Specialist service to hold open day to mark milestone anniversary

A specialist service which supports people living with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is celebrating its landmark tenth anniversary by inviting patients (past and present), supporters and members of the local community to an open day on 28 April.

CFS, which is also known as ME, is characterised by persistent fatigue (exhaustion) accompanied by a range of physical symptoms. Symptoms can significantly affect everyday life and don't go away with sleep or rest. The Chronic Fatigue Service, which is based at Sutton Hospital and also runs clinics at St Helier, was opened in 2005 to provide lifestyle management and support for people living with chronic fatigue syndrome. The service is the only one in South West London and Surrey, and last year received referrals from 48 clinical commissioning groups. Since 2005, over 3,200 people have been seen by the service.

Dr Zoe Clyde, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, explained: “Although chronic fatigue affects a relatively small percentage of the population, it can have a significant impact on people’s day-to-day lives. This can be compounded by the lack of understanding and recognition of the condition which is often misdiagnosed and poorly misunderstood. As there is currently no cure for chronic fatigue syndrome, treatment, based on NICE guidelines, involves CBT and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) to enhance the management of symptoms to improve function and quality of life.

“The service was opened in early 2005 under the leadership of Dr Amolak Bansal, a consultant immunologist at St Helier Hospital, as part of a Department of Health collaborative to introduce services for people with CFS where none previously existed. We are incredibly proud of the service and the work that we do, which is why we are so pleased to be holding a special event in honour of the service’s tenth anniversary.”

Dr James March, Joint Medical Director, added: “We have much to be proud of in our Chronic Fatigue Service which provides such valuable treatment and support to people living with chronic fatigue. Over the years the team has worked extremely hard to develop the service and I know how much they are looking forward to celebrating alongside some of their patients and the many people who have worked with and supported them over the years. I would like to congratulate everybody involved in the service on reaching this wonderful milestone.”

The Chronic Fatigue Service 10-year anniversary celebration will take place in the Malvern Sutton at Sutton Hospital on Thursday 28 April, from 2-4pm. The afternoon will feature a talk from consultant Dr Amolak Bansal, information stands and a raffle (£1 per ticket) with a range of prizes to be won.

To find out more about the Chronic Fatigue Service, please visit www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/chronic-fatigue-syndrome.