The specialist ME/CFS service at George Eliot Hospital has closed, and changes have also been made to the Long Covid/ME service in Rugby, with GPs now referring patients directly to secondary care based on their presenting symptoms.
The ME Association is concerned that these service changes appear to have taken place without a formal public consultation, despite the impact they may have on people with ME/CFS and those awaiting diagnosis and support.
We've been in correspondence with the Trust, local MPs and are now seeking further information from the commissioners within the ICB – a task made harder by the wider restructuring of ICBs across the Midlands, including a new clustering arrangement between Coventry and Warwickshire ICB and Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB. We have requested greater transparency about how these decisions were reached and what arrangements are now in place to ensure patients continue to receive appropriate care.
We have not yet heard back from the MPs, but have been advised that responses can take up to 28 days.
If you have been affected by these service changes or have information that may help us better understand the current situation, we'd be pleased to hear from you at health@meassociation.org.uk.