SURVEYS
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SEVERE ME WEEK SURVEY
We are concentrating on three very important aspects of what GPs (General Practitioners), and other members of a primary care health team, should be doing to care for and manage people with ME/CFS who cannot travel to the surgery for appointments.
- In relation to home visits and ongoing care, all the evidence that we currently have indicates the many people in this situation experience great difficulty in obtaining a home visit and are often refused one or told they are not available.
- In regard to ongoing and regular reviews the picture is very similar. In some cases, this means that people no longer have any contact with their GP.
- When it comes to support for social care and needs assessments, and help with aids and adaptions, the picture is more mixed in that some GPs are happy to be supportive, while others are not.
Archive of Surveys
If you have had a Covid-19 booster how did it affect you....
- Pfizer (Comirnaty) - no adverse reaction (11%)
- Pfizer (Comirnaty) - mild reaction (25%)
- Pfizer (Comirnaty) - moderate reaction (16%)
- Pfizer (Comirnaty) - severe reaction (7%)
- Moderna (Spikevax) - no adverse reaction (2%)
- Moderna (Spikevax) - mild reaction (11%)
- Moderna (Spikevax) - moderate reaction (10%)
- Moderna (Spikevax) - severe reaction (4%)
- Waiting to have a booster (3%)
- Not yet decided (2%)
- Not having a booster (4%)
- My ME has improved after Pfizer (Comirnaty) (1%)
- My ME has improved after Moderna (Spikevax) (0%)
- My ME has improved after Astrazeneca (0%)
- Astrazeneca - no adverse reaction (1%)
- Astrazeneca - mild reaction (1%)
- Astrazeneca - moderate reaction (1%)
- Astrazeneca - severe reaction (1%)
Total Voters: 1,563
Start Date: December 7, 2021 @ 2:46 pm
End Date: No Expiry
Do you agree/disagree with the decision by NICE to state that GET should no longer be used as a recommended treatment for ME?
- Agree (99%)
- Not Sure (1%)
- Disagree (0%)
Total Voters: 1,909
Start Date: November 3, 2021 @ 10:07 pm
End Date: No Expiry
Are you currently receiving welfare benefits, carers allowance, social care or have you made any applications in the last 12 months?
- I receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (34%)
- I receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) (25%)
- I receive Universal Credit (UC) and Limited Capability For Work (LCW) (2%)
- I receive Universal Credit (UC) and Limited Capability For Work Related Activity (LCWRA) (6%)
- I receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) (2%)
- I receive Attendance Allowance (AA) (0%)
- I receive Social Care (SC) (1%)
- I receive Carers Allowance (CA) (1%)
- I applied for PIP but was unsuccessful (4%)
- I applied for ESA but was unsuccessful (2%)
- I applied for UC but was not given LCW (1%)
- I applied for UC but was not given LCWRA (1%)
- I applied for DLA but was unsuccessful (0%)
- I applied for AA but was unsuccessful (0%)
- I applied for SC but was unsuccessful (0%)
- I applied for CA but was unsuccessful (0%)
- My initial application was declined, and I am waiting on a mandatory reconsideration (1%)
- My initial application was declined, and I am waiting for a tribunal hearing (0%)
- I did not think I was eligible for these benefits and so haven’t applied (8%)
- I have not needed to apply for any of these benefits (5%)
- I am currently going through the application and assessment process (5%)
Total Voters: 460
Start Date: October 4, 2021 @ 8:17 pm
End Date: No Expiry
Have the Royal Colleges behaved responsibly in obstructing publication and implementation of the new NICE guideline on ME/CFS?
- Yes, they have acted responsibly (4%)
- Not sure (2%)
- No, they have acted irresponsibly (94%)
Total Voters: 1,789
Start Date: September 1, 2021 @ 9:45 am
End Date: No Expiry
Did you have the 2nd Covid vaccine, and will you have the 3rd vaccine booster in September?
- Yes – I had the 2nd vaccine with no bad reactions (21%)
- Yes – I will be having the 3rd vaccine booster if I am eligible (31%)
- Yes – I had the 2nd vaccine and a short-term bad reaction (13%)
- Yes – I had the 2nd vaccine and a medium-term bad reaction (5%)
- Yes – I had the 2nd vaccine and a relapse that is ongoing (7%)
- No – I haven’t had the 2nd vaccine, but will when it is offered (2%)
- No – I decided not to have the 2nd vaccine and won’t have the 3rd vaccine either (1%)
- No – I decided not to have the 2nd vaccine because the 1st caused a bad reaction (4%)
- No – I will not be having the 3rd vaccine booster because the 2nd vaccine caused a bad reaction (3%)
- I haven’t made my mind up about the 3rd vaccine booster even if I am eligible (8%)
- I haven't received the 1st vaccine yet and will see how I get on (6%)
Total Voters: 998
Start Date: July 6, 2021 @ 8:35 am
End Date: No Expiry
What has been your experience of DWP benefit assessments, or re-assessments, for ESA and / or PIP during the past year?
- ESA - Excellent (5%)
- ESA - Good (3%)
- ESA - OK (6%)
- ESA - Mixed - good and bad (5%)
- ESA - Poor (2%)
- ESA - Very poor (8%)
- PIP - Excellent (3%)
- PIP - Good (5%)
- PIP - OK (4%)
- PIP - Mixed - good and bad (4%)
- PIP - Poor (7%)
- PIP - Very poor (19%)
- Not claiming any DWP benefits (28%)
Total Voters: 183
Start Date: June 3, 2021 @ 12:34 pm
End Date: No Expiry
Consider the last time you had any contact with the NHS about ME/CFS. How would you rate this experience?
- Excellent (3%)
- Good (5%)
- Average (8%)
- Poor (33%)
- Very Poor (46%)
- I do not engage with the NHS (5%)
Total Voters: 118
Start Date: May 10, 2021 @ 6:00 am
End Date: No Expiry
If you have ME/CFS and have made use of the MEA Covid vaccine priority template letters (for GPs and/or CCGs/Health Boards), what was the outcome?
- England - positive outcome: I received or will receive early vaccination (39%)
- England - negative outcome: I was told I couldn't have an early vaccination (37%)
- England - awaiting outcome (4%)
- N. Ireland - positive outcome: I received or will receive early vaccination (0%)
- N. Ireland - negative outcome: I was told I couldn't have an early vaccination (1%)
- N. Ireland - awaiting outcome (0%)
- Scotland - positive outcome: I received or will receive early vaccination (2%)
- Scotland - negative outcome: I was told I couldn't have an early vaccination (3%)
- Scotland - awaiting outcome (1%)
- Wales - positive outcome: I received or will receive early vaccination (2%)
- Wales - negative outcome: I was told I couldn't have an early vaccination (2%)
- Wales - awaiting outcome (0%)
- General - positive outcome: I didn't use the template letters, but I received or will receive early vaccination (4%)
- General - negative outcome: I didn't use the template letters, and was told I couldn't have an early vaccination (2%)
- General - I wasn't aware of the template letters but hope to use them soon (0%)
- General - I haven't been able to engage with my GP or CCG/Health Board (1%)
- General - I don't think eligibility is a viable option and I haven't pursued it (1%)
- General - I haven't been able to pursue eligibility because I am not well enough (2%)
Total Voters: 751
Start Date: April 7, 2021 @ 11:30 am
End Date: No Expiry
Have you had your Covid vaccination? If so, how did you feel afterwards? Choose up to 3 answers.
- I felt fine. No discernible issues even after a few days. (7%)
- I felt surprisingly better for a few days after the vaccine. (2%)
- I experienced side effects e.g., sore arm, increased fatigue, headache, chills, slight fever, etc. (19%)
- I had some of the above side-effects and an increase in ME/CFS symptoms. (12%)
- I had some of the above side-effects but no increase in ME/CFS symptoms. (9%)
- I had all of the above side-effects and an increase in ME/CFS symptoms. (12%)
- I had none of the above side-effects but had an increase in ME/CFS symptoms. (1%)
- I had significant side-effects and/or a significant increase in ME/CFS symptoms and had to consult my doctor. (4%)
- The issues resolved within days of the vaccination. (10%)
- The issues resolved within a week of the vaccination. (8%)
- The issues took longer than a week to resolve. (9%)
- The issues remain unresolved and have led to a relapse in ME/CFS. (7%)
Total Voters: 1,956
Start Date: March 5, 2021 @ 10:00 am
End Date: No Expiry
Are you going to have a COVID-19 vaccine when it is made available to you?
- Yes - Definitely (57%)
- Yes - I have already been vaccinated (12%)
- Yes - Probably (7%)
- Not sure - waiting for more information on possible side effects (5%)
- Not sure - waiting to see what happens to other people with ME/CFS who are vaccinated (12%)
- Probably not (2%)
- Definitely not (5%)
Total Voters: 6,060
Start Date: January 13, 2021 @ 9:43 am
End Date: No Expiry