The Countess of Mar tabled a question which asked the Government whether, in the light of research by J Newton and others in the Newcastle NHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Service: “Not all fatigue in the same” (J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2010: 40:304-7), they will establish referral networks for fatigue evaluation and management specifically for departments that commonly manage chronic diseases.
Earl Howe (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State [Quality] at Department of Health) supplied this written answer on 8 February 2011:
We have no plans to establish referral networks for fatigue evaluation and management. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to commission services to meet the needs of their local population living with fatigue, and based on assessment of population need and clinical evidence.
_____________________________
The subject was also discussed by Professor Newton and Professor David Jones in J Occupational Medicine 2010, 60:5:326-329.
This seems to be something of a trend now. ‘We’ are being referred almost always to our PCT’s – who are now packing their bags.
There seems very little in terms of national accountability or even centralised coordination.
So now, each of us will, presumably, be ‘pestering’ our GP ‘consortia’.
More power to the people who are least able to do it for themselves!