Sod M.E. Patients - we're going ahead anyway.
On 20th July 2010 a concerned parent, wrote to Ms Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet
Secretary for Health in Scotland, to highlight serious concerns of the Cross
Party Group, regarding the final draft of the `GOOD PRACTICE STATEMENT FOR
GP'S'.
The parent, Mrs xxxx, took a great deal of care and consideration to produce the
16 page critique, which made it clear that ME patients on the CPG, thought the
guidelines were totally unacceptable, and not fit for purpose.
In less than two weeks Mrs xxxx was able to collect 204 signatures, in support
of her letter.
Yesterday (Aug 31st) Mrs xxxx, and all XPG members received the response
published below.
To summarize - we have all spent no less than FIVE WHOLE YEARS of time,
effort, stress and anguish, over this document, only to be BACKSTABED by a bunch
of LOW-LIFE,CORRUPT, IMMORAL, COWARDS.
They will publish the document, no matter what the xxxx we think of it.
LETTER From:Will Scott
Dear Andy (chairman of XPG),
SCOTTISH GOOD PRACTICE STATEMENT ON ME-CFS
I attach a copy of the letter which Shona Robison MSP, the Minister for Public
Health & Sport, has today sent to Mrs xxxxx xxxx giving a substantive reply to
the concerns about the Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME-CFS raised by
members of the Cross Party Group on ME and others.
As you'll see, the Minister has decided that the Statement, along with the quick
reference clinical guide and the guide for lay people, should be published in
the form in which they were submitted by the working group chaired by Professor
Ritchie. Because of the degree of interest there is in seeing the final version
of the documents, we are arranging for them to appear on the SHOW (Scottish
Health on the Web) site tomorrow, Wednesday 1 September. The address at which
they will be found is:
www.show.scot.nhs.uk/GoodPracticeStatementonME-CFSforGeneralPractitioners
but for ease of reference, I'm attaching a pdf version of each document.
I should also mention that we're seeking endorsement of the documents from the
Scottish Neurosciences Council and the Council of the Royal College of General
Practitioners Scotland.
No doubt you'll wish to arrange for this letter and its attachments to be
circulated to the members of the CPG. I hope that will give them sufficient
time to read the documents before the Group's next meeting, on Wednesday 22
September.
Professor Ritchie has asked me to say that he would be willing to attend the
meeting to discuss the published version of the documents, should that be
considered helpful. I'd be grateful if you could let me know whether the Group
would wish to take up his offer.
I'd like to draw attention in particular to the Minister's comment in the final
paragraph of her letter about real progress in the recognition and management of
ME-CFS depending on patients and health professionals working together in
future. We very much hope that work on the Statement and the accompanying
document has paved the way for this in Scotland. The CPG has of course a
central role to play in promoting that joint working.
I'll be attending the meeting on 22 September as usual.
W S SCOTT
:Retro mad:
Iain