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ME Association Release: "MEA demands entirely new group to rewrite DWP draft guidance"
Posted By:
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The ME Association released the following on 20th Sep 2005. The release details a list of the health professionals who have been involved in preparing the DWP's proposed new medical guidance on ME/CFS (for use by their decision makers when assessing disability benefit applications).
What is extremely concerning is that, although ME/CFS is acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as a Disorder of the Nervous System (ICD G93.3), no Neurologist was present on that board!
Click here for more info on WHO classification of ME, Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, and so forth...
In addition, despite increasing compelling evidence that our illness is not psychiatric (and again, as specifically recognised by WHO), the panel consists of 3 medical professionals who seem to specialise in psychology!
No wonder the ME Association are unhappy with the clear bias of the DWP's revised proposals (for ME/CFS guidelines) towards the controversial psychiatric approach towards ME/CFS!
The ME Association's release is below:
If you have not already done so, please write to your local MP about this! It's only from the grass roots up that we can make some changes!
For more information on what you can do, including info on how to find out your MP's contact details, and a template letter you can use, click here!
Obviously the template letter would need to be updated to reflect recent events, but I think, just deleting certain paragraphs from the template letter will suffice (in addition to perhaps including a copy of the above release from the ME Association, in your letter to your local MP).
Be heard! We are not being treated fairly because the whole basis on which our illness is judged (by the DWP benefits examiners), is incorrect! Please send your letter - every little helps.
What is extremely concerning is that, although ME/CFS is acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as a Disorder of the Nervous System (ICD G93.3), no Neurologist was present on that board!
Click here for more info on WHO classification of ME, Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, and so forth...
In addition, despite increasing compelling evidence that our illness is not psychiatric (and again, as specifically recognised by WHO), the panel consists of 3 medical professionals who seem to specialise in psychology!
No wonder the ME Association are unhappy with the clear bias of the DWP's revised proposals (for ME/CFS guidelines) towards the controversial psychiatric approach towards ME/CFS!
The ME Association's release is below:
MEA demands entirely new group to rewrite DWP draft guidance
The DWP have now made public the list of health professionals who
have been involved in preparing this proposed new medical guidance
on ME/CFS for use by their decision makers when assessing disability
benefit applications.
The full list of names is as follows:
Dr Peter White, Professor of Psychological Medicine MBBS MRCP FRCPsych BSc
(Hons)
Barts and the London
Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry
St Bartholomew's Hospital
London EC1A 7BE, UK
Professor Tom Sensky, MBBS PhD BSc FRCPsych
Representative of Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board
Department of Psychological Medicine
Imperial College
Lakeside Mental Health Unit
West Middlesex University Hospital
Isleworth
TW7 6AF
Dr William DA Bruce-Jones MBBS MPhil MRCPsych, Consultant Adult & Liaison
Psychiatrist
Consultant Adult & Liaison Psychiatrist
Joint Medical Lead
B&NES Locality
Avon & Wiltshire Partnership Trust
Dr Clare Fleming
Ex GP, with personal experience of CFS
Dr A K Clarke FRCP
Medical Director
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
Upper Borough Walls
Bath
BA1 1RL
Chris Washbrook
Physiotherapist
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
Upper Borough Walls
Bath
BA1 1RL
Anne Johnson
Occupational Therapist
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
Upper Borough Walls
Bath
BA1 1RL
The MEA's initial response to this draft can be found by clicking on this link: MEA rejects unacceptable draft guidance
As a direct result of this highly critical response, and other representations, we have been asked to attend a further meeting with the DWP on October 17th at which we intend to call for a complete rewrite of this guidance by another group of health professionals.
Dr Charles Shepherd
Medical Adviser, The ME Association
If you have not already done so, please write to your local MP about this! It's only from the grass roots up that we can make some changes!
For more information on what you can do, including info on how to find out your MP's contact details, and a template letter you can use, click here!
Obviously the template letter would need to be updated to reflect recent events, but I think, just deleting certain paragraphs from the template letter will suffice (in addition to perhaps including a copy of the above release from the ME Association, in your letter to your local MP).
Be heard! We are not being treated fairly because the whole basis on which our illness is judged (by the DWP benefits examiners), is incorrect! Please send your letter - every little helps.
