22 February 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to allocate funds to help FIBROMYALGIA with research, finding a cure and raising awareness."
Details of Petition:
"We implore the new PRIME MINISTER to listen to those suffering with fibromyalgia, for which there is NO CURE, and provide financial help to help them survive - (as the Government has for ME). Who else can we ask for help?."
Read the Government’s response
Relatively little is known about the causes of fibromyalgia. Despite a great deal of commitment on the part of professionals and voluntary organisations, there are still considerable gaps in our knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
The Department of Health supports research and development of relevance to the NHS in hospitals, general practice and other health care settings. It also funds the NHS Research and Development Programme, which is managed on its behalf by the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is the main Government agency for research, which receives its funding via the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Currently, the MRC has no specific research on fibromyalgia, although the basic research that the MRC supports in areas of pain and neurobiology is relevant to developing our understanding of the condition. There is now a Medical Advisory Board attached to the Fibromyalgia All Party Parliamentary Group, and one of its tasks will be to look into research on fibromyalgia.
The MRC does not directly commission research projects or earmark funds for particular research areas. Funds are allocated by a process that requires investigators to submit proposals for rigorous peer review. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. The key factor in deciding whether a proposal is funded or not is quality of the science and its potential contribution to human health. In addition, the MRC identifies priorities for medical research in a number of ways, including strategic reviews of specific areas of science and by responding to Department of Health priorities.
Since there is currently no cure for fibromyalgia, treatment aims to ease the symptoms as much as possible and to improve the patient’s quality of life. Fibromyalgia can be successfully managed within the primary care setting. However, in cases where there is some difficulty with the diagnosis, or there are complicating factors, the patient will normally be referred to a rheumatologist or neurologist.
Nevertheless, the Government is committed to ensuring better services for people with fibromyalgia. In October 2006, the Musculoskeletal Services Framework was launched. This sets out new guidance to provide high quality and integrated services for people with musculoskeletal conditions in England. The framework has been developed in consultation with patients themselves, and with organisations representing them.
The framework aims to improve assessment, diagnosis and treatment for fibromyalgia and other musculoskeletal conditions. It will encourage more support for people to manage their own conditions and get access to better information and advice. It will also provide a clearer focus on the needs of children and their families, and sets an 18-week target for referrals from GPs to the start of hospital treatment.
In August 2003, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) issued a newsletter that was sent to all doctors in England, specifically addressing the problem of fibromyalgia information dissemination. The CMO acknowledged the condition and the extent to which it affects the population. He raised awareness of a leaflet about fibromyalgia, which has now been made available to all GP surgeries throughout the UK. The leaflet offers guidance on the main symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia together with a brief summary of the current ideas for the underlying pathogenesis.
The Medical Advisory Board of Fibromyalgia Association UK produced the leaflet which is available from the Association’s website at: www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org. The leaflet preceded a more comprehensive medical pack on the management of fibromyalgia for the multi-disciplinary team, which can also be requested on the website.
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