Christine scoops £10,000 Lottery award to develop website for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
A member of #TeamUHDB is leading the development of a new website to help patients living with Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and the clinicians who look after them after winning a £10,000 National Lottery award.
The British Association of Clinicians in ME / CFS (BACME) works with fatigue services and patient groups across the UK to support delivery of clinically effective care for people with fatigue conditions. The new website will help both clinicians and members of the public seeking information and support about fatigue conditions and services.
Christine Oliver, East Midlands ME / CFS Clinical Network Coordinator and Deputy Chair of BACME, who is based at our Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, is thrilled to have secured the funding and cannot wait to get started on the project:
“The current website is not fit for purpose and the new platform will help us to keep pace with online developments and meet the needs of our growing membership. It will be of huge benefit to everyone involved in providing and receiving care for fatigue conditions – it’s a great start to 2022 for BACME. I am leading on the project and submitted the Lottery bid on behalf of the organisation as a surprise so I am so delighted it’s all come to fruition.
“I actually had a conversation with the Lottery in late 2021 about the bid and shouted my husband to tell him the Lottery had just called – he thought we had won the jackpot ourselves!”
ME, which is often referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is a long term condition which has a variety of symptoms, with the most common being extreme tiredness, but they can include problems with memory and concentration, difficulty sleeping and taking a long time to recover following physical activity.
Christine’s hopes that the funds can also help facilitate new training and networking opportunities for professionals in the field as well as providing additional support for those who suffer with fatigue conditions, including Long Covid.
She said: “Part of my role is also raising awareness of these conditions which have a serious impact on the lives of our patients, so this funding will make a big difference.
“These conditions affect different people in different ways, and with more patients accessing our specialist fatigue services, localy and nationaly as a result of Long Covid, it really feels like a good time for us to embark on this project.”
The development of the new website is currently out to tender. You can find out more about BACME and its work online (opens in new window) >