Transferring Your Allergy Care: A guide for young people and their families and carers

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Transferring Your Allergy Care: A guide for young people and their families and carers– Pictorial/Summary sheet

Transferring Your Allergy Care: A guide for young people and their families and carers – Written Text version

What does “transferring your allergy care” mean?

This is the process of transferring your allergy care from children’s services to your GP (your doctor in primary care).  It’s sometimes called “transition” “transfer of care” or “discharge to primary care” — but really, it’s about helping you feel confident managing your allergy as you become more independent.

What does this mean for you?

  • If you’re a young person

It’s about understanding your allergies well and learning how to speak up for yourself.  This helps you stay safe, stay healthy, and still get to live your life to the fullest. If you have other conditions (like asthma and eczema), these may be looked after by other teams. We’ll explain who does what and make sure it’s clear — just ask if anything doesn’t make sense.

  • If you’re a parent or carer

It means taking a small step back so your young person can start making their own decisions — while still being there as support when needed.

How does this process work?

Around age 14, we’ll start inviting you to come into appointments on your own.
It’s normal to feel unsure about this. If you want a parent/carer with you, that’s fine — but we’ll encourage you to answer questions yourself.

We might also ask you to fill out some simple questionnaires or checklists. These help us understand what areas you feel confident with and which ones we should spend a bit more time on.

Topics we’ll help you with include:

  • Understanding your allergy and what happens during a reaction.
  • Avoiding your allergens in day‑to‑day life.
  • Medication — what emergency and everyday treatment you need, when to take it and how to order repeat prescriptions.
  • Co‑factors like exercise or stress that can make allergic reactions worse.
  • Self‑advocacy — reading labels and eating out.
  • Future — college and university, shared living, work, and what to think about.
  • Travel and leisure — how to navigate holidays abroad, food labels overseas and useful websites.

How to get ready for transition

1. Medication

  • Start getting used to taking your emergency medication and treatment plans without being reminded. Setting phone reminders can help.
  • If your parent/carer currently orders your repeat prescriptions, ask them to show you how; most GP practices use apps or online systems.
  • Show close friends your Allergy Action Plan so they know what to do in an emergency.

2. Booking appointments & talking to healthcare staff

  • Learn how to contact your GP or hospital team (your parent/carer can show you).
  • Have a look at your clinic appointment correspondence. Is there anything that doesn’t make sense?
  • Write down any questions before your appointments so you don’t forget to ask.

3. Speaking up for yourself

Self‑advocacy means confidently explaining your allergy to others.
Practise by telling restaurant staff or friends’ parents about your allergy and what you need.

4. Thinking about the future

You don’t need to know your dream career yet — but it is good to consider whether you might encounter your allergens in certain work environments. 5. We would find it helpful if you could complete the brief checklist.  You can either use the checklist overleaf or use the QR code below and complete it on your phone

Useful links

We would always advise you seek online advice from allergy-based charities or NHS endorsed organisations.  Here are some excellent resources:

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience

We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback

Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:

Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:

The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.

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