HC Deb 08 May 2001 vol 368 cc155-6W
Sir Brian Mawhinney

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many ME specialist clinics have outreach mobile units to go to those whose symptoms are so severe as to render them bed or house-bound; [160332]

(2) if he will list those NHS trusts which provide specialist out-patient clinics for those suffering from ME; [160329]

(3) if he will list the NHS trusts which provide specialist (a) in-patient and (b) ward facilities for those suffering from ME. [160331]

Yvette Cooper

The information requested is not held centrally.

The National Health Service provides a considerable number of services which people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) access. These patients are seen within a wide range of hospital specialities including general medicine, neurology and immunology. The CFS/ME working group is developing guidance to improve the quality of care for CFS/ME patients.

Sir Brian Mawhinney

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors specialising in ME are attached to NHS trusts in the(a) Cambridgeshire/Peterborough, (b) Lincolnshire and (c) Northamptonshire health authority areas. [160333]

Yvette Cooper

The information requested is not available centrally or collected in Lincolnshire. Addenbrooke's national health service trust is reported to have five general neurologists working across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. In Northamptonshire, no one clinician has been identified with a particular interest in CFS/ME, although general physicians and neurologists are available to exclude alternative diagnosis.