Bedfordshire Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Service

Our Team:

• Administrators
• Occupational therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Psychologists
• Assistant Psychologist

We do not accept self-referrals.

You will need to be referred by your GP. At this time, the service is open to patients with a Bedfordshire GP (Excluding Luton).

Once your referral has been accepted by the service, you will be contacted and offered an assessment appointment. 

Mountbatten House
56 High Street South, Dunstable, LU6 3HD
> Directions on Google Maps
Tel: 0345 602 4064

There is pay & display car parking at Ashton Square Car Park (5 minute walk), Matthew Street Car Park (5 minute walk), you can also pay at these via an app called ‘Just Park’. There is also parking at NCP The Quadrant Dunstable Car Park (6 minute walk).  
There is a bus stop (S3) at the square, which is directly outside the building.
Service routes 40A, 40, 43, 231 and Route B stop at this site.
For details of public transport links please visit Public Transport Central Bedfordshire.

Shefford Health Centre
Robert Lucas Drive, Hitchin Road, Shefford SG17 5FS
> Directions on Google Maps
Tel: 0345 602 4064

There is parking available for all people attending appointments. This is at the health centre. 
There is a bus stop on Robert Lucas Drive, which is located just outside Shefford Health Centre.  For more information on Public Transport links please visit Public Transport Central Bedfordshire.
Upon arrival, you will need to sign in at the Bedfordshire Community Health Services reception, which will be on your right as you enter. You will be directed upstairs to the waiting room where the clinician.

Enhanced Services Centre (ESC)
3 Kimbolton Road, Bedford, MK40 2NT (Next to Gilbert Hitchcock House)
> Directions on Google Maps
Tel: 0345 602 4064

There is free parking on site for service users at the front and side of the building. There are 8 blue badge spaces.
There is a nearby bus stop, 0.1 mile from the building (Bedford Hospital North Wing). This is shown by the yellow arrow on the map. The bus numbers include 7, 21, 28, 28A and 28E

Kempston Clinic
Halsey Rd, Kempston, MK42 8AU
> Directions on Google Maps
Tel: 01234 310333 

Kempston Clinic is in Halsey Rd which runs behind a small parade of shops on the main road through Kempston. Halsey Rd is on the right side of the road if coming from the direction of Bedford town centre and is just past Addison Howard Park.  
Halsey Rd is a short road and Kempston Clinic is behind a high hedge between a school and a residential home.
Sat Nav Postcode is MK42 8AU
The clinic has its own free car park for service users.

Myalgia Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex condition characterised by four key symptoms:

• Debilitating Fatigue. This is fatigue that is worsened by activity and not caused by excessive cognitive, physical, emotional or social exertion and is often not relieved by rest. 
• Sleep Disturbance. This can be waking up and feeling unrefreshed in the mornings despite sleeping well, or having broken sleep, shallow sleep or an altered sleep pattern. 
• Post Exertional Malaise (PEM). This is the worsening of symptoms disproportionate to the activity. This can have a delayed onset by hours or days and has a prolonged recovery time that can last hours, days or weeks.

• Cognitive Difficulties. This can be described as ‘brain fog’. People often describe difficulties with word finding, short-term memory, concentration and multi-tasking. 

  The onset of ME/CFS has commonly been found to follow an infection episode or precedes negative and stressful life events. Current research suggests that a dysregulation of several systems in our bodies could explain the range of symptoms individuals with ME/CFS experience.

  ME/CFS is a diagnosis of exclusion therefore before diagnosing an individual with CFS it is important to find out whether there are any other reasons that could explain the fatigue and associated symptoms. 

  If you think that you might have ME/CFS, please visit your GP who will complete a medical review, and if appropriate can refer you to our service. A medical review from your GP is required as part of the referral, and the information requested will inform the assessment and diagnosis process carried out by the specialist ME/CFS team.    

  You can find out more about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on the NHS website.
   

After receiving a referral from your GP, you will receive a registration pack and then be invited to attend a 90-minute individual assessment at one of our clinics. 

Prior to attending, you will receive a pre-treatment questionnaire pack via email from our Assistant Psychologist. These questionnaires help us to further understand your symptoms and their impact on different areas of your life. 

We will conduct a multi-disciplinary assessment with two clinicians. You will be invited to tell us about the current symptoms you are experiencing. 

We will ask you about how your symptoms are influencing different areas of your life including, work, social occasions, personal care and your mood. We will talk about the onset of your fatigue and ask about any illnesses or stressful life events preceding your symptoms. 

Following your assessment, the information you have shared with us will be discussed at our multi-disciplinary team meeting, where we will determine the outcome of the assessment. 

You will then be invited to attend a second appointment where we feedback to you the outcome of your assessment and whether the specialist team support the diagnosis of ME/CFS. In addition, we will discuss your treatment options going forward.

If you do not meet criteria for ME/CFS we will help you to make sense of your fatigue and signpost your to the most appropriate services. 

Living with Myalgia Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) can be challenging. Current research tells us that there are multiple dynamic systems contributing to the symptoms of ME/CFS and that there is not a direct treatment that will fix the problems. 

However, it is possible to work with you to help identify factors that contribute to the dysregulation of the system and implement strategies which can help improve stability and healing.

We take an individualised and multi-disciplinary approach to treatment and work with our patients, which includes:

• Developing your understanding of ME/CFS including recognising the barriers and factors that maintain the condition
• Understanding energy management, such as working with you on balancing your routine and activities including work, reducing the difficulty of tasks where needed and understanding more about the physical impact of fatigue
• Improving sleep patterns and quality
• Helping you to understand the impact of a fatigued brain and strategies to improve memory and thinking
• Reviewing values and roles to help you achieve a better work life balance
• Understanding physical activity, supporting with specific exercises or getting back into sports or physical hobbies
• Managing the emotional and psychological impact of ME/CFS which may include acceptance of diagnosis, identifying and overcoming barriers to making lifestyle changes, managing stress and high standards or working on self-compassion.

Below are some helpful Resources and links

CFS/ME Information and Charities:
The ME Association 
Action for M.E. 
BACME 

Talking Therapies and Emotional Wellbeing
Bedfordshire Talking Therapies  
Recovery College 
Living Life to the Full 
Total Wellbeing, Luton: Emotional Wellbeing Webinars 

Pain
Pain Management NHS 
Pain Management Videos

Energy management 
Lift Up Your Everyday

Sleep
Sleep advice from Every Mind Matters
NHS self-help tips
Occupational therapy advice for improving your sleep

Intimacy
Occupational therapy advice for relationships and intimacy

Finances and Work
Citizens Advice Mid-Bedfordshire 
Citizens Advice Bedford 
Disability Resource Centre 
Turn 2 Us 
ACAS  
Action for ME – Work 

Carers Support
Carers in Beds 
Central Bedfordshire Council support for carers
 
Equality and Diversity
Our Trust's approach to equality and diversity

Our referral form can be found on Ardens within Systm One. 

It is located under BLMK, Community O, and its the  'Chronic Fatigue Service V3' form.