Scottish Lib. Dems Pass Motion for ME, with Amendment

ME history was made this week in the historic capital of Scotland when delegates at the Scottish Liberal Democrats autumn conference voted to support conference motion SC5: Investing in ME – Recognition, Research, and Education. So it’s official, the motion, drawn up in consultation with #MEAction Scotland, is now party policy. It is a hugely encouraging result and one that will hopefully pave the way for other political parties in Scotland and the UK to follow.

#MEAction Scotland had a stand at the event, and our team of volunteers worked hard throughout the day to provide information and educate MSPs and voting party members.
The motion, moved by party member Emma Walker and summated by Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP, called for NHS Scotland to:

  • Remove Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) from the Scottish Good Practice Statement (SGPS) and for their abolition as treatments for ME from all healthcare services across Scotland; 
  • For investment from the Scottish Chief Scientist Office in a biomedical research programme directly in proportion to the burden of disease; 
  • For the Scottish Government to invest in a centre of excellence (focusing on research and care), and; 
  • For the Scottish Government to review NHS Education Scotland’s approach to training and educational material before committing to a programme of GP training and education in ME across the country.


An amendment to the motion was considered in two parts: the first of which called for pacing to be included in the SGPS as an evidence-based treatment, and the second called for the retention of CBT in the SGPS. In her speech to conference,  Emma Walker urged delegates to vote against the amendments and the first part of the amendment fell (i.e. was unsuccessful). However, the second part of the amendment was approved, albeit by the slimmest of margins – a single vote. Conference then voted overwhelmingly to support the motion (as amended) meaning that it now becomes official Scottish Liberal Democrat party policy.

We hope that this is just the beginning and that other political parties in Scotland and in the UK can be persuaded to table motions about ME at their own party conferences. This isn’t necessarily as daunting as it might at first sound  – after all, the Lib Dem motion came about as the result of a conversation at the school gates! (Read about this here).
[maxbutton id=”19″ url=”https://www.facebook.com/meactionscot/videos/219405085600816/” text=”Watch the Motion” ]  
More photos and videos of the day and speeches can be seen here on our page:
https://www.facebook.com/meactionscot/
 

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Email

3 thoughts on “Scottish Lib. Dems Pass Motion for ME, with Amendment”

  1. Alan Christopher Creaser,

    I Hope that a GENUINE Cure will exist,asap;for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”/Fibromyalgia/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Sufferer’s in the UK… 🙂

  2. Alan Christopher Creaser,

    I Hope that a GENUINE Cure will exist,asap;for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”/Fibromyalgia/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Sufferer’s in the UK… 🙂

  3. So, CBT was left in? I would hope they’re referring to the “good” kind of CBT that people with other illnesses get, the type of therapy that supports patients in their illness to listen to their bodies, practice pacing, etc. I hope it’s not promoting the dangerous denial therapy/CBT that aims to talk patients out of their “false illness beliefs.”

Comments are closed.

Latest News

A rectangle image with a blueish/purple background. The words, "A Year of Exciting Medical Education Achievements" is in white font on the left hand side with the #MEAction logo underneath. On the righthand side is an image of Jaime Seltzer with a step and repeat and poster at the SDMI conference.

A Year of Exciting Medical Education Achievements

A year ago, we were proud to announce that #MEAction and Mayo Clinic Rochester had won a grant for diagnostic improvement, with Ravindra Ganesh, and Stephanie Grach, and I on the grant as co-investigators. Our project, Improving Diagnostic Accuracy of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Through Implementation of an Enhanced Education Protocol and Care Process Model

Read More »
a light orange rectangle with a burnt orange outline. in the box, there are orange flag garlands hanging in both top corners with orange confetti in the middle and at the top. in the bottom corners fall leaves. in the middle of the box the word, "OUR BOLDEST THANKS" in burnt orange. the #MEAction logo at the bottom.

#MEAction Shares Our Thanks for Your BOLD ACTIONS

During this time of thankfulness and gratitude, #MEAction staff wants to share what BOLD ACTIONS we are thankful our volunteers and community have taken throughout the year. We thought we could reflect together on all that we have accomplished this year and how every single one of us is important in this powerful community. A

Read More »
red rectangle. on the left side of the rectangle an image of a desktop computer that features the mepedia home page. the words "Live Now!" are stacked four times and fall behind the desktop image. on the right side of the rectangle, the words " check out the updated, expanded, and revamped mepedia! then there is the #mepedia logo with the words a project of #MEAction at the bottom.

Check out the Updated, Expanded, Revamped MEpedia!

Great news! About six months ago, we began a project to update, expand, and revamp MEpedia. Due to a generous grant, we were able to create a project scope, hire respected experts in accessibility and MediaWiki development, and make several important changes to MEpedia! Visit the New MEpedia MEpedia is a vital resource MEpedia is one of the most utilized resources for researchers,

Read More »