Scottish Parliament

#MEAction Scotland’s parliamentary work is focused around our petition, submitted to the Scottish Government Public Petitions Committee in May 2018, and the actions that have arisen as a result of the petition process.

Our aims

#MEAction Scotland’s parliamentary lobbying activities focus on three main areas:

Care

Campaign for the abolition of graded exercise therapy and the provision of specialist care for ME patients

Research

Campaign for further investment in biomedical research

Education

Ensuring healthcare professional receive training and education materials that reflect the latest scientific evidence

GET INVOLVED

To find out how you can help with our Parliamentary campaign in Scotland, contact us today or like our Facebook page to see regular updates.

Meet your MSP Toolkit

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have the power to make change for people with ME in Scotland. #MEAction Scotland has developed this guide to help you feel confident to contact and meet your MSP.

Meeting Preparation

Contacting your MSP

The Meeting

Social Media Tools

Resources

Have you contacted your MsP?

History of Scottish Parliament Team

Working with MSPs and civil servants we are making progress towards achieving some of our petition’s aims. Politicians are taking note, but there is still a long way to go.

May, 2017

#MillionsMissing Outside Scottish Parliament

The first #MillionsMissing in Scotland took place outside the Scottish Parliament. We raised MSPs’ awareness of the ME community and demanded more support for patients across Scotland.

May, 2017

January, 2018

Unrest Shown In Parliament

#MEAction Scotland’s Time for Unrest event at the Scottish Parliament on 30 January 2018 provided information for MSPs and called on them to show their support for people with ME. Attended by over 70 people, it attracted an unprecedented number of MSPs and was described as “one of the most popular events I have seen” by the event manager at the Scottish Parliament.

January, 2018

March, 2018

Official Launch of #MEAction Scotland

Kim Gurav, Emma Shorter and Janet Sylvester officially launched #MEAction Scotland as an affiliate of #MEAction UK. #MEAction Scotland launched with three key aims: to be part of building a stronger ME advocacy community in Scotland; to raise awareness of the devastating impact of ME; and to lobby for effective support for people with ME.

March, 2018

May, 2018

#MEAction Scotland Petition Submitted

Over 7,000 people signed #MEAction Scotland’s petition urging the Scottish Government to review the level of support for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) in Scotland. Watch the video of Emma Shorter addressing the Petitions Committee.

May, 2018

June, 2018

Scottish Government Announces First Research Funding For A Decade

The Scottish Government announced the first research funding for ME for a decade. It invested £45,000 over three years as part funding, alongside Action for ME, for a PhD student. The funding was awarded in June to Professor Chris Ponting from Edinburgh University.

June, 2018

January, 2019

NHS Education Scotland Agrees To Develop ME Training Module For GPs

NHS Education for Scotland is the NHS board responsible for training and development of healthcare professionals in Scotland. Following a series of meetings with #MEAction Scotland volunteers and Action for ME, NHS Education for Scotland added a module on ME/CFS to the modules planned for production in 2019-2020. The module was subsequently delayed until the NICE guideline review is completed.

January, 2019

December, 2019

Scottish Health Council Launches Consultations With People With ME

Following discussions with #MEAction Scotland and ME charities, the Scottish Health Council launched consultations and a survey to find out what good care looks like for people with ME.

December, 2019

February, 2020

Scottish Government Reviews 2011 Needs Assessment For ME

The Scottish Public Health Network set up a steering group, including #MEAction Scotland volunteers, to review the 2011 Health Care Needs Assessment.

February, 2020

March, 2020

Chief Scientist Office Funding To Identify ME Research Priorities

The Scottish Chief Scientist Office was one of three funders of a new project to identify the top ten research priorities for ME. The Priority Setting Partnership is led by people with ME,carers and clinicians facilitated by the James Lind Alliance.

March, 2020

July, 2020

Scottish Government Reviews Graded Exercise Therapy

Following a highly successful email campaign by #MEAction Scotland asking people to contact their MSPs and demand that the Health Secretary withdraw GET as treatment in Scotland, the Government announced that it had commissioned the Scottish Health Technology Group to conduct a rapid review of GET for ME and post Covid-19 fatigue. In September, it was announced that as a result of the review a warning would be added to the Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME that GET should be used with caution, with Health Boards and GPs notified of this update.

July, 2020