20/01/2004

England's ME sufferers to get specialist centres

People with chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME, will get better support with the creation of 12 new centres in England, the government has announced.

Funded by an £8.5 million cash injection announced last year, the centres and new local support teams will help to end the 'postcode lottery' of care in the NHS.

The centres will be led by specialists in chronic fatigue syndrome, and will improve patient care by: providing access to specialist assessment, diagnosis and advice on treating the condition; developing education and training resources for health professionals to improve staff skills and knowledge; and supporting clinical research into the causes and treatment of the condition.

The 28 local support teams will be spread across the country and will provide help for those adjusting to and coping with ME.

Health Minister Stephen Ladyman said: "As the causes are still not fully understood, ME is also a condition that poses a challenge to medicine and the NHS. These new centres and local teams mean that we can start developing focused, local services that will make a real difference to people's lives."

He also said that the education and training provided by the centres would be "invaluable" in providing health professionals with the information they need to help their patients.

The 12 centres will be based in: Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham/West Midlands, East Midlands, East Anglia, North London (St Bartholomew's), Surrey (Sutton), Bath/Bristol and Cornwall/Devon.

(gmcg)

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