Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for a cross-Government delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department plans to publish a draft delivery plan on ME/CFS shortly. We intend to seek views on the draft plan before publishing a final delivery plan at a later date.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for research into treatments for myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has asked the UK Clinical Research Collaboration to convene a subgroup on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) with a range of stakeholders, including research funders, to ensure high quality applications for research into ME/CFS and support the research community to build capacity and capability.
On 12 May 2022, we announced the intention to develop a cross-Government Delivery Plan for ME/CFS in England. The delivery plan will build on the recommendations of the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership and the recently updated guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to ensure that people living with ME/CFS have the appropriate support.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are eligible for the spring covid-19 booster.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government continues to be guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on who should be offered COVID-19 vaccinations. The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, hospitalisation and mortality. Older persons, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed continue to be at highest risk of severe COVID-19.
As a precautionary measure, the JCVI has recommended that an extra booster vaccine dose should be offered in spring 2023 to adults 75 years old and over, residents in a care home for older adults and individuals five years old and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) green book.
Individuals with ME/CFS are not eligible for the COVID-19 spring 2023 booster vaccination unless they meet the criteria for one or more of the groups listed in addition to having ME/CFS.
The JCVI regularly reviews its advice in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination programme, considering new data, evidence on the effectiveness of the programme and the epidemiological situation.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the ME Association on the ME/CFS Delivery Plan.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the development of the cross Government Delivery Plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including the ME Association.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase funding for (a) the treatment of and (b) research into myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of the local population, including people with ME/CFS. The Department is developing a cross-Government Delivery Plan on ME/CFS. As part of the plan, we are working with other Government departments and stakeholders to determine ways to improve experiences and outcomes for all people who have ME/CFS.
The Government invests in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), through UK Research and Innovation. The NIHR and MRC both welcome high-quality applications for research into all aspects of ME/CFS, including biomedical research. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 support patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is developing a cross-Government delivery plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). As part of the delivery plan, we are working with other Government Departments and stakeholders to determine ways to improve experiences and outcomes for all people who have ME/CFS.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 (a) experiences and (b) outcomes for children living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are developing a cross-Government Delivery Plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). As part of the plan, we are working with other Government departments and stakeholders to determine ways to improve experiences and outcomes for all people who have ME/CFS, including children.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has commissioned research into the (a) causation and (b) treatment of children with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is funding four research projects with a specific focus on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children, with a combined funding value of approximately £1.5 million. Between them, these projects are focussed on characterising ME/CFS in children and developing and identifying potential treatments, rather than elucidating an underlying cause. More broadly, the NIHR has provided approximately £4.4 million for research on ME/CFS since 2011. The NIHR welcomes applications for research into ME/CFS causation and treatment in children.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department plans to spend on biomedical research into the (a) causes, (b) consequences and (c) treatment of Myalgic encephalomyelitis in 2022-23.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has provided approximately £4.4 million for research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) since 2011. In addition, the NIHR and the Medical Research Council have jointly funded a £3.2 million study into genetics and ME/CFS. The study will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to search for genetic differences which may indicate underlying causes or an increased risk of developing the condition.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 raise awareness of myalgic encephalomyelitis amongst GPs and other doctors.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General Practitioners and other doctors are responsible for ensuring their clinical knowledge remains up-to-date as part of their continuing professional development.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published an updated guideline on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in October 2021, to improve awareness and understanding about ME/CFS. This guideline includes recommendations on diagnosis and management. NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters and other media.