The next Worcestershire NHS CFS/ME Service Recovery and Management group, on Wednesday 25 March, is being led by Sarah Sherwood, who will be talking about pain management. Sarah is an experienced Psychologist with the Pain Management team in Worcester.

The Recovery and Management group is run on a bimonthly basis, and is open to anybody who has previously received treatment from the NHS CFS/ME Service and has now been discharged.  It aims to provide people further support without having to be re-referred to the CFS/ME Service.

All sessions are run by staff members of the NHS CFS/ME Service and are held on the last Wednesday of every other month at Ability House, St John's Campus, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ.
 
The Group’s 2020 Timetable -
 
March 25th 2020 - Pain management (Sarah Sherwood)
May 27th 2020 - Nutrition (Pam Clarke)
July 29th 2020 - Pilates (Sue Bratton)
September 23rd 2020 - The Alexander Technique (Rachel Kevern and Lesley)
November 25th 2020 - ‘Bring and share’ crafts and Christmas social

Please check the NHS CS/ME Service website for further information, and call the service to confirm your attendance beforehand.

Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust would like to hear your opinions and feelings to help develop their future local Neurology Rehabilitation Care Services.

How to get involved - the NHS Trust are holding events in Worcester and Bromsgrove, where you can hear what they do now, and give your views on how things could be improved.
Events:

• 26 February 2020, 2.00 to 4.00 pm, St Peter’s Baptist Church, Eden Close, Worcester, WR5 3TZ
• 5 March 2020, 2.00 to 4.00 pm, BHI Parkside, Stourbridge Road, Bromsgrove, B61 0AZ

For more information or to reserve your place - email b.banner@nhs.net or call 01905 681495

The Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust want local people who have experience of neurological conditions to help them develop a better, more equitable service for future patients and families/carers.
Share this information, and help publicise the Neurology Rehabilitation Care Services future development with their poster (see below).

Dr Mirella Ling, Specialist in Infectious Diseases Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust, is the Lead Clinician of the Worcestershire Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) Local Multi-Disciplinary Team (Local Multi-Disciplinary Team).  Dr Mirella Ling and Dr Mark Roberts, Specialists in Infectious Diseases Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust, hold CFS/ME Clinics at Kidderminster Hospital for a new diagnosis, or when further support is required - plus an Infectious Diseases Registrar occasionally takes the clinic.

The CFS/ME Service’s website has changed.
The updated links to the Worcestershire CFS/ME Local Multi-Disciplinary Team (LMDT) page on the Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust website are on our ‘About ME Worcestershire’ page.

The LMDT information, includes the referral protocol giving details of symptomology and tests that should be done prior to patients being seen by the Consultants.

The 'Following discharge' link gives dates and topics for the Recovery And Management group forthcoming meetings, held on a bimonthly basis.

Four recent publications -
 "Supporting you and your patients with ME/CFS" - Forward-ME's Briefing for GPs.
"A Community … and ME" - Invest in ME Research’s new 42 page booklet.
"Worcestershire GPs’ CFS/ME referral protocol" - highlighted on our blog, in April this year.
"ME Association Clinical and Research Guide" - The Purple Book, 2019 edition.

The following gives more information about these publications  -

• Help your GP understand M.E. -
"Supporting you and your patients with ME/CFS" - Forward-ME's Briefing for GPs.
Copies of the 4 page Forward-ME Briefing "Supporting you and your patients with ME/CFS" were distributed at the Royal College of GPs Conference in Liverpool last month.  During the conference, Action for ME and the ME Association advised GPs on how they can best help people with M.E./CFS.

• Help everyone understand M.E.-
"A Community … and ME" - Invest in ME's 42 page booklet. 
In order to raise awareness of how ME affects a community, Invest in ME Research looks at some figures in society and views their perception of the disease and the problems they are confronted with.   The new downloadable booklet, available to share.

• Help your Worcestershire GP understand M.E.. -
"Worcestershire GPs’ CFS/ME referral protocol" - highlighted on the Worcestershire ME Social Group’s blog in April this year.  Also highlighted on the Group’s handout.

• Help your healthcare professional understand M.E. -
"ME Association Clinical and Research Guide".  Free copies of The Purple Book - 2019 edition are available for health professionals.  The MEA again offer free copies of the 214 page print version to GPs, NHS consultants and other healthcare professionals in the UK.   Highlighted on the Group’s handout.

• Help your Parliamentary Candidates understand M.E. -
If you see your local candidates or their representatives, tell them about this blog, the Worcestershire ME Social Group’s website, and our social gatherings.  Worcestershire MPs' contact information will be updated on the Social Group’s website after the General Election.

Worcestershire GPs’ CFS/ME referral protocol [link goes to word document] is now available on the Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust website.  The referral protocol gives details of symptomology and tests that should be done prior to patients being seen by the ME/CFS Consultants, Dr Mirella Ling or Dr Mark Roberts, Specialist Consultants in Infectious Diseases, at Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust.  Dr Mirella Ling and Dr Mark Roberts, the Lead Clinicians of the Worcestershire Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) Local Multi-Disciplinary Team (LMDT), hold ME/CFS Clinics at Kidderminster Hospital.


The ‘Information for GPs’ explains that a timely diagnosis can make a significant difference to a patient’s prognosis and experience of living with this condition.  This webpage includes an ‘Introductory Guide to Fatigue Management’ 12 page leaflet which provides information for people who are experiencing chronic fatigue, and explains there are approximately 40 conditions that can cause fatigue.  The leaflet gives details of some basic management strategies that may be of use, regardless of diagnosis.

The CFS/ME LMDT’s NICE Guidelines information has been updated -
Although NICE guidelines are currently being reviewed, they currently suggest that the most effective treatments are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help improve the way you feel about the condition, and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) to gradually build up exercise tolerance and improve fatigue levels. The principles of these therapies underpin the treatment provided by the Worcestershire CFS/ME Service.

The CFS/ME LMDT Recovery And Management (RAM) Group Calendar has been updated.  The Recovery And Management group is run on a bimonthly basis, and is open to anybody who has previously received treatment from the CFS/ME LMDT service and has now been discharged.
All sessions will be run by staff members of the Worcestershire CFS/ME service and are held on the last Wednesday of every other month at Ability House, St John's Campus, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ.
Please note that these are provisional topics are subject to change. Please contact 01684 612671 to confirm prior to attending.

• Coping with frustration, anger and other difficult feelings - 29th May 2019 2pm-4pm Ability House, Worcester 
• Mindfulness - 31st July 2019  2pm-4pm Ability House, Worcester 
• Overcoming cognitive problems - 25th September 2019  2pm-4pm Ability House, Worcester 
• ‘Bring and share’ resources you have found helpful (books, courses, DVD’s etc) - 27th November 2019  2pm-4pm Ability House, Worcester 

Worcestershire M.E. Social Group’s website includes NHS Worcestershire Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. Service information.

Events in Worcestershire and nearby during May:      

• Wednesday 4 April - Sunday 20 May
Art and Verse Exhibition at the Artrix, Bromsgrove. Invisible: A New Look at M.E. by Anne Nicholls

From MEA facebook on 20 April:
Anne Nicholls who is exhibiting at The Artix in Bromsgrove, was interviewed on BBC Radio West Midlands recently.  The interview takes place at 1hr 20mins into the broadcast, and lets you know what the exhibition is all about as well as raising awareness of the issues relating to M.E. (Interview available until 15 May).
 
• Thursday 10 May
Worcestershire M.E. Social Group Afternoon Café Meeting -
- The Olive Grove Cafe, - David's Nurseries, Ash Lane, Worcester, WR3 8TB
David's Nurseries is closing but the Olive Grove Cafe is open. Cafe website & facebook.
Join us for a bite to eat, or just a cuppa and chat.
 
• Friday 11 May
Birmingham Millions Missing Protest.
People from Worcestershire are welcome at the Birmingham Missing Millions Protest being organised by the Walsall Fibro and ME Link and Solihull & South Birmingham ME Support Group.
 
• Monday 21 May
Worcestershire M.E. Social Group Lunch
- The Mayfly Restaurant, Cob House Fisheries, Worcester Road, Wichenford, Worcester, WR6 6YE
Join us for a bite to eat, or just a cuppa and chat.
 
• Wednesday 30 May
Worcestershire NHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. Service Recovery And Management (RAM) Group.

Update: Dr Mirella Ling will not be at the May RAM meeting but will be now at the July one.
 
Worcestershire NHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. Service
Recovery And Management (RAM) Group Calendar

Topics for May and July -

• ‘Travelling with CFS/ME’
• ‘A Medical Perspective’ - guest speaker - Dr Mirella Ling, Lead Clinician of the Worcestershire Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) Local Multi-Disciplinary Team (LMDT)

The Recovery And Management (RAM) group is run on a bimonthly basis.  It is held on the last Wednesday of every other month at Ability House, St John's Campus, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ.

The RAM group is open to anybody who has previously received treatment from the service and has now been discharged.  Each session is open, though it is requested that you call the service to confirm your attendance beforehand (01684 612671)

Documentary “Unrest” at the Artrix Cinema, Bromsgrove 
Sunday 8th April 2018 at 7.30pm
 
Disbelieved by doctors, Jennifer Brea turns the camera on herself to reveal the hidden world of millions confined to their homes by ME in her film.
 
Exhibition - Invisible: A New Look at M.E. - will be open on performance evenings
 
Also, Info is on Page 38 of the Artrix magazine.

Previous blog post about "Unrest".
Blog post about exhibition "Invisible: A New Look at M.E.".

Update: Dr Mirella Ling will not be at the May RAM meeting but will be now at the July one. (Link to updated post).

Worcestershire NHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. Service
Recovery And Management (RAM) Group Calendar

Topics for March, May and July -

• ‘Employment and Benefits’ - guest speaker - Judy Jeeves from the Department for Work and Pensions.
• ‘A Medical Perspective’ - guest speaker - Dr Mirella Ling, Lead Clinician of the Worcestershire Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) Local Multi-Disciplinary Team (LMDT)
• ‘Travelling with CFS/ME’

The Recovery And Management (RAM) group is run on a bimonthly basis.  It is held on the last Wednesday of every other month at Ability House, St John's Campus, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ.

The RAM group is open to anybody who has previously received treatment from the service and has now been discharged.  Each session is open, though it is requested that you call the service to confirm your attendance beforehand (01684 612671)

Marina Townend has confirmed that the LMDT team, as at the beginning of February 2018 is:

Marina Townend - (part time Specialist Occupational Therapist / Team Leader)
Helen Ayres - (part time Clinical Psychologist)
Sara Young - (part time Occupational Therapist)
Kirsti Barnes - (part time Administrator)
George Hampson (Psychology student, part time)
Lillie Howells (OT student, part time)