Chamber and committees

The Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME-CFS, for use by General Practitioners has been developed as part of the process of ensuring that people living with ME-CFS get better and more consistent standards of care, including quicker and more reliable diagnosis. The Statement provides GPs with an algorithm setting out the generic care pathway.

The Quick Reference Clinical Guide and a Guide for Patients versions of the Good Practice Statement have been distributed widely to GPs, clinicians and the voluntary sector across Scotland to promote good practice. The Statement and its supporting documents can be found at:

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/GoodPracticeStatementonME-CFSforGeneralPractitioners

It is NHS Boards that are responsible for the design and delivery of services to meet the needs of their local populations. The guidance provided in the good practice statement should not be regarded as prescriptive. Such general advice will always need to be modified by GPs in line with the needs of the individual patient.

There are however some encouraging examples of good practice. For example, NHS Lothian recently held a launch of the Scottish Good Practice Statement on
ME-CFS for local GPs to help raise awareness of the guidance. This event also introduced the new Lothian ME-CFS Patient Pathway and helped put the Scottish Good Practice Statement into a Lothian context.

The Scottish Government has also provided funding to develop and pilot an ME-CFS Service in NHS Lothian. We hope it might encourage other NHS boards to adopt a similar approach should the pilot prove successful.