SIR – James Le Fanu
discusses ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
ME is classified by the Department of Health as a “long-term neurological disease of unknown cause”, and guidelines were issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence some years ago.
These days, there are a number of specialist NHS centres across Britain staffed by doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists and occupational therapists. These services – set up when the DoH provided £8.5 million for the purpose in 2005 – deal with around 11,000 new referrals a year and have seen well over 100,000 patients so far in England alone. There is a desperate need for further funding to expand these vital services, and for more biomedical research.
Colin Barton
Chairman, Sussex and Kent ME/CFS Society
Brighton, East Sussex