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 improve access to ME/CFS support in Ashfield.

Residents of Ashfield with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), are supported primarily through the Community Pain Management Service (CPMS), commissioned by the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board for the mid Nottinghamshire area, which covers Mansfield and Ashfield and Newark and Sherwood.

The CPMS delivers a multi-disciplinary, community-based service for adults, those aged 16 years old and over, with chronic pain and/or ME/CFS. The service is designed to be accessible, equitable, and holistic, supporting both physical and psychological needs.

Ashfield residents can access the service at several local clinics, including Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre in Sutton-in-Ashfield, as well as other sites across mid Nottinghamshire, including Mansfield Community Hospital and Oak Tree Health Centre.

Referrals are accepted from general practitioners, musculoskeletal services, and hospital consultants. The service acts as a single point of access, ensuring streamlined and timely triage and assessment.