The ME Association is committed to working with the NHS and social care providers to improve healthcare for people with ME/CFS and Long Covid.
The ME Association
Recently, one of our wonderful supporters shared her experiences regarding trying to encourage primary healthcare professionals to undertake e-learning about ME/CFS, as part of continuing professional development and to further aid their understanding of the disease. We are pleased to be able to share her story with you.
Jane's Story
I was encouraged by your recent articles about educating G.Ps regarding M.E and decided. to have one more go at engaging my local surgery.
Over nearly 14 years I, like many others have had to fight to be referred, had no GP monitoring, and received negative comments. On several occasions, I have attempted to engage staff through email, written letters, providing leaflets, and face-to-face requests for training of staff and support but to no avail.
A few weeks ago, I attended the surgery for an unrelated matter and at the end of the consultation politely asked the doctor if she had read the NICE guideline on M.E or ever received any training.
She admitted that she hadn’t and there followed an open conversation about my experience and M.E provision in general.
At the end, she asked me to email her information. I wrote immediately suggesting she contact the ME Association and also sent a link to the new e-learning.
Yesterday she confirmed that she had completed the e-learning and had arranged training for staff.
I shed a few tears as I see this as a huge breakthrough. The doctor is young and I feel there is a new openness to learning about M.E.
I hope that your campaign is really successful and the clinical staff will be willing to take part in training and implement what they learn.
I used to volunteer in advocacy and M.E took that away so this small victory feels very special to me. ’m encouraging other friends with M.E to persevere and try again to communicate with their G.P, although it is really exhausting!
Thank you for all that you do!
MEA Comment:
Dear Jane.
Thanks for letting us know that our campaign to educate health professionals about the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS is having a really positive effect at your GP surgery.
The MEA has sent out copies of our guide to the new NICE guideline on ME/CFS to all GP surgeries in the UK. We have a steadily growing list of doctors and other health professionals who receive our quarterly medical magazine (see information below).
And, we still have funds in our medical education budget to send a free copy of the ME/CFS/PVFS Clinical & Research Guide 2022 Edition (also known as the ‘MEA Purple Book') to any health professional, including students, who would like one.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
Information for Healthcare Professionals
The ME Association (MEA) has a wide range of information and medical education resources for healthcare professionals (HCP) including links to continuing professional development (CPD) modules from Learna Study PRN and MIMS Learning plus videos produced by Dialogues for a neglected illness (Dialogues for ME/CFS).
Using our Medical Education budget, we can send out MEA information including the ME/CFS/PVFS Clinical & Research Guide 2022 Edition (also known as the ‘MEA Purple Book') and ME Medical (HCP quarterly magazine) to nominated healthcare professionals and for healthcare professionals who wish to be added to the mailing list.
Further information
ME Association Statement: Improving healthcare for people with ME/CFS and Long Covid | 14th May 2024
NHS England Launches New E-learning Module on ME/CFS! | 21st May 2024