A study of a specialist paediatric CFS/ME service in Bristol found that out of 405 children studied between 2006 and 2009 only 1/125 of those with severe CFS/ME and 49/263 of those with mild to moderate CFS/M.E. were seen within NICE recommended time frames. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend referral to specialist services immediately if severely affected, within 3 months if moderately affected and within 6 months if mildly affected. The median time-to-assessment was 18 months.
