Nottingham University Hospitals - NHS Trust

INTRANET

Welcome to the Nottinghamshire Adult CFS/ME Team

The Nottinghamshire Adult Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)Team is based in the Mobility Centre on Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’ s City Hospital campus.

Who is the service for?

The Nottinghamshire Adult CFS/ME team was set up in Feb 2006 funded by all three Nottinghamshire Primary Care Trust’s.

The overall purpose of the CFS/ME service is to help those diagnosed with mild to moderate Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis develop appropriate strategies for managing their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Who are the team members?

The team consists of a Clinical Lead/Occupational Therapist, Consultant in Rehabilitation, Physiotherapist, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and a team secretary.

What can the service offer?

The service we offer is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, graded exercise and activity management as recommended in the NICE guidelines 2007.

We provide assessment for suitability for either group or individual treatment intervention.

The Group programme is delivered in a community setting and runs for eight consecutive weeks on a Tuesday or Thursday morning for 2 ½ hours. Additional individual sessions can be offered by any team member as appropriate. Each group has up to 10 patients with 2 members of staff.

The subjects covered during the group and individual sessions include:-

Pacing
activity management
quality rest and relaxation
sleep
diet
exercise
exploring thoughts and feelings
communication
managing stress
memory and concentration
managing setbacks

Each patient has a key worker who will be one of the members of staff at the group.

A group review session is held 8 weeks after the end of the programme.

Key Contacts Details

Joy Ellery - CFS/ME Team Secretary
Direct Line: 0115 993 6628 (with answer phone)
City: 0115 969 1169 Extn 59878
Fax: 0115 993 6627

Susan Brennan- Clinical Lead/Occupational Therapist
Direct Line: 0115 993 6628

Contact Address:
CFS/ME Team
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Mobility Centre
Hucknall Road
City Hospital Campus
Nottingham
NG5 1PJ

Opening Times

The team secretary is available 8.30-4.30 Mon-Fri

Referrals

Referrals can be made by any GP within the Nottinghamshire area using our standardised referral form. (Please contact our team secretary to request a copy of the form).

Assessment

Once a referral has been triaged by the team and if appropriate the patient will be sent a letter advising them to contact the CFS/ME team by phone to book an appointment.

At this appointment an assessment will be carried out by a member of the team. This is an opportunity to look at current management of fatigue and whether a self management approach would be helpful. The assessment will last up to 1 ½ hours.

Following assessment individuals may be offered either group or individual treatment. Others are discharged with advice or if appropriate, referred elsewhere.