BBC News have reported on the ME Associations concerns around the closure of ME/CFS services at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, and Dr Charles Shepherd, MEA Hon. medical Adviser, was interviewed about the situation on BBC CWR (Coventry & Warwickshire Radio).
What has happened to the ME/CFS/LC service at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton?
Coventry and Warwickshire has closed its dedicated services for ME/CFS and Long COVID. Both the Rugby-based community service and the George Eliot Hospital (GEH) service are now closed.
What have the ME Association been doing about this closure?
Since December 2025, the ME Association's Healthcare 4 ME team has been engaging with local NHS bodies in an effort to understand and challenge these decisions – initially to prevent closure and subsequently to secure clear answers about how and why they were made.
BBC News Online Coverage: Article Extracts
“The ME Association said George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton had closed its service, while those with Long Covid served by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW), were being referred to other care schemes by their local GPs.
Dr Charles Shepherd, the charity's medical advisor, said many patients relying on the support services in Warwickshire were finding out via social media and that in some cases GPs had also been left in the dark.
In a statement, NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which commissions services, said it had not changed funding packages, but acknowledged that specialist clinics had been stopped.
However, it would not be drawn on what services remained accessible to patients.”
Listen in to BBC Radio interview with Dr Charles Shepherd!
BBC CWR interviewed Dr Charles Shepherd, MEA Hon. Medical Adviser, about the situation at George Elliot Hospital on July 13th 2026 – listen in to the interview on BBC Sounds via the link below [time stamp 01.50.00]
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
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