Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 16 May 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 18 May 2007. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Thursday, 24 May 2007 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Question: (2) what her strategy is to ensure that local service providers meet local need for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome services.

Answer: In 2004 the Department formally requested the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). NICE expects to publish this guidance in August 2007.Local national health service organisations have the responsibility to demonstrate that they are making progress towards achieving the level of service quality described in the National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions (the NSF). Since publication of the NSF, the Department has co-ordinated a range of activity to help local health and social care organisations take forward implementation of the NSF. This includes:"working with key NHS, social care, voluntary and independent sector stakeholders, as well as service users and carers, to identify and address key issues in neurological services and the stakeholders' role in implementation;""ensuring that other key delivery programmes, most especially the White Paper ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ and the long-term conditions strategy help deliver key NSF objectives; and""work with the Care Services Improvement Partnership to promote implementation of the NSF through a co-ordinated work programme, including regional workshops, a web-based getting started pack and self-assessment tool for services."

Secondary information