Specialist help needed

May 13 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

EARLIER this year, we asked your readers to complete our survey if they had, or had had, the chronic illness known as ME or chronic fatigue syndrome, which affects 250,000 across the UK.

2,763 people from all over the country responded, which is our greatest survey response ever – so thank you for your support.

The results are published this week – ME Awareness Week. What they show is that while health services overall are improving, one recommended treatment seems to be making one in three people worse.

There is as yet no cure for ME, so the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence recommends symptom management, including graded exercise therapy.

Although some people who responded to our survey said that they had found graded exercise beneficial, 34% said it had made them worse.

Some NHS specialists are obviously delivering excellent care but it seems that other inexperienced or inadequately trained health professionals do not understand the illness.

Action for ME is now calling for additional funding for the provision of more ME specialists

Sir Peter Spencer

Chief Executive, Action for ME