Does anyone have experience of these allergy clinics - Harefield, St Mary's Mt Vernon?

[saadia]

Don't know which one to choose, have to make an appointment. Does anyone have experience (good or bad) of any of these ?

[greenbananas]

I have no experience at all of those particular clinics - but, if you ring the Anaphylaxis Campaign, the helpline people will direct you to a website which has details of various 'proper' paediatric allergy specialists. I wish I could remember the website address!

We rang the Anaphylaxis Campaign maybe six months ago, about something else entirely (DS seemed to have developed a new allergy to cats, and I wanted to know if we should rehome our cat). We live in a very small provincial city, and the paediatrician we had been seeing was lovely, but was a general practitioner and only did about two allergy clinics per month (presumably with limited funding). I liked her, respected her professional knowledge, and was sad that she couldn't help us more - and I didn't even realise that there was more help available than this. I just thought we were unlucky not to live closer to London or Manchester etc.

After ringing the Anaphylaxis Campaign, and following the advice to be referred (by DS1's GP) to a main allergy clinic which is within travelling distance, we have learned more about DS1's allergies in just half a year than we had learned in the previous five years! He has been tested for all sorts of things, and has passed a peanut challenge.

Travelling some 60 miles to a big city is hard for us, as we are very skint and have had to organise the whole car thing, but it is worth it!!!

I seriously recommend ringing the Anaphylaxis Campaign, whether or not you are a member.

[eragon]

we are at st marys for our kids. been pretty happy there, an appointment every 9 months or so.

[saadia]

Thank you greenbananas and eragon. I made the appt yesterday at Queen Mary's. They could give the earliest appointment. Am really impressed with the NHS online booking system ( used for the first time).

greenbananas that's very useful info about the campaign, will contact them if needed.