A Simple Question

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Invest in ME Research has frequently contacted the Chief Medical Officer of England over the years that the charity has been in existence.

Often these have been associated with requests to attend our international conferences – conveniently located just a couple of hundred meters from the CMO’s office.

Last year we arranged for a meeting with all CMOs of the UK in London. All agreed – and in the end we met with the Deputy CMO of England who was apparently covering all UK bases.

A list of points was arranged to be discussed [1].

And nothing happened.

Day 3 of our Christmas / New Year Fund Appeal Advent Calendar concerns the function of the UK Chief Medical Officers.

However, rather than send in another request, another list of points, we decided instead to do things differently.

In this United Kingdom (which appears less and less united as the years go by) we put one simple question to the CMOs of the UK – something which they could easily answer.

We allowed them to address, via Invest in ME Research, the ME community – the patients, the families, the carers, the friends, as well as the wider public.

Day 3 of our Advent Calendar – One Simple Question

CMO England One Simple Question

CMO Northern Ireland One Simple Question

CMO Scotland One Simple Question

CMO Wales One Simple Question

Below are spaces for the replies from the CMOs of the UK – for if and when they arrive.

In January 2019 the status was that we had received one reply from the CMO of Northern Ireland, a promise to respond by the CMO of Scotland (which never materialised), and no replies from the CMOs of England and Wales.
In the spirit of cooperation we have reached out to the Northern Irish CMO and offered support for their plans to establish a clinical specialist.
With our European ME Alliance colleagues at Hope 4 ME Fibro (H4ME), who have made an offer to fund places at the #IIMEC14 conference, we have made an offer to facilitate networking in London for their newly appointed consultant, if that consultant has the endorsement of H4ME.
We can also look for support and cooperation with other initiatives that are going on.
And the other Chief Medical Officers of the UK? It is all too easy, yet Unacceptable, for establishment entities who are responsible to the public to abrogate their responsibilities.
As at the end of February 2019 these were the replies that we had received -

CMO England No Reply

CMO Northern Ireland Reply from CMO N.I.

CMO Scotland Reply from CMO SCOTLAND

CMO Wales Reply from CMO WALES

Only the Chief Medical Officer of England - Dame Sally Davis - has avoided any acknowledgement ofour letter and has provided no answer.

CMO England

CMO Northern Ireland

CMO Scotland

CMO Wales

Dear Dame Sally, The charity has now emailed you three times to ask if you would kindly respond to a question that we posed regarding myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Following the recent parliamentary debate it is quite obvious that change is required. We would therefore kindly ask you to consider supplying response – even just to acknowledge receipt of this request, Yours Sincerely, The Chair and Board of Invest in ME Research

Our response to CMO Northern Ireland

Reply to be sent CMO Scotland

Reply to be sent to CMO Wales

Further Reading:

• IiMER Meeting with UK CMOs


• IiMER Campaigning - CMO

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#InvestinMEresearch www.investinme.org