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 help improve support for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in Yeovil constituency.

NHS England is responsible for allocating funding to integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Somerset ICB which covers the Yeovil constituency, and ICBs are in turn responsible for commissioning specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services to meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding.

The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on ME/CFS diagnosis and management, published in October 2021. The NICE’s guidelines provide recommendations on the principles of care for people with severe ME/CFS, including hospital care, and adapting a multidisciplinary approach involving access to a range of health and social care professionals based on needs.

At a national level, we aim to publish the ME/CFS final delivery plan by the end of June 2025. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of the people with this debilitating disease. The responses to the interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with the Government, the National Health Service, and external stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan.