#SpeakUp Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group
Download (PDF 5.3 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Sheffield provided Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia group with a small grant to local not-for-profit, third sector, voluntary and community groups to run projects enabling local people to share their experiences of health and care services in Sheffield. They undertook a survey to which 112 people responded.
People experienced a strenuous battle from diagnosis to support. The most valuable sources of support were friends, family, local charities. The most accessed support was GPs, but the support provided wasn’t as valuable.
The quality of the healthcare they received was affected by:
- A lack of knowledge from healthcare professionals
- A lack of understanding and trust from healthcare professionals
- 2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS largely not being implemented
They struggled to access healthcare services due to communication, inaccessible processes for appointments, the venue itself, the cost and impact of travel and fear of being disbelieved.
People lacked awareness of social care services and felt the application processes were difficult to access.
The report contains many recommendations about the accessibility of healthcare services, the quality of healthcare and social care services.