Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, published in April 2021, on treating and caring for people with ME, are being implemented across the NHS effectively.

The Government is funding research into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) through the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council. Current research projects include DecodeME, looking into the causes of the condition. In November 2021, we met with a group of research experts on ME/CFS and continue to work with stakeholders to consider how best to support continued research. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also collaborating with stakeholders, including Versus Arthritis, to coordinate support for people with chronic long-term pain conditions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its guideline on chronic pain in April 2021, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng193

NICE published its guideline on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ME/CFS in October 2021, which is available at the following link:

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206

Whilst guidelines are not mandatory, clinicians and commissioners are expected to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time.