The goal of June 2025 for publication of the Delivery Plan has now passed. Lest it be forgotten it was originally promised to be published by the end of 2022. The Plan failed to materialise as it moved through the morass of working groups and sub-working groups and consultation reviews. A succession of other publication dates – end 2023, 2024, winter 2024/2025, March 2025, and most recently June 2025 have all come and gone and now Ministers have regrouped and moved from ‘in due course‘ to coalesce around ‘shortly’.
It would not be unreasonable to query whether the almost 3 year delay is due simply to loss of momentum and lack of political will as the creator and political driver of the process – Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP – left office as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care shortly after the process was announced leaving the matter in the hands of those without a personal connection to the disease and so lacking the impetus to make transformative change.
When, on 4th July 2025, John Milne MP asked (UIN 65147) when the Delivery Plan would be published Ashley Dalton MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) responded
The myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, final delivery plan will be published shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.
Boosting research? From answers to various parliamentary questions it is already known that the Delivery Plan will be meek in ambition and short on resources where research is concerned –
We intend to provide additional support to ME/CFS researchers to develop high quality funding applications and to access existing National Institute for Health and Care Research and Medical Research Council research funding. All research funding applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Our forthcoming ME/CFS delivery plan will outline the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications and, therefore, increase the allocation of funding to this area.
Will the wait be worth it?
