The BBC website reports that the Isle of Man support services for people with ME/CFS and Long COVID are on track to launch this September.
Extracts
Currently, only a small interim service is available to those with the conditions.
More than 500 people on the island are know to have long Covid, with a further 350 living with CFS, which is also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
The project group, which includes doctors and other health professionals, support charities and representatives from similar services in the UK, was working to “design a service that is fit for purpose and sustainable over the long-term”, a Manx Care spokeswoman said
A GP specialising in Long Covid and ME/CFS will be recruited to join the service on a formal basis in due course, she added.
Director of Operations, Oliver Radford, said the service would be “very welcome” on the island, and the health care provider would continue to “work with people who have lived experiences of these conditions to develop the service”.
Campaigners have previously criticised the lack of dedicated services on the island.
Comment
“We are working with Juan Corlett, Chairman of ME Support in the Isle of Man, on the development of a completely new multidisciplinary referral service for people with both ME/CFS and Long Covid. The ME/CFS component will be following all the recommendations in the new NICE guideline, and if all goes to plan this model of referral service could be used elsewhere where it is felt that a combined ME/CFS and Long Covid service would be more appropriate. In addition to the symptom overlap between ME/CFS and Long Covid, a combined service service is being set up in the Isle of Man because of the smaller population that their Department of Health covers.”
Dr Charles Shepherd, ME Association.
“Support from the ME Association and Dr Shepherd was crucial in getting the ball rolling for these developments. We are grateful for their support and also the receptiveness of senior management on the Isle of Man to our ideas. Amongst others, input from Dr Sue Pemberton and Dr Vikki McKeever from the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic has also been invaluable. We have been learning from the best!”
Juan Corlett, IOM Support.