Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

Please ask our experts your adult medical questions about ME/CFS here.

Moderator: talkhealth

Locked
11 posts
BaileyBoo
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:30 pm

by BaileyBoo on Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:58 pm

Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

Hi, I was diagnosed with ME / CFS approximately a year ago. Since that time I have very much been left to educate myself on the subject & struggle on. My GP is very helpful & supportive, but with no specialist treatment clinic in my area, there is little more to be done than symptom management. I would really like to see a specialist and work on pacing or G.E.T. or something - I don't want to continue to just exist and struggle, I want a treatment plan..... Can I access an NHS ME/CFS Specialist Clinic outside of my area? I would be very grateful for some feedback - many thanks in advance.

User avatar
Dr Charles Shepherd
Posts: 215
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:30 am

by Dr Charles Shepherd on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:05 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

The MEA website has a list of all the hospital based services, along with contact details, for people with ME/CFS in the UK

If there isn't a local service available you have a good case for asking for a referral outside your local area

If this is refused I suggest you write to your MP - especially if he/she is a member of the APPG on ME at Westminster

Roughly where do you live in the UK?

MEA website: http://www.meassociation.org.uk
Dr Charles Shepherd
MB BS, Honorary Medical Adviser, ME Association

BaileyBoo
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:30 pm

by BaileyBoo on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:11 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

Thank you for your reply Dr Shepherd, I live in Northamptonshire. I believe my nearest clinic would be Warwickshire.

User avatar
Dr Charles Shepherd
Posts: 215
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:30 am

by Dr Charles Shepherd on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:12 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

Information on Management from MEA purple booklet:

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=4038

7 MANAGEMENT

7:1 WHO SHOULD MANAGE PEOPLE WITH ME/CFS?

Provided the diagnosis is not in doubt, the management of early and less severe cases of ME/ CFS can be carried out by general practitioners and other members of the primary healthcare team.

During the early stages (i.e. in the first six months), this will involve giving appropriate advice about lifestyle modification, providing symptomatic relief through the careful use of drugs, and dealing with problems which may arise relating to employment, benefits and social support.

If the illness becomes more chronic and/or severe, consideration should be given towards referring the patient to a hospital physician who is genuinely interested and informed about ME/CFS. The authors of this publication believe that, while clinical services must be multidisciplinary, they should be physician-led.

In some parts of the UK, local multidisciplinary services have been established which permit easy access to dieticians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and other health professionals who may be able to play a useful role in the management of more difficult cases.

The ME Association website (http://www.meassociation.org.uk) holds a list of Clinical Network Co-ordinating Centres (CNCCs) and Local Multidisciplinary Teams (LMDTs) that have been established in England with £8.5 million of funding from the Department of Health.

Unfortunately, there are still many parts of the UK, especially Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where general practitioners are unable to locate a single hospital consultant with the neces- sary expertise in ME/CFS.

The situation in Scotland may now change following initiatives that have been taken to provide separate clinical guidance (ie the Scottish Good Practice Statement) to that produced by NICE and proposals for the establishment of hospital-based referral services.

There are also a small number of tertiary referral centres where in-patient facilities and research into ME/CFS is being carried out.

7:2 GENERAL PRINCIPLES
● It is important to provide advice, information and support from the onset - even before a firm diagnosis has been made.
● Decision making should always be shared with the patient.
● Explain the range of management options that are available and ways in which specific symptoms might be relieved.
● What works for one patient may not work for another – so it is vital to match interventions to the needs and circumstances of the individual.
● Simple steps like keeping a diary over a four week period may help to identify unhelpful approaches to activity management – eg cramming too much into ‘good days’ and paying the price on ‘bad days’.
● Discuss the possibility of relapses, how they occur, and how to cope with them when they occur.
● Provide information and support on other key aspects of management including state sickness benefits, education, employment and nutrition.
● Provide information on other sources of support – charities, disability organisations etc.
● Provide advice on prognosis that is both optimistic and realistic.

The NICE guideline on ME/CFS states that:
The healthcare professional responsible for your care should make a care plan with you, which is looked at and kept up to date every time you see a health professional about your CFS/ME. It should include the symptoms and history of your condition, plans of treatments and self-help techniques you may be using, information and support needs, plans for work or education, and contact details for health- care professionals treating you.

If you have severe ME/CFS, you should be offered a summary of every discussion so that you can refer to it afterwards.
Dr Charles Shepherd
MB BS, Honorary Medical Adviser, ME Association

User avatar
Dr Charles Shepherd
Posts: 215
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:30 am

by Dr Charles Shepherd on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:14 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

From the MEA website NHS services directory:


Nuneaton, Warwickshire
George Eliot Hospital, College Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 7DJ.
Tel: 024 7686 5212
ME/CFS service clinic days, Friday afternoons. Waiting time for initial appointment, 13 weeks. Lead clinician, Dr Vinod Patel, with multi-disciplinary team comprising occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse and psychologist. Dr Patel is a consultant physician in diabetes and endocrinology and Reader in Clinical Skills at Warwick Medical School.

We receive very good reports about this service
Dr Charles Shepherd
MB BS, Honorary Medical Adviser, ME Association

BaileyBoo
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:30 pm

by BaileyBoo on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:18 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

Dr Shepherd, would I approach my GP and ask him to refer me to Warwickshire?

User avatar
Dr Charles Shepherd
Posts: 215
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:30 am

by Dr Charles Shepherd on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

You can try and see what he/she says!
Dr Charles Shepherd
MB BS, Honorary Medical Adviser, ME Association

BaileyBoo
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:30 pm

by BaileyBoo on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:26 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

Many thanks for your help Dr Shepherd, it is greatly appreciated.

georginaadams
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:10 pm

by georginaadams on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:33 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

BaileyBoo wrote:Dr Shepherd, would I approach my GP and ask him to refer me to Warwickshire?

I know that this clinic was accepting referrals from Northamptonshire and I assume it still is. (Sorry to interrupt).

BaileyBoo
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:30 pm

by BaileyBoo on Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:51 pm

Re: Access to ME / CFS Specialist Clinics

That's great, many thanks georginaadams, I'm really encouraged to hear that:-)

Locked
11 posts