ME Support in Scotland

This week in a Westminster Hall debate, I raised an issue that has become a growing concern for people across North East Fife and Scotland: the complete absence of specialist ME care in Scotland.

In my constituency, we were privileged for many years to have the support of an exceptional ME specialist nurse, Keith Anderson. Keith helped countless people manage the realities of this debilitating condition. His compassion and expertise made a profound difference to the lives of patients and families alike.

Tragically, Keith passed away two years ago. Since then, there has been no replacement, and currently there are no specialist ME doctors or nurses anywhere in Scotland. That is simply not good enough.

I highlighted this during the debate:

"In my constituency we were privileged to have an incredible ME specialist nurse, Keith Anderson, who helped countless people.

"Sadly, he passed away two years ago, and since then there has been no specialist support in Fife – indeed, there is no specialist ME doctor or nurse in the whole of Scotland.”

This gap in care does not just mean longer waits or a lack of joined-up support, it means many people are left without any reliable pathway to diagnosis or management. It leaves patients vulnerable to misunderstandings about their condition, or worse, having their symptoms dismissed altogether.

In a piece I recently wrote for the ME advocacy group #ThereForME, I stress this:

“We cannot continue with a system where people with ME are left to struggle without specialist support, or who have their symptoms dismissed because of a lack of proper training on understanding ME.”

Scotland needs a plan to ensure people with ME can access the expertise they need, no matter where they live. I will continue to press both the Scottish and UK Governments until we see progress, because people with ME have waited far too long already.