More than one million people in Scotland who suffer from allergies are being failed by the NHS, according to an official report.

More than one million people in Scotland who suffer from allergies are being failed by the NHS, according to an official report.

It warned of a "fragmented" service with a lack of specialist care for children and adults with conditions ranging from asthma and hayfever to food allergies.

The Review of Allergy Services in Scotland said that patients' experiences of NHS allergy services "vary across Scotland, but are often negative".

It warned that there were "insufficient" numbers of specialist staff and it recommended the establishment of regional centres to provide tailored care for adult patients as well as a national network of allergy centres to offer paediatric services.

The report said: "The burden of allergic disease in Scotland, as in other parts of the UK, is high and current service provision is clearly failing to meet the needs of many patients."

Around 30% of children and 25% of adults in Scotland are thought to have an allergy and rates have increased over the past 30 years. Allergies are estimated to cost the NHS in Scotland more than £130m a year and they account for more than 4% of GP consultations and 1.5% of hospital admissions.

A report published by the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee in 2000 highlighted concerns about the provision of services and a working group was established in 2005 to make recommendations on future services.

Its review, published yesterday, found there had been "only limited strategic development in terms of allergy service provision" in the past nine years.

Although there had been "modest improvements" in the numbers of consultants and nurse specialists, there was still a shortage of dedicated staff in Scotland and more GPs, nurses, dieticians and pharmacists should be trained in dealing with allergies.

Patients often found it difficult to access information to enable them to manage their condition and there was a need for a "holistic" approach to care.

The report highlighted examples of good practice established in the past nine years, including the West of Scotland Anaphylaxis Service and the NHS Tayside Allergy Advisory Group.

But it said: "Experiences of patients, and their relatives, of interaction with NHS allergy services vary across Scotland, but are often negative.

"Even those patients or parents who had positive experiences expressed concerns about the lack of a whole-system approach to care, particularly at the interfaces between healthcare providers, social services and education services."

The report said there was an "under-provision" of specialist paediatric services, despite the high numbers of children who suffer from allergies, and it warned the lack of quality care could have a long-term impact on these youngsters.

It said: "Properly organised co-operation between primary care and specialist providers is crucial if high-quality and effective management of children with allergy is to be achieved. Unless this happens, outcomes for the affected child in terms of health, schooling and social life will be adversely affected."

The Scottish Government said work was already under way to implement the review's recommendations. A spokesman said: "NHS Scotland's chief executive has written to health boards asking them to begin the process of implementing these immediately."