ME Association welcomes the Gibson Report
The ME Association welcomes the report of the Gibson Inquiry, in particular the way in which Dr Ian Gibson and his colleagues have:
• Carefully listened to the views of clinicians, researchers and people with ME.
• Argued that there must now be massive research investment into the biomedical model of the illness and that the historical advantage given to psychosocial research is unfair.
• Noted that the UK is now 'way behind' other countries in relation to research and called for a genuinely independent medical panel to assess the current state of research.
• Acknowledged the need to properly identify all the illnesses that come under the ME/CFS umbrella
• Supported the establishment of the new NHS hospital-based services
• Emphasised that graded exercise treatment (GET) can cause a massive worsening of the condition, especially in the severely affected group.
• Criticised the current draft of guidance for health professionals that has been prepared by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
• Identified the very serious problems that people with ME/CFS often face when trying to obtain sickness and disability benefits
Commenting on the report, Dr Charles Shepherd, medical adviser to The ME Association, said:
'Those who have been named and shamed in this report can no longer ignore the very powerful messages in the Gibson Inquiry report.
"The Medical Research Council must now accept the need for a properly funded research programme into the physical cause of ME. The Department of Work and Pensions will have to look again at their flawed medical guidance on this illness. And the proposals on diagnosis and treatment being put forward by NICE will have to be rewritten.
"On behalf of our members, the ME Association would like to thank Dr Gibson and his colleagues for agreeing to investigate one of the most controversial and complex areas of medicine and then producing a report with conclusions that should make a real difference to the lives of at least 250,000 people in the UK."
ENDS
Journalists/broadcasters: please phone Tony Britton,
Press and PR, The ME Association
Tel: 01406 370293 Mob: 07880 502927 Email: Tony Britton
• Carefully listened to the views of clinicians, researchers and people with ME.
• Argued that there must now be massive research investment into the biomedical model of the illness and that the historical advantage given to psychosocial research is unfair.
• Noted that the UK is now 'way behind' other countries in relation to research and called for a genuinely independent medical panel to assess the current state of research.
• Acknowledged the need to properly identify all the illnesses that come under the ME/CFS umbrella
• Supported the establishment of the new NHS hospital-based services
• Emphasised that graded exercise treatment (GET) can cause a massive worsening of the condition, especially in the severely affected group.
• Criticised the current draft of guidance for health professionals that has been prepared by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
• Identified the very serious problems that people with ME/CFS often face when trying to obtain sickness and disability benefits
Commenting on the report, Dr Charles Shepherd, medical adviser to The ME Association, said:
'Those who have been named and shamed in this report can no longer ignore the very powerful messages in the Gibson Inquiry report.
"The Medical Research Council must now accept the need for a properly funded research programme into the physical cause of ME. The Department of Work and Pensions will have to look again at their flawed medical guidance on this illness. And the proposals on diagnosis and treatment being put forward by NICE will have to be rewritten.
"On behalf of our members, the ME Association would like to thank Dr Gibson and his colleagues for agreeing to investigate one of the most controversial and complex areas of medicine and then producing a report with conclusions that should make a real difference to the lives of at least 250,000 people in the UK."
ENDS
Journalists/broadcasters: please phone Tony Britton,
Press and PR, The ME Association
Tel: 01406 370293 Mob: 07880 502927 Email: Tony Britton
posted by ME Association at 1:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home