Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
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 the implementation of NICE Guidelines on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Answered by Will Quince
‘My Full Reality’, the cross-government Interim Delivery Plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) was published on 9 August 2023. The Plan aims to improve experiences and outcomes for people with ME/CFS by setting out agreed actions to drive an expansion of research, better education of professionals, improvements in attitudes towards the condition, and improvements to service provision. Alongside the Plan we have published an eight-week consultation to build a picture of how well the Plan meets the needs of the ME/CFS community, and to highlight any significant gaps where further action may be necessary. The Plan and consultation are available at the following link:
We have made no assessment of the implications of the report published by Action for ME, ‘Implementation of the NICE Guideline [NG206] on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in England’, the adequacy of implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on ME/CFS, or on the provision of specialist services for people with ME/CFS.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with ME/CFS to meet local needs. In making commissioning decisions, we would expect ICBs to consider guidelines published by NICE.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to release a delivery plan for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
‘My Full Reality’, the cross-government Interim Delivery Plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) was published on 9 August 2023. The Plan aims to improve experiences and outcomes for people with ME/CFS by setting out agreed actions to drive an expansion of research, better education of professionals, improvements in attitudes towards the condition, and improvements to service provision. Alongside the Plan we have published an eight-week consultation to build a picture of how well the Plan meets the needs of the ME/CFS community, and to highlight any significant gaps where further action may be necessary. The Plan and consultation are available at the following link:
We have made no assessment of the implications of the report published by Action for ME, ‘Implementation of the NICE Guideline [NG206] on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in England’, the adequacy of implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on ME/CFS, or on the provision of specialist services for people with ME/CFS.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with ME/CFS to meet local needs. In making commissioning decisions, we would expect ICBs to consider guidelines published by NICE.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of IV fluid interventions on patients with Postural tachycardia syndrome; and if he will take steps to support this treatment at York Hospital.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made no assessment of the potential impact of IV fluid interventions on patients with postural tachycardia syndrome. Therefore, there are no plans to support this treatment at York Hospital.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and recommends being aware that people with these conditions may experience orthostatic intolerance, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. It does not make any recommendations on management or treatment; however, it does recommend that people with ME/CFS should maintain fluid intake as part of healthy diet.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for a cross-Government delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department plans to publish a draft delivery plan on ME/CFS shortly. We intend to seek views on the draft plan before publishing a final delivery plan at a later date.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 potential merits of providing additional funding for research into treatments for myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has asked the UK Clinical Research Collaboration to convene a subgroup on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) with a range of stakeholders, including research funders, to ensure high quality applications for research into ME/CFS and support the research community to build capacity and capability.
On 12 May 2022, we announced the intention to develop a cross-Government Delivery Plan for ME/CFS in England. The delivery plan will build on the recommendations of the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership and the recently updated guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to ensure that people living with ME/CFS have the appropriate support.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the cross-Government delivery plan on ME/CFS for England.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department plans to publish a draft delivery plan on ME/CFS shortly. We intend to seek views on the draft plan before publishing a final delivery plan at a later date.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are eligible for the spring covid-19 booster.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government continues to be guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on who should be offered COVID-19 vaccinations. The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, hospitalisation and mortality. Older persons, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed continue to be at highest risk of severe COVID-19.
As a precautionary measure, the JCVI has recommended that an extra booster vaccine dose should be offered in spring 2023 to adults 75 years old and over, residents in a care home for older adults and individuals five years old and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) green book.
Individuals with ME/CFS are not eligible for the COVID-19 spring 2023 booster vaccination unless they meet the criteria for one or more of the groups listed in addition to having ME/CFS.
The JCVI regularly reviews its advice in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination programme, considering new data, evidence on the effectiveness of the programme and the epidemiological situation.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the ME Association on the ME/CFS Delivery Plan.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the development of the cross Government Delivery Plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including the ME Association.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using SNOMED-CT diagnostic codes to determine the number of (a) adults and (b) children living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase funding for (a) the treatment of and (b) research into myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of the local population, including people with ME/CFS. The Department is developing a cross-Government Delivery Plan on ME/CFS. As part of the plan, we are working with other Government departments and stakeholders to determine ways to improve experiences and outcomes for all people who have ME/CFS.
The Government invests in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), through UK Research and Innovation. The NIHR and MRC both welcome high-quality applications for research into all aspects of ME/CFS, including biomedical research. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions.