Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to classify fibromyalgia as a long-term condition.

A long-term health condition (LTC) can be defined as a condition that cannot be cured but can be managed through the use of medication and/or therapy, and by that definition fibromyalgia is an LTC.

Diagnosing fibromyalgia can be difficult as there is no specific diagnostic test that can be used, and the symptoms can vary from person to person. Diagnosis is usually made by taking a medical history, checking symptoms and carrying out a physical examination. Blood tests, x-rays and other scans may be used to rule out medical conditions with similar symptoms to fibromyalgia.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum includes training in musculoskeletal conditions, and as such, general practitioner (GP) training can include fibromyalgia. A key component of a trainee GP’s final assessment, alongside the Clinical Skills Assessment and Workplace Based Assessment, is the applied knowledge test (AKT). The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins independent general practice in the United Kingdom within the context of the National Health Service. The content guide for the RCGP, which serves to prepare trainees for the test, includes a specific reference to a required knowledge of fibromyalgia. The AKT content guide can be found at the following link:

www.rcgp.org.uk/training-exams/mrcgp-exams-overview/~/media/D96EB4E0188E4355BCC9221B55859B08.ashx

A range of support exists to help GPs identify the signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia in primary care. This includes the Map of Medicine, an online evidence-based guide and clinical decision support tool for clinicians which has a fibromyalgia and chronic pain pathway to support diagnosis and referral, an e-learning course developed by the Royal College of GPs and Arthritis Research UK on musculoskeletal care, including fibromyalgia, and a medical guide developed by the Fibromyalgia Association UK (FMUK) for health professionals. Information for the public can be found on the NHS Choices website and is also available in a patients information guide produced by FMUK. The medical guide, patient information booklet and NHS choice webpage on fibromyalgia can be found at the following links:

www.fmauk.org/dmdocuments/Medical%20Pack.pdf

www.fmauk.org/information-packs-mainmenu-58/booklet-mainmenu-135/490-patient-booklet

www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/