Last Wednesday, Holyrood Health, Care and Sport Committee Convenor Helen McDade (Mid Scotland and Fife Regional MSP, Reform UK) asked the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care, Angela Constance (Almond Valley MSP, SNP) whether it would ring-fence funds for specialist services in NHS Scotland Health Boards, to tackle the burdens of need from this large patient and carer body.
Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the number of people diagnosed with ME and long Covid and recognising that early diagnosis and appropriate care can improve outcomes for recovery or long-term disability, whether it will commit to providing ring-fenced funds to set up specialist clinics staffed by either a nurse practitioner or medical staff in each national health service board area. (S7O-00083)
Helen McDade
The Cabinet Secretary's response was to highlight the apparently continuing policies from the previous parliament for funding services targeted at ME/CFS, Long Covid, and related Long Term Conditions. But she did offer some opportunity for engaging further with patient representative bodies, which the ME Association intends following up on.
About Helen McDade MSP
Helen McDade has been a long term advocate for people with ME/CFS in Scotland. When new charity MERGE (since renamed ME Research UK) were looking at campaigning in the new Scottish Parliament at the turn of the century, Helen joined them as a policy advocate, and was instrumental in helping get the Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on ME set up in 2000.
Subsequently, MERGE (MERUK) decided to concentrate their resources on research, and Helen returned to her career as a vet. But now she has retired from practice and has been elected as an MSP, then chosen as Health Committee convenor. She has already brought ME services before the Scottish Parliament twice since Session 7 opened on 14 May.