We discussed our experiences of living with ME and our concerns about health services and welfare reform with Ed Davey and he seemed very interested in what we had to say. Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting and helped explain the issues.
Ed Davey is keen to help us especially in relation to the provision of local specialist ME health services and would like to meet us again in the New Year. In the meantime he has promised to join the All Party Parliamentary Group on ME, to write to the Department of Health to clarify national policy on health services for people with ME and to Kingston PCT to clarify their position. We agreed to write to the Chief Executive of Kingston Hospital to get their formal response on the 'lost' clinic we were promised in 2005.
Both Ed Davey and our Group are well aware that it will be a long slow process before we get any concrete improvement but it was very encouraging that he is willing to campaign with us over a period of years.
We are also fortunate in having the support of Vince Cable MP for Twickenham on Welfare benefit reforms. He wrote this to us regarding posing questions for us at the All Party Parliamentary Group on ME:
"I will put the meeting in the diary but if I can't make it I shall ask the questions in DWP Ministers questions."
