Coeliac Awareness Month 2024

That the Parliament notes that May 2024 is Coeliac Awareness Month; understands that coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune disease affecting one in 100 people; expresses concern that almost two-thirds of people with the condition, equating to almost half a million people in the UK and 32,000 in Scotland alone, reportedly remain undiagnosed and run the risk of long-term complications; believes that the reported average time of 13 years from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis is unacceptable, and that it is essential that efforts are made to improve awareness of the condition amongst healthcare professionals and the public to recognise the symptoms of the disease and ensure faster diagnosis, and calls on the Scottish Government to take steps towards reducing the time to diagnosis by ensuring the adoption of a unified clinical pathway for coeliac disease across all NHS boards on a "Once for Scotland" basis.