A third statement arrives from Dr Anthony Hemsley, medical director of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. He is pushing for change and has reformed the way things are done at his hospital because of “this very sad case”.
He writes, “It remains the case that the Trust is not commissioned, whether by NHS England or the regional ICB (NHS Devon integrated care board), to provide a specialist chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ME service for patients with severe/very severe ME. As such, there is no named individual within the CFS/ME service who is assigned the role of managing/co-ordinating the care of patients with severe or very severe ME. This, as far as I am aware, is the position nationally across the country.”
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Hemsley gives evidence and is impressive. He has instigated changes locally which should improve care — they have seven patients on their books, all being treated at home with wraparound community care and bespoke plans if admission to hospital is required.
He has pushed at regional and national level for the development of a specialist service for severe ME patients, but has clearly been thwarted. His own trust is in financial dire straits and he believes that this is something that demands a national response.