ME Association: Interim report of the APPG on ME inquiry into NHS Services

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News

APPG press release on NHS inquiry

03 December 2009

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ME has today launched the interim report on its Inquiry into NHS Service Provision for ME/CFS.

Dr Des Turner MP, Chair of the APPG said the evidence submitted to the Group made it clear that the Department of Health (DoH) and the National Health Service (NHS) needs to significantly increase its efforts to ensure that people with ME/CFS get adequate treatment.

“Currently, services offered to patients with ME/CFS are patchy and we have heard of numerous cases where treatment has simply not been available to any adequate standard. This is confounded by delays in diagnosis and failings on the part of General Practioners to recognise the disease or diagnose it,” said Dr Turner MP.

“We found unacceptable variation in provision between different health trusts which needs to be addressed.”

ME/CFS sufferers continue to be badly treated by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and find great difficulty in accessing disability benefits.

The interim report with recommendations is attached.

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From the ME Association

ME Association: Interim report of the APPG on ME inquiry into NHS Services

A copy of the APPG Interim Report, along with the press release issued by the APPG, can be found in the NEWS SECTION of the MEA website: http://www.meassociation.org.uk

I will be preparing a fairly comprehensive summary of the APPG meeting and hope to have this completed by the end of today (Dec 3rd).

The summary will also contain the MEA response to the Interim Report.

Dr Charles Shepherd
ME Association

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Interim report of the APPG on ME inquiry into NHS Services

Thursday, 03 December 2009 10:43

The interim report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on ME inquiry into NHS services for people with ME/CFS was launched at the group’s meeting in the Commons yesterday (Wednesday 2 December 2009).

In a press statement issued after the meeting, APPG chairman Dr Des Turner MP said the evidence submitted to the group made it clear that the Department of Health (DoH) and the National Health Service (NHS) needs to significantly increase its efforts to ensure that people with ME/CFS get adequate treatment.

Dr Turner said: “Currently, services offered to patients with ME/CFS are patchy and we have heard of numerous cases where treatment has simply not been available to any adequate standard. This is confounded by delays in diagnosis and failings on the part of general practitioners to recognise the disease or diagnose it.”

“We found unacceptable variation in provision between different health trusts which needs to be addressed.”

The parliamentarians said that people with ME/CFS continue to be badly treated by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and find great difficulty in accessing disability benefits.

The interim report and recommendations can be read by clicking here:

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/images/stories/appg_interim_report_v1.pdf

The ME Association hopes to be publishing its own response to the interim report later today. When it is available, it will be published at this website.

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