Children with eczema will no longer be offered bath lotions on the NHS.

The watchdog said it had reviewed the evidence and concluded that there is not enough evidence bath emollients are effective.

New draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) found emollients were not cost effective.

However, it said some children may benefit from bath emollients and these can still be bought over the counter if people want them.

NICE’s guidance states that children can and should continue to use emollients and/or emollient wash products instead of soaps.

NICE said: “While evidence suggested that emollient bath additives do not make eczema worse, the committee considered that prescribing an ineffective product places unnecessary burdens on patients and carers, in terms of acquiring and using the product."

Nice said emollient bath additives do not make eczema worse (
Image:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Nice's committee looked at evidence from the year-long Bathe trial in 2018 including 482 children from 96 GP surgeries which found that pouring emollient additives into the bath provided no additional benefit over standard eczema care.

Nice said that while emollient bath additives do not make eczema worse, prescribing an "ineffective" product places "unnecessary burdens" on patients and carers in terms of obtaining and using the products.

The new draft guideline - on the diagnosis and management of atopic eczema in children under 12 - is now subject to public consultation.

The guidance brings the watchdog into line with NHS England's advice in 2019 that emollient bath additives should not be routinely prescribed.

Eczema, which causes red and itchy skin, affects around one in five children and can result in regular flare-ups or can be a continuous problem.

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