Mike Weatherley (Conservative MP for Hove) tabled a question that asked the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he had made of the results of research published in the online journal BMJOpen into the proportion of school children who have chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME); and what steps he planned to take in response to the finding of that research that less than 25 per cent. of children in England affected by CFS/ME have access to the health provision required by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
In a written answer supplied on 6 February 2012, Anne Milton (the Public Health Minister) replied:
The Government are committed to ensuring all children and young people have access to the health services they need, and we welcome the research report on the BMJOnline website and the recommendations within it. It will be a useful addition to the evidence base in this area.
There are already initiatives being undertaken by Government that are seeking to improve health-related services for children.
On 26 January , we launched the Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Strategy, which aims to maximise health outcomes that matter the most to children, young people their families and the professionals that support them. It will also show how all parts of the health system, with partners, will contribute to enabling every child and young, person to reach their full potential. The broad scope of the strategy will help to ensure that the issues in the report are considered.
A link to the full BMJOpen report can be found HERE.
Mr Colin Barton, chairman of the Sussex and Kent ME Society, has asked us to point out that Mr Weatherley's question was prompted by his society and the Association of Young People with M.E.
Errr… so he didn’t answer the question then?
And what’s this new strategy got to do with CFS/ME? Surely the current system needs fixing, and not another system adding that dilutes the matter by potentially shoving it under a convenient carpet.