If a patient with an emerging or flaring allergic condition can access a GP – they then have a domino access to a timely secondary consultation with an allergy specialist within two days,’ Dr Cooling said.
 
‘The patient gets early guidance, put on the correct diagnostic or management pathways and the GP develops their confidence and skill in the early management of allergy healthcare – all the while calibrating their skills to an appropriate scope of practice.’
 
The platform allows asynchronous doctor-to-doctor written discussions on patient cases, enabling GPs to access advice from a clinical immunology or allergy specialist within 48 hours. There is no official referral or access to patient medical records or any identifiable patient information.
 
GPs can post a request for advice on several allergy-related conditions, including:

• food
• medication and insect sting allergies
• history of anaphylaxis
• allergic rhinitis
• atopic dermatitis
• urticania.

The service’ expansion comes following a 2019 bipartisan Parliamentary Inquiry into Allergies and Anaphylaxis addressed the rise of allergies and anaphylaxis, aiming to reduce avoidable deaths and improve management strategies. The inquiry highlighted issues with access to specialists, inadequate allergy education for health professionals, including GPs, and access to treatments.
 
One of the key outcomes was the establishment of the NAC, and the subsequent development of Allergy Assist.
 
‘The NAC has used a number of strategies to increase patient access to quality allergy care across Australia, including fostering training courses for paediatricians, GP allergists, allergy nurses, psychologists and dietitians,’ Dr Cooling said.
 
‘[And the Allergy Assist] model to improve GP access to allergist and immunologist physicians’ advice and promote professional development of GPs in allergy care.’
 
According to Dr Cooling, GPs play a crucial role in managing allergies, acting as the first point of contact for patients with symptoms, providing initial diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care. 
 
‘GPs also educate patients on allergen avoidance, medication management, and how to recognise and manage allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis,’ he said. 
 
‘Importantly, they are responsible for developing and updating ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis and referring patients to allergist/immunologist specialists when necessary.’ 

In his Tasmanian practice, Dr Cooling uses Allergy Assist for paediatric and adult cases. Recently its advice helped with a decision on whether to order sIgE blood tests in an infant with a risk of food allergies.
 
‘I had an immediate response from a paediatric immunologist – and this reassured the parents, saved test costs and avoided a trip to a city-based allergy hospital outpatients clinic,’ he said.
 
‘What a terrific enduring resource.’
 
GPs and RGs can apply for access to Allergy Assist through the ACRRM website and provide their AHPRA registration number.
 
RACGP members can join the Specific Interests Allergy group, which provides up-to-date resources for GPs interested in upskilling in allergy medicine. Recognition of Extended Skills in Allergy is also available.
 
Log in below to join the conversation.
 

---

allergy allergy assist CPD healthcare access referral pathways rural and remote health rural generalist

---