NHS services have clearly been affected by the Covid pandemic and we can appreciate the immense strain it has placed on NHS resources. However, since March 2020 there has been a notable effect on people with ME/CFS (and on others with long-term chronic conditions) who have needed to see a GP or specialist.
Many people with ME/CFS are still waiting for GPs to provide accessible appointments and for specialist services to reduce waiting times or to reopen. People who need an early and accurate diagnosis have been waiting for much longer than the recommended 3 months and haven't been referred to secondary care which has meant that some will have had treatment delayed if they have a diagnosis other than ME/CFS. Those with the condition will not have received help with management or have care and support plans established that can help with ongoing care, or been offered help with benefits, or care needs assessments.
But there have also been some really encouraging reports of GPs and specialists that have been providing really good levels of care despite the pandemic. We wanted to ask the community how their healthcare has been affected since the pandemic, and try to gauge how effective the NHS has been at serving their needs during this time.
Survey Results
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