The UK's only dedicated hospital-bed service for people with ME/CFS=0A=0Ais=
to close within the next month or so because too few patients are=0Abeing =
referred to it from around the country, the NHS confirmed this=0Aevening.=
=0A=0AThe decision to close the inpatient unit at the Queen's Hospital,=0AR=
omford, Essex, was condemned by The ME Association as "completely=0Aunaccep=
table".=0A=0AMEA medical adviser, Dr Charles Shepherd, said that about a qu=
arter of=0Aeverybody diagnosed with ME/CFS were housebound, bedbound or nee=
ded to=0Ause wheelchairs at some stage in their lives.=0A=0A"The closure of=
this vital service means that there will now be=0Anowhere for people sever=
ely affected to obtain this type of clinical=0Aassessment and management an=
d will perpetuate the neglect of this group=0Aof patients. It is completely=
unacceptable", he said.=0A=0AThe decision was announced in a statement dat=
ed July 8 =E2=80=93 but only=0Areleased this evening =E2=80=93 by Barking, =
Havering and Redbridge=0AUniversity Hospitals NHS Trust.=0A=0AA Trust spoke=
sperson said:=0A=0A"Our review identified that NHS commissioners would like=
to care for=0Apatients with CFS/ME closer to home, rather than them coming=
into=0Ahospital here in Romford. As a result, we will look to use the 2-5 =
CFS=0Abeds we currently have to provide improved neuro-rehabilitation for=
=0Apatients in our local area instead.=0A=0A"At the moment, many local peop=
le who have head/spinal injuries have=0Ato wait some time for specialist tr=
eatment or travel a long distance=0Aaway."=0A=0AThe outpatient clinic will =
continue.=0A=0AOn this, the trust said: "We heard from many patients and th=
eir=0Arepresentatives that they value the service Queen's has offered for=
=0ACFS. As a result, we will look to continue to offer a neurological=0Aass=
essment and specialist occupational therapy service for CFS as an=0Aoutpati=
ent service."=0A=0AThe matter was considered by the trust last Wednesday (J=
uly 6) when it=0Arejected two other options =E2=80=93 continuing with both =
inpatient and=0Aoutpatient care or cancelling both services completely.=0A=
=0ABackground reports=0A=0AAccording to internal reports seen by trust memb=
ers, there were only 14=0Anew admissions to the inpatient service in the la=
st financial year when=0Athe service cost =C2=A3937,000. And, while eight C=
FS beds were moved from=0AOldchurch Hospital when the service transferred t=
o Queen's, only 3-4=0Aof these beds had been used in the last year.=0A=0ATh=
e retirement of the lead consultant, Professor Leslie Findley, and an=0Aass=
ociated specialist and the heavy dependence on specialist therapy and=0Acou=
nselling staff =E2=80=93 in many cases expensive agency staff =E2=80=93 wer=
e=0Aalso factors.=0A=0AThe trust said 26 emails, four letters and an online=
petition signed by=0A1,190 people were received when the future of the ser=
vice was put out to=0Areview. A smaller number of representations were made=
in confidence. The=0Atrust admitted that there had been "some criticism" o=
f the=0Anature of the review =E2=80=93 with some patients complaining that =
it had=0Abeen difficult to respond within the six weeks allowed, there had =
been=0Ainadequate publicity and that the board appeared to have pre-empted =
the=0Adecision at a meeting four months earlier.=0A=0AAnd staff at Queen's =
complained that too little effort had been made=0Aeither to replace the ass=
ociate specialist or a new lead consultant,=0Aafter Professor Findley decid=
ed to reduce his hours in January.=0A=C2=A0=0ATony Britton=0APublicity Mana=
ger, ME Association=0AHome-based: 60 Broadgate, Weston, Spalding PE12 6HY=
=0ATel: 01406 370293 Mob: 07880 502927=0AME Association website=0AFollow us=
on Facebookand Twitter
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