All-Party Parliamentary Group on M.E. Invite Your MP to Attend March Meeting | 28 February 2020

February 28, 2020



Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, ME Association.

Last chance to invite your MP to next APPG meeting

If you haven’t already done so please could you contact your MP to encourage him/her to attend the APPG on M.E. meeting on Tuesday 3rd March, from 1.00 – 2.00pm.

There will be presentations from three very eminent ME/CFS researchers here in the UK – Professor Chris Ponting (University of Edinburgh), Professor Julia Newton (University of Newcastle) and Dr Eliana Lacerda (ME Biobank at the Royal Free Hospital and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine).

These presentations will not only cover the current state of ME/CFS research – they will also be emphasising what needs to be done in relation to funding, infrastructure and bringing in new researchers in order to energise ME/CFS research and put it on an equal footing with other serious long term conditions.

Having re-established the APPG on ME in January with a very well attended meeting, and a lot of genuine interest in issues facing people with ME/CFS, we now want to maintain the momentum.

Evidence from the meeting on Tuesday will be incorporated into the Report that the APPG on ME is now preparing on key issues of concern.

Invite Your MP to the Meeting

We want to encourage people to contact their MPs, especially if they are known to be already interested in M.E. and invite them to be a part of the APPG on M.E.

For further information on the time and location of the meeting, your MP can contact Carol Monaghan via House of Commons email/telephone or consult the All-Party Notices.

Sample Email

Dear XXXX

I live in XXXX and work part-time from home for the ME Association (MEA) who do wonderful work supporting people with myalgic encephalopathy or M.E. I have been disabled by this disease for 20 years and depend on carers for much of my daily needs.

M.E. is not a new disease. The medical profession has known about it for decades and yet we still don't have an effective treatment. It has been estimated that M.E. could affect as many as 2,200 people in Cornwall and 265,000 in the UK. We desperately need the help and support of our MPs if we are going to get the necessary research funding and medical understanding to really make a difference to people's lives.

Carol Monaghan (MP for Glasgow North-West) has now reconvened the APPG on M.E. and the next meeting will focus on research with presentations from several eminent scientists in the field. It will take place from 1.00-2.00pm on Tuesday, 3rd March. You can contact her office for more information and I would be extremely grateful if you could attend.

Yours sincerely,

Full Name and Address

END

[Use 0.4% of the population as the estimate of M.E. prevalence. The official range of prevalence is 0.2-0.4%. You can search on Google for population estimates in your area. These will likely be based on reports from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).]

Invite your MP to the APPG on M.E.

What is an APPG?

‘APPGs allow campaign groups, charities, and other non-governmental organisations active in the field to become involved in discussions and influence politicians. Often a relevant charity or other organisation will provide a secretariat for the APPG, helping to arrange meetings and keeping track of its members.'

Source: Wikipedia

‘All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords, though many choose to involve individuals and organisations from outside Parliament in their administration and activities.'

Source: UK Parliament

Background:

Image credit: 123RF/sborisov

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