Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure people with severe ME in need of tube feeding can be safely fed lying flat in NHS hospitals.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on nutrition support for adults and on the diagnosis and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The guidance recognises that people with severe or very severe ME/CFS may be unable to eat and digest food easily and may require support with hydration and nutrition, including enteral tube feeding.

Enteral feeding must be provided safely. Feeding a patient lying flat can increase the risk of aspiration, and clinicians should take the NICE guidance fully into account. However, NICE guidance does not replace clinical judgement. Decisions about positioning and the most appropriate form of nutritional support should be made by the treating clinical team, following an individual assessment of the patient’s needs, risks, and preferences and, where appropriate, with input from a multidisciplinary nutrition support team.

These services are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are responsible for ensuring that appropriate services are available to meet the needs of their populations.