DHSC update on ME/CFS Delivery Plan

This is a copy of the latest Department of Health and Social Care progress on the Delivery Plan for ME/CFS. This information has been shared with Stakeholders, for public dissemination. I shall update links shortly (this is a screen shot of the pdf document, hence highlighted text is not linked to relevant sites).

Long Covid in context

With thanks to the Division of Clinical Psychology, British Psychological Society, for inviting me to speak at today’s Long Covid Symposium. Thanks also to Annette Schlosser for chairing. I enclose a transcript below. Author’s note & bio: Louise Kenward is a Psychologist, Writer and Artist. Louise worked for nearly twenty years in mental health services,

Long Covid: reflections on post-viral illness

Long Covid: Reflections on post-viral illness. Implications for patients and psychologists working with them. This post has been prepared at the invitation of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP, a Division of the British Psychological Society, or BPS). The full Covid-19 Bulletin on Long Covid can be accessed on the highlighted link. It is being

Moving Mountains

Press Release                                                                                    I am excited to announce that Moving Mountains has been awarded Arts Council England funding! Moving Mountains is a new project that brings together nature writing with people living with chronic illness and physical disability. The Arts Council England funding will allow us to compile a manuscript of new work by twenty-two

Crippling Point

In this latest Voices from the Waiting Room piece, I’m delighted to be able to share new work from Visual Artist Caroline Ingham: I haven’t reached crippling point yet, the pain of ‘unable to do’ (Carel, 2008)*. Though if I cast my mind back and remember Verona is this entirely true? The difficulty walking, the

Women’s health, medical ableism & patient-led research

With a new report published by Chronic Illness Inclusion, this guest post from Jennifer Brough, one of the researchers with CII, writes about the project’s findings. Nearly 800 people responded to the CII survey, circulated earlier in the year, aimed at collecting data on the experience of women and non-binary people living with Energy Limiting

Is it just me?

The start of Sarah Ramey’s book, The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness, begins with a warning to the reader: “Dear Reader, There may exist a graceful and elegant way to begin one’s gynecological and colorectal memoir, but it never does spring to mind.” As well as setting the scene for Ramey’s humourous, candid and

A date in the diary

It is the 12th of May. It’s a Wednesday. I have an opticians appointment later this morning. The sun is shining and the wind, at last, is dropping. The majority of the population will have no idea that, for so many, the 12th May is much more than this. For people who live with Myalgic

Angel’s Downfall

In this second Voices from the Waiting Room piece, I’m delighted to share this powerful and beautiful new writing from Beverley Butcher. A Mental Health Practitioner, Beverley was diagnosed with cancer in 2020. Her experience of life threatening illness and subsequent energy limitations through her treatment and recovery have been impetus to her writing, as

The Lady’s Handbook For Her Mysterious Illness

The Lady’s Handbook For Her Mysterious Illness is a memoir by Sarah Ramey, published by Fleet in 2020. The Lady’s Handbook For Her Mysterious Illness has perhaps the most page markers in any of my reviewed books. It easily became one of my favourite books on illness of last year, because it related so strongly