Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
(asked on 1st June 2018) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of myalgic encephalomyelitis among the public and medical practitioners.
There is information on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) for both healthcare professionals and the general public via the NHS Choices website. Further information is also provided in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on CFS/ME, which is provided in formats suitable for both professionals and the public. Both the NHS Choices and NICE guidance can be found at the following links:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/
Education and training is also an important feature in building the awareness of clinical professionals. In terms of education and training, the General Medical Council sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that new United Kingdom medical graduates must be able to demonstrate and Royal Medical Colleges, such as the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), set the standards for postgraduate medical education in general practice. General practice is where most patients with CFS/ME are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the RCGP Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom within the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of GPs’ qualifying exams. In addition, the RCGP offers a free online e-learning course for clinicians which covers the diagnosis treatment and care of patients with CFS/ME.
Once fully qualified, clinicians are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by NICE.