5. What support services does the Welsh Government have in place for patients with long-term, fluctuating health conditions? OAQ(5)0137(HWS)

We have a wide range of policies designed to help support people with long-term, fluctuating health conditions to maximise their quality of life for as long as possible.

Thank you. Given evidence that the suicide rate amongst people with the neurological condition myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME, is more than six times higher than that of the general population, what actions is the Welsh Government taking to move forward with the recommendations set out in the ME/CFS and fibromyalgia task and finish group’s August 2014 report to address the lack of appropriate healthcare services for people with ME?

I don’t have the specific detail to answer the detail of that question. I’ll happily write to the Member, and copy in other Members, to give him detail on the specific questions that he raises.

I’ve recently been doing some work to support the campaign to raise awareness of ME or chronic fatigue syndrome ahead of ME Awareness Week in May and to support the work of ME Support in Glamorgan, which is run by a constituent of mine. What the campaigners tell me is that they’d like not only better awareness among GPs about the condition, but faster diagnosis. They also say that they’d like specialist facilities here in Wales, as some are having to travel far afield to help their recovery. What can the Cabinet Secretary do to help promote faster diagnosis, and are there any plans to create a specialist centre in Wales?

I’m not aware that we have plans to create a specialist centre in Wales. We do, though, have a chronic fatigue syndrome and an ME implementation group that are considering how we improve the service here in Wales. And, again, when I respond on the initial point, I’m happy to provide a more general update for Members on the points you raised as well, about faster diagnosis and plans for the future service.