Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to expand NHS specialist chronic fatigue syndrome services in (a) Sussex (b) Kent and (c) other areas across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Services for people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). It is the responsibility of the local National Health Service commissioners to ensure NHS services are commissioned to meet local need, including for specialist CFS care, taking into account best practice guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The NICE clinical guideline, ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children’ sets out best practice in the referral of people the with condition to specialist services. The guidance makes specific recommendations on the circumstances in which clinicians should consider referring a patient for specialist care. The guideline can be found at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53