Have You Been Harmed by PACE?

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. THIS COMPLAINT IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

The GMC is the UK doctor’s regulatory authority – the General Medical Council. Patient support is sought from all patients who feel they have been harmed by PACE. You do not have to be a UK citizen.

PACE is the study ‘Comparison of adaptive pacing therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, graded exercise therapy, and specialist medical care for chronic fatigue syndrome (PACE): a randomised trial. (2011)’, published in The Lancet.

SEVEN other medical doctors are supporting this complaint but wish to remain anonymous – they are concerned about the impact of such “whistle-blowing” on their future careers within and without the NHS.

The complaint is one of Fraud, namely:
–fraud by false representation
–fraud by failing to disclose information
–fraud by abuse of position

There are also numerous breaches of:
–GMC Guidance on Good Medical Practice
–GMC Guidance on Good Practice in Research
–GMC Guidance on Consent to Research

Dr Myhill is asking for your help.

Please read the letter of complaint and also the ‘PACE patient support letter‘.

HELPING DR MYHILL

We want people who have been harmed by PACE to write in support of this complaint. You are free to use the PACE patient support template letter. You could have been harmed in any of these ways and possibly others too (please see further notes about this further down the post) :

• suffered damage (including physical, mental or emotional distress) as a result of CBT.
• suffered damage (including physical mental or emotional distress) as a result of GET.
• been denied disability benefits because the physical nature of your disease has not been properly recognised and/or you have been told you have a psychological condition.
• have been denied industrial compensation for your disease because the physical nature of your disease has not been properly recognised and/or you have been told you have a psychological condition.
• have been denied referral or funding for referral to a physician specialising in the biomedical approach to treating CFS/ME.

You do NOT have to have been diagnosed or have fallen ill with CFS/ME after PACE was published [March 2011] to support this complaint.

So, for example if you were diagnosed/fell ill in 1980, but have recently been refused benefits as a result of PACE [for example, for not engaging in CBT or because your illness was considered psychological) or maybe you have suffered mental distress as a result of PACE (for example, benefit applications were more stressful because your illness was considered psychological) then you CAN support this complaint. It will help our case to have as many support letters as possible.

If you feel you have even the smallest ‘case’ for inclusion then please do submit a letter of support – it is incumbent on the GMC to prove that you have not been so affected, not for you to prove that you have!

Please do email if you are in doubt or need help phrasing why you have been harmed by PACE. Please be patient – we will respond as quickly as possible. See the hotmail email address below.

Just put your reasons for supporting this complaint in the relevant section in the PACE patient support letter and fill in any other portions that need filling in [all marked in red] and then:

1–email it to TStephenson@gmc-uk.org – Sir Terence Stephenson is the Chair of the GMC

2–if you can, please send your letter by post too, here is the address –
Sir Terence Stephenson
General Medical Council
Fitness to Practise Directorate
3 Hardman Street
Manchester, M3 3AW.

3—if you feel comfortable with doing so, please can you copy your letter of support to Dr Myhill at cr648@hotmail.co.uk [in the past the GMC have denied receiving letters of support and having physical copies to collate and send to them has been a very powerful tool]

GENERAL COMMENTS

We cannot engage in a running commentary on progress but will give updates as and when possible and necessary.

We know that GMC employees or people who report to the GMC are members of the Dr Myhill groups and so we do have to be circumspect.

You may feel that the letter of complaint could be improved – good!

In 15 years of dealing with the GMC, and other regulatory bodies, one thing above all has become clear: these regulatory investigations are like a game of chess. A marathon not a sprint. You have to plan 6 moves in advance…

Essentially, we are saying – trust us! Between us we have won 30 GMC cases as defendants and numerous cases across many regulatory bodies as complainants.

Thank you.

Here’s Craig again with an update:

N.B. The harm done to you does NOT have to fall within the 5 broad categories listed in the template letter. ANY harm or ANY DISTRESS caused by PACE is ”enough”. See as follows for an example of how another patient has put it in her great letter:

• I have suffered mental distress as a result of PACE. For example, benefit applications, and assessments were more stressful because my illness was considered psychological
• Visits to doctors, and consultants, and NHS emergency departments are more stressful because my illness is considered psychological.
• I am denied treatment because my illness is considered psychological
• I am accused of wasting time, and lying, and treated with contempt and suspicion because my illness is considered psychological
• My word and experience is dismissed because my illness is considered psychological, and I am labelled as ‘mentally ill’.
• I am labelled as a delusional patient because of negative connotations implied by doctors and NHS staff.
• It appears all my other health issues, and concerns are now considered psychological, and therefore dismissed as imaginary
• I experienced extreme trauma, HARM & LOSS because my illness was considered psychological
• I was targeted, and harmed after complaining, because my illness was considered psychological
• I am denied compensation for my disease because the physical nature of it has not been properly recognised and/or told I have a psychological condition
• It is my belief PACE WAS AT THE ROOT OF THESE PROBLEMS