Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regional provision of services for patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; and what steps he is taking to increase the availability of specialist services.

The commissioning of specialised services for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs are expected to commission services that meet the needs of their local populations, in line with national standards, service specifications, and clinical access policies set by NHS England. Prioritisation of service provision remains at the discretion of local ICBs, which may result in variations of services across different regions.

The Department, working with NHS England, is developing a national template service specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS to support commissioners and providers in planning and delivering services. The template is intended as a guide to best practice, rather than a mandatory or prescriptive service model, and is being designed to support local adaptation in line with population need and existing service configurations. This could help to reduce variation between services, although decisions on how to implement the template remains at the discretion of ICBs.