It is with sadness that ME Research UK learns of the death of prominent academic and Chief Medical Officer of Scotland and thereafter England on 21st July 2025.
On the 16 July 1998, at a scientific briefing to the press at the Royal College of Physicians, the then Chief Medical Officer Sir Kenneth Calman announced the establishment of a Working Group on what was then termed CFS/ME
I recognise chronic fatigue syndrome (sic) is a real entity. It is distressing, debilitating, and affects a very large number of people. It poses a significant challenge to the medical profession.
Although it was Sir Kenneth’s successor in office – Professor Liam Donaldson – who both announced the membership of the CFS/ME Working Group and received the resulting Report, it was Sir Kenneth who instigated the process. The Report covered much the same ground – from treament and care, health service planning, education, awareness to research – as the 2025 Delivery Plan.
In the week when the ME/CFS Delivery Plan has been published it is sobering to note how much failed to progress and how much work and investment is still required to fulfil objectives of the decades old Report namely “.. a real opportunity to review the practical care and support for patients, carers, and healthcare professionals alike.” Indeed, “A programme of research on all aspects of CFS/ME is required” began its final heading.
When the ‘A Report of the CFS/ME Working Group: Report to the Chief Medical Officer of an Independent Working Group’ was published in Feb 2002, the resultant parliamentary debate heard The Minister of State, Department of Health (Jacqui Smith) state
On research, it is clear from what I said about the challenges facing clinicians that we agree with the working group that the evidence base is poor. We fully support the need for more research on a wide range of aspects of CFS/ME and have asked the Medical Research Council to develop a broad strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research. To do this, the MRC will appoint an independent scientific advisory group. The terms of reference and timetable will be agreed in the spring of 2002.
The 2002 Chief Medical Officers Working Group Report on CFS/ME was hoped to signal a landmark change in the perception and treatment of CFS/ME in this country. It identified a number of areas for improvement and made a number of recommendations. The Government ring-fenced £8.5 million for ME/CFS treatment centres with a commitment to continue allocated funding after 2007. A proportion of the ring- fenced funds were used to establish 13 new ME/CFS treatment centres across England.
Momentum failed – as was pointed out in the Gibson Report.
