Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement in its draft Budget 2025-26 of an additional £4.5 million to "deliver new specialist support across the country for Long Covid, ME, Chronic Fatigue, and other similar conditions", whether this will include funding for the implementation of the NICE guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), in the event that the draft Budget is agreed to by the Parliament.
We want everyone living with ME/CFS in Scotland to be able to access the best possible care and support. That is why the Budget includes a new investment of £4.5 million to deliver specialist support for ME/CFS, Long Covid and other similar conditions. We have commenced early work to determine how this funding should be allocated.
This important investment will help support people with ME/CFS across Scotland, and we are asking Parliament to unite behind the Budget to ensure this funding reaches the people who need it.
While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, it is NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally who have responsibility for both service delivery and ensuring people receive the right care for them, taking into account relevant guidance and the needs of patients. The Health and Social Care Standards, issued in 2017, also set out the expectation that care should be provided by health and social care professionals based on the most relevant evidence, guidance and best practice, as is appropriate to their profession and patient group.
We have already taken a number of steps to demonstrate our support for the NICE guidelines. Most recently in November 2024 we published an analysis of data from all NHS boards about their arrangements for ME/CFS care and their awareness and implementation of the NICE guidelines: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019923.