The UK National Service Framework and                                      ME/CFS

                                        Margaret Williams
                                        13th March 2006

In 2001, during the deliberations by the Chief Medical Officer's so-called "independent" Working Group on "CFS/ME" --all drafts of which made it obvious that the only model to be countenanced was to be the psychosocial model -- Professor Malcolm Hooper et al pointed out that such a model was in contempt of the available evidence of the organic

nature of the disorder and that ME/CFS was likely to be included in the then-forthcoming UK National Service Framework for chronic neurological disorders.

To support this, they quoted from a letter dated 30th May 2001 from Linda Percival at the Department of Health, who had written: "To improve services for people with long-term illnesses, the Government recently announced a National Service Framework (NSF). The NSF will have a particular focus on the needs of people with neurological disease, as well as developing generic standards of care for people with long- term chronic illness. It is very likely that chronic conditions such as ME/CFS will be included. The NSF will ensure that services are better organised and more focused towards the needs of people with long term health conditions" (ref: TO 2001/15353).

Hooper et al were immediately denounced by Chris Clark, CEO of Action for ME who, on 8th June 2001 wrote to someone saying: "I had been told ME was definitely NOT to be

included in the neurological NSF. If this message is true it is sensational".

Who told Clark that ME/CFS was not to be included or accepted as a neurological

disorder? Was it the psychiatric lobby, with whom he closely co-operates? Was it because the psychiatric lobby would not tolerate any departure from their own well-publicised agenda to re-classify ME/CFS as a behavioural disorder?

Whatever the answer, it is immaterial, since the evidence that ME/CFS is included in the NSF as a chronic neurological disorder is now irrefutable.

The NSF was launched on 10th March 2005 and it sets standards of treatment, care and support across health and social services, focusing particularly on long-term neurological conditions. The Convenor of the Cambridgeshire Neurological Alliance (ME Association Trustee Diane Newman) commented at the time: "This particular NSF focuses on

neurological conditions and ME/CFS falls in that remit" (ref: ME Essential: Issue 94: Spring 2005: page 21).

The National Service Framework for Long Term Conditions currently being developed will set out the generic standards which will benefit people with a wide range of chronic illness including people with CFS/ME (see:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/HealthAndSocialCareArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4098128&chk=bXJnLS