§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in(a)the Jarrow constituency, (b)South Tyneside, (c)Tyne and Wear, (d)the north east and (e)the UK; what information and support is available to people diagnosed with fibromyalgia; how many multidisciplinary clinics for fibromyalgia there are in the UK; and if he plans to fund a multidisciplinary clinic for fibromyalgia in the north east. [45217]
§ Jacqui SmithThe information requested on the incidence of fibromyalgia is not available in the form requested, as we do not collect data on the incidence of individual conditions. We do, however, have some information on finished consultant episodes as shown in the table.
Finished consultant episodes (FCES) for fibromyalgia1by area of residence NHS hospitals, England 2000–01 Area of residence Number QDG Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 33 Northern and Yorkshire RO 227 England 1,360 The diagnosis (ICD-10) code used was M79.0—Other soft tissue disorders, not elsewhere classified; rheumatism, unspecified. This includes fibromyalgia and fibrositis.
An FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within the year. Figures in this table have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data.
People with fibromyalgia can access the normal range of NHS services according to their needs. There is also information available from NHS Direct on fibromyalgia either by telephone or on their website.
454WWe do not hold information centrally on how NHS services are configured locally. It is for NHS authorities in the north east to decide whether or not they want to fund a multidisciplinary clinic for fibromyalgia as they are responsible for commissioning local services.