The Scottish Good Practice Statement on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME-CFS) was published in November 2010. Scottish Ministers have given a commitment to review the content of this Statement when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes its revised guideline on this condition in 2021.
NICE published its draft guidelines on ME-CFS on the 10 November 2020 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/GID-NG10091/documents/draft-guideline. Please note there are two major differences relating to treatments for ME/CFS:
- Do not offer people any therapy based on physical activity or exercise as a treatment or cure for ME/CFS including any programme based on fixed incremental increases in physical activity or exercise, for example graded exercise therapy.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is not a treatment or cure for the condition and should not be offered in this context. It may be useful though in supporting people who live with ME/CFS to manage their symptoms and to improve wellbeing and quality of life.
Please also note that in August 2020 the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) published a rapid review into the use of GET as a treatment for people with ME-CFS. This concluded that:
- In light of a Cochrane systematic review and the NICE guideline revision, caution should be noted on the use of GET for ME/CFS until the updates are published, and
- No published evidence on the use of GET for people experiencing persisting fatigue following Covid-19 was identified. NICE has made a statement cautioning against assumption that ME/CFS recommendations apply to people with fatigue following Covid-19.