Action on urgent need for priority shopping
March 27, 2020
Action for M.E. has joined with other others to highlight the immediate challenge faced by people with M.E. in accessing food and essential supplies, and ask for immediate action.
Signed by members of Forward-ME and the All Party Parliamentary Group for M.E., and being sent to the UK Government and major supermarket chains today, our letter highlights how people with M.E. have relied on home delivery for years as they are unable to get to the shop but are now struggling to access delivery times because of the increased demand. Over the last few weeks we have seen the number of calls we are getting increase considerably and we are hearing from people who are struggling to access the food and essential supplies they need.
- We have joined with the other charities and MPs to lobby for recognition for those who are housebound by including them in their priority access group for online services. This will ensure they can continue to access this essential service.
- We have also requested that those people with M.E./CFS who are able to leave the house have access to priority shopping times in stores. We are working on a downloadable resource you can print off or show on a phone that shows you have a chronic neurological condition and are eligible for this service.
Here is a copy of the letter and its signatories - we are very grateful to everyone who has signed, and to Carol Monaghan MP for mobilising MPs so quickly today.
We will post further updates on our website and on social media but if you need any assistance in the meantime, please get in touch – we are working hard to help people access to food and support they need. You can call us on 0117 927 9551 or send an email.
Ask your MP to sign our letter to major supermarkets
“I am writing on behalf of adults, children and young people who have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS), asking for your help.
More than one in four people with M.E./CFS are so severely affected that they are unable to leave their homes independently, and even those with the milder form of this non-visible illness struggle to access services and support. We have relied on home delivery services for years but over the past few weeks the increased demand has meant we are unable to compete with healthy people who are able to spend longer online, searching for slots and sourcing deliveries.
While those who are house/bed-bound are not necessarily included in the Government’s official category of “vulnerable,” this does not give the full picture. We are increasingly desperate people are unable to visit a store and many of us have no friends or family to support us.
Please will you join with MPs and sign a cross-party letter by UK charity Action for M.E., calling on the major supermarkets to allow disabled people who are housebound access to priority delivery time slots.
You can find the letter here: https://tinyurl.com/t36a2ln
To sign, please e-mail policy@actionforme.org.uk
Kind regards
NAME and ADDRESS”
