NAO research on fluctuating conditions

10 June 2011

Policy Officer Tris Rodriguez attended a focus group with the National Audit Office yesterday along with other members of the Neurological Alliance. The purpose of the group was to consider how services had changed since the introduction of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Long Term Conditions.

Tris made the following point:

• Many doctors do not recognise M.E. as a neurological condition in the first place, or recognise that the NSF applies to M.E.

The following points were also made by the group with regards to neurological conditions:

• GPs who do not understand neurological conditions often mistake them for psychiatric disorders.
• No funding was allocated to the implementation of the National Service Framework. It has not been accompanied by any targets or monitoring, and has not been allocated a figurehead to champion it.
• Neurological conditions are complex and many are quite rare.
• There is a need for much greater understanding of neurological conditions at primary level for speedier diagnosis and referral to appropriate specialists.