Almost 2 years have passed since, on International ME Awareness Day 2022, the Rt Hon Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Sajid Javid) issued a written statement on ME/CFS. Two initiatives were announced which the Secretary of State pledged showed the Government’s commitment ‘to better care and support for people living with ME/CFS and their families.’ The second of these was the promise of a Delivery Plan. Since then, a draft has been published, with consultation ending October 2023, and the government taking the full 12 weeks permitted to analyse the results. The DHSC consultation page (updated 4th September 2023) did say “We will publish the final delivery plan later this year.” after all.
Queries have naturally arisen as to when the final Delivery Plan will actually be published. An ‘answer’ has been provided in response to linked Written Questions by Seema Malhotra MP (UIN 22956, 22957, and 22958) by the Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson (Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care))
We have finished consulting on My Full Reality, the cross-Government interim delivery plan on ME, which seeks to improve the experiences and outcomes of people living with this condition. We are in the process of analysing the results of the consultation. The views and experiences gathered through this consultation will be used to build a picture of how well the interim delivery plan identifies and meets the needs of the ME community, and to highlight any significant gaps where further action may be necessary. We will publish a summary of the consultation responses, which will inform the final delivery plan being published later this year, in due course.
UIN 22958, tabled on 22 April 2024
