ME services in Sussex are under pressure, says charity

The NHS specialist Long Covid services have recently closed leaving many patients without professional help and leaving general practitioners with little choice other than to refer people to the ME/CFS clinics that already receive around forty referrals per month in Sussex. The local charity is also being overwhelmed by the increased demands on their services.

Sussex MPs have tabled Parliamentary questions concerning these matters and the Department of Health and Social care minister has clearly stated that service provision and staffing for both ME/CFS services and long COVID services are the responsibility of local integrated care boards.

Colin Barton, ME Society chairman says: ‘ME/CFS and LC are post viral fatigue syndromes that share virtually the same symptoms that means that services should be expanded and not reduced.’

Dr Alastair Miller, ME Society advisor says: ‘ It seems that the overwhelming majority of long-Covid cases is post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome MECFS . The symptoms of long-Covid are identical to those of MECFS and have all the cardinal features of that syndrome’