Welcome to the NELFT Mid and South Essex Milk Allergy Resource Hub. 

The hub supports the virtual Community Cows Milk Allergy Service. The dietetic led service combines a mixture of dietetic phone assessments and review appointments, with a range of electronic information to help parents understand delayed (non-IgE) cows milk allergy and its management.

The service is designed for children who are referred under 1 with suspected or confirmed delayed cows milk allergy who are registered with a Mid and South Essex GP and who are within the Mid and South Essex region.

We are unable to open care for older children, older children not using a prescribed formula or children with symptoms of an immediate allergy. Information to support where these children should be referred to for dietetic support can be found, in the exclusion criteria section, on our referral information page.

The information offered by the service will help families gain an understanding of their child’s cows milk allergy.  The service typically, directly supports families until the child is about 14 months old and the service is unable to continue to offer dietetic support if the child does not have a milk allergy. Where appropriate and if indicated the dietitians will request an onward referral to another local dietetic service provider.

Typically, the service can offer support around the key times within your child milk allergy journey and early feeding development, usually this is when the most change is occurring. This is tailored to the child’s needs and may vary and depend on how old the child is when they are referred and at what point they are in their cows milk allergy journey.

• On Referral
• Milk Challenge
• Weaning (approx. 5 to 8 months)
• Milk Reintroduction (approx. 10 months of age)
• Future Planning (between 12 - 18 months of age)

Whilst the child may not have outgrown their allergy when they are discharged from the service, it is expected that families will be well equipped to continue to manage their needs. 

There is lots of useful information below. It is hoped that the information will help answer a lot of the common questions and concerns that parents ask, along with practical advice relating to cows milk allergy. If after reading and considering the support information you still have questions please reach out to the team.

Please click on the boxes below to view the different downloadable information sheets.