§ Mr. HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions there are for specific training for GPs(a) before and (b) post qualification for the diagnosis and treatment of ME. [33711]
§ Ms JowellThere are currently no provisions for specific training for general practitioners before or post qualification for the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
It is not practicable or desirable for the Government to prescribe the exact training that any individual doctor will receive. In general practice each trainee general practitioner will, during their year of general practice training, regularly see patients who present with those illnesses which are most common, which may well include patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME. This is in addition to the training received in medical school and during the pre-registration year and during their two-year hospital rotation.
Additionally, doctors are encouraged to continue with their medical education after qualification and it is expected that they will spend some of this time learning about the illnesses they most commonly encounter.