ME/CFS: Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will require that healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with very severe ME complete condition-specific (a) training and (b) e-learning.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
NHS England, with support from the Department, has developed an e-learning programme to support healthcare professionals in the care of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), of all levels of severity. All four sessions of the e-learning programme are now available, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the fourth session, which includes support and clinical management of severe ME/CFS, is only available to healthcare professionals. Further information can be found at the following link:
https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288
The Medical Schools Council will promote the e-learning programme to all United Kingdom medical schools and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS.
Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed guidance on the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, including mental health support for people with ME/CFS and their families. NICE guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice, and although NICE guidelines are not mandatory, healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account.
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