Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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 Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

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.