Making free emergency adrenaline pens available in all UK schools, would help to save the NHS around £5 million a year and make pupils safer. That’s according to data collected by researchers from Imperial College London who conducted a study aimed at finding ways of helping to save more lives and keep the public better informed when it comes to issues surrounding food safety in the education system. The investigation was conducted in response to the rising trend of allergy related incidents and deaths with in the education system and around the country as a whole.

The research was headed by Dr Paul Turner, Professor of Anaphylaxis at Imperial College London and published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, provided damning evidence that the availability of emergency medication in schools will help to save large amounts of money which could then be used to improve different areas of the education system and strengthen the economy on the whole.

“Food induced anaphylaxis affects around 3% of school aged children in England with most experiencing at least one accidental allergic reaction every two to three years. Since 2017, schools have been able to obtain ‘spare’ adrenaline ‘pens’ for emergencies, but uptake remains low. Schools often have to pay over GBP100 for each device because they don’t receive them for free,” That’s according to Dr Turner who is also the vice chairman of the National Allergy Strategy Group.

In response to the findings, the government has made some recommendation to help improve the safety of the school atmosphere and ensure no one accidentally suffers any form of emergency allergic reaction. These include requirements that all children who are deemed to be at risk carry two adrenaline auto-injectors with them at all times. Schools often require pupils to leave two devices on school premises. This means that many children are being dispensed more than two pens. Over 60% of those who were prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors received more than four devices through out 2023/24.

A lot of these extra auto-injectors are for school use but a lot of the time are rarely used. This adds unnecessary costs to the NHS and can also slow down treatment in emergencies as teachers have to match the right pen to the right pupil.

The research team conducted a nationwide modelling study, analysing NHS datasets and prescription trends for the academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25. Results show that current practice—dispensing extra adrenaline “pens” for pupils to leave at school—costs the NHS upwards of GBP9 million per year. By contrast, were all schools to receive at no cost four “spare” adrenaline “pens”, this would cost just GBP4.5 million annually.

Benefits For Schools, Families, And Patient Safety

• Cost-neutral for most NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs): Over 90% of regions would break even or save money, with some areas saving up to GBP400,000 yearly.

• Improved emergency access: “Spare” adrenaline autoinjectors could be used in any child having anaphylaxis, including those without a prior diagnosis or prescription—a critical factor since one-quarter of food-anaphylaxis reactions happen in schoolchildren without a diagnosis of food allergy.

• Logistical simplicity: Schools need only stock a single brand of autoinjector, reducing confusion and delays during emergencies. Central supply would ensure devices are in-date and replaced systematically.

• Reduced NHS waste: While over 2.3 million autoinjectors are dispensed in the UK each year, only about 2% are used. Centralised provision would streamline orders and help avoid shortages in the supply chain which have affected the UK numerous times in the past few years.

The new guidelines are a duplicate of similar advice which has been given in different areas of the world and this helps to re-enforce the importance and value of such measures being taken.

The findings have been welcomed by Helen Blythe of the Benedict Blythe Foundation. “Across the country, regional pilots and local initiatives have shown that it is possible, practical, and financially sound to equip schools with adrenaline ‘pens’. Such a strategy would improve emergency access to adrenaline to all pupils, irrespective of whether they have been diagnosed with food allergy.”