An ITV news report on 13th May 2013 highlighted the problems faced by people with ME in finding health and social care in Wales:
People with the condition ME in Wales say they suffer from an absence of specialist care, and have found a lack of sympathy and knowledge in the NHS and social services.
Michelle Penny is 28 and from Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan. She describes how her “day-to-day life is really difficult”, and that she has been “pushed to the back and ignored”.
“We have a growing recognition and a growing investment in conditions such as Alzheimer’s, but conditions such as ME are not so readily recognised or invested in” says Ana Palazon, Chair of the Wales Neurological Alliance. “We want parity and equity of recognition and services for all conditions.”
The Welsh Government says “progress has not been universal across Wales” since it published a care strategy for the treatment of patients with ME in 2011.
The Welsh Government requires Health Boards to put in place measures to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment for patients with ME. A care pathway was set out in 2011, with the involvement of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Task and Finish Group commissioned by the Minister for Health and Social Services in 2010.
Last year, the Welsh Government asked all Health Boards for updates on service developments since the publication of this guidance. The responses received show that there have been some improvements, but that progress has not been universal across Wales.
Therefore the Task and Finish Group will be reconvened this year to consider how services can be further developed to meet the needs of people with CFS and ME in Wales.
