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What is the current NHS service provision for patients severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A national scoping exercise

What is the current NHS service provision for patients severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A national scoping exercise
What is the current NHS service provision for patients severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A national scoping exercise

Background: Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), in its most severe clinical presentation, can result in patients becoming housebound and bedbound so unable to access most available specialist services. This presents particular clinical risks and treatment needs for which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises specialist medical care and monitoring. The extent of National Health Service (NHS) specialist provision in England for severe CFS/ME is currently unknown.


Objectives: To establish the current NHS provision for patients with severe CFS/ME in England.


Setting: and participants All 49 English NHS specialist CFS/ME adult services in England, in 2013.


Method: Cross-sectional survey by email questionnaire.

Primary outcome measures: Adherence to NICE guidelines for severe CFS/ME.


Results: All 49 services replied (100%). 33% (16/49) of specialist CFS/ME services provided no service for housebound patients. 55% (27/49) services did treat patients with severe CFS/ME and their interventions followed the NICE guidelines. The remaining services (12%, 6/49) offered occasional or minimal support where funding allowed. There was one NHS unit providing specialist inpatient CFS/ME provision in England.


Conclusions: Study findings highlight substantial variation in access to specialist care for patients with severe presentation of CFS/ME. Where treatment was provided, this appeared to comply with NICE recommendations for this patient group.
e005083-[6pp]
McDermott, Clare
731edcc4-daf0-432d-98aa-45052beae320
Al Haddabi, Atheer
d22348c3-dc5e-4154-9877-c9acba78044d
Akagi, Hiroko
c4f58170-2407-4795-bad6-25800de95def
Selby, Michelle
6d2b6c29-b07e-4fc3-b5f3-bf213d43979c
Cox, Diane
f1cb7737-6dee-4e4b-a1b0-0ba8f3edfce0
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625
McDermott, Clare
731edcc4-daf0-432d-98aa-45052beae320
Al Haddabi, Atheer
d22348c3-dc5e-4154-9877-c9acba78044d
Akagi, Hiroko
c4f58170-2407-4795-bad6-25800de95def
Selby, Michelle
6d2b6c29-b07e-4fc3-b5f3-bf213d43979c
Cox, Diane
f1cb7737-6dee-4e4b-a1b0-0ba8f3edfce0
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625

McDermott, Clare, Al Haddabi, Atheer, Akagi, Hiroko, Selby, Michelle, Cox, Diane and Lewith, George (2014) What is the current NHS service provision for patients severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A national scoping exercise. BMJ Open, 4, e005083-[6pp]. (doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005083).

Record type: Article

Abstract


Background: Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), in its most severe clinical presentation, can result in patients becoming housebound and bedbound so unable to access most available specialist services. This presents particular clinical risks and treatment needs for which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises specialist medical care and monitoring. The extent of National Health Service (NHS) specialist provision in England for severe CFS/ME is currently unknown.


Objectives: To establish the current NHS provision for patients with severe CFS/ME in England.


Setting: and participants All 49 English NHS specialist CFS/ME adult services in England, in 2013.


Method: Cross-sectional survey by email questionnaire.

Primary outcome measures: Adherence to NICE guidelines for severe CFS/ME.


Results: All 49 services replied (100%). 33% (16/49) of specialist CFS/ME services provided no service for housebound patients. 55% (27/49) services did treat patients with severe CFS/ME and their interventions followed the NICE guidelines. The remaining services (12%, 6/49) offered occasional or minimal support where funding allowed. There was one NHS unit providing specialist inpatient CFS/ME provision in England.


Conclusions: Study findings highlight substantial variation in access to specialist care for patients with severe presentation of CFS/ME. Where treatment was provided, this appeared to comply with NICE recommendations for this patient group.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 1 July 2014
Published date: July 2014
Organisations: Primary Care & Population Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 367759
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/367759
PURE UUID: b504e182-0727-41a8-a25f-971395dba15e
ORCID for Clare McDermott: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7389-2116

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Date deposited: 09 Sep 2014 09:46
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:27

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Contributors

Author: Clare McDermott ORCID iD
Author: Atheer Al Haddabi
Author: Hiroko Akagi
Author: Michelle Selby
Author: Diane Cox
Author: George Lewith

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