The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a UK-wide consultation on proposals that would allow schools to purchase and hold spare adrenaline nasal sprays for emergency use in children at risk of serious allergic reactions.
The consultation is being undertaken jointly with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and follows the introduction of new allergy safety requirements for schools in England, which came into force in September 2026 as part of the first phase of Benedict’s Law.
Schools in England are already required to hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), such as Jext and EpiPen, for use in emergencies. With around 20% of serious food allergy reactions occurring in schools, the consultation is seeking views on whether schools should also be permitted to stock adrenaline nasal sprays – known as EURneffy.
Under the proposals, schools would be able to choose whether to hold adrenaline auto-injectors, adrenaline nasal sprays, or both. The consultation also seeks feedback on how the arrangements would work in practice.
The proposals would not require schools to stock a particular product or brand, nor would they replace the expectation that pupils carry their own prescribed adrenaline medication. Any spare medicines held by a school would continue to serve as a back-up in an emergency.
Minister for Health, James Frith MP said:
“Parents of children with serious allergies should be able to send them to school knowing the right help is there in an emergency. Giving schools another way to respond quickly to a severe allergic reaction could be life-saving, and I’d encourage families, schools and others to have their say in shaping these proposals.”
Amena Warner, Head of Clinical Services, Allergy UK, said:
“Many parents of pupils living at risk of a severe allergic reaction may have this thought at the forefront of their minds of parents when they drop a child at school who lives with an allergy. The children themselves will increasingly understand their condition as they grow and move through the school system.
Anything which can help alleviate worry and treat an allergic reaction promptly is a benefit to the allergic community.
Storing a needle-free adrenaline device that is administered into the nose will offer parents – plus children and young people at risk of anaphylaxis – an easy to use device, more confidence to use it promptly and will give schools choice in how they prepare for and manage an allergic emergency.”
The consultation is open for eight weeks and welcomes responses from anyone with an interest in improving access to emergency treatment for anaphylaxis, including schools, school staff, parents and carers, healthcare professionals, and people living with allergies.
The consultation closes on 14 December 2026.
You can read and respond to the consultation here.
Allergy UK incorporating Anaphylaxis UK provides comprehensive allergy and anaphylaxis AllergyWise® training for schools through both online and face-to-face learning. All AllergyWise® school training courses include information and training on the use of EURneffy, helping staff feel confident in recognising and responding to allergic emergencies.