Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) update GP guidance and (b) increase GP awareness of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.

General practice is where most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the Royal College of General Practitioners (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 2007, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the clinical guideline, ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children. This sets out best practice in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with the condition