If they are able finally to pull it off, a remarkable collaboration between patients and the NHS will produce what is being hailed as a transformational new service for people with ME/CFS on the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk.
East Coast Community Healthcare is advertising this week for a Consultant/Specialist to lead the ME and CFS service for the two eastern counties.
Significantly, the advert says:
“We are currently embarking on a major “Transformation” programme for the ME and CFS Service in collaboration with both Norfolk and Suffolk commissioners and our regional Patient Group that aims to change the delivery of our existing multi-disciplinary ME and CFS Service. The transformation programme is delivering change from a ‘therapy-led' service to a multi-disciplinary consultant led service which takes a biomedical approach. This transformation is based on the recommendations of a comprehensive Needs Assessment carried out by NHS Norfolk in 2011.
“The Consultant led Service will provide diagnosis support, ongoing care and domiciliary support to both children and adults, including the severely affected 25% of patients, across the whole of Norfolk and Suffolk. This is in line with demonstrated needs identified in a comprehensive Needs Assessment published in March 2012 by the Norfolk Public Health Consultant.
“The service will offer advice on a wide range of symptom control models, access to aids, equipment and other modes of support provided both in-house and via outward referral to specialist services.
“The expansion of our service provision aims to increase the level of specialist support, steer and management available for our patients and staff.”
East Coast Community Healthcare says it will consider specialists from a number of disciplines – for example from haematology, rheumatology, neurology, immunology, allergy, endocrinology. The service will be provided in various locations in Waveney District and Great Yarmouth.
Salary is negotiable and applications will close “as soon as sufficient applications have been received.”
The first clinical lead of the service was consultant haematologist Dr Terry Mitchell, who died earlier this year aged 74 three years after receiving a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Dr Mitchell ran the service on biomedical principles and was held in high regard by his patients.
12 October 2015: This subject is being discussed in detail on the Phoenix Rising web forum right now.
Is the tide turning at last? Let’s hope so.
Congratulations to the unnamed patients who played their part – they have given hope to the rest of us in other parts of the country. The advert means that we can demand similar services.