Somerset Fatigue Service

To get support from the Somerset Fatigue Service, you need your GP to refer you. They will need to do some tests to make sure nothing else is causing your symptoms. You can find more information in the ‘Information for Referrers’ section.

If you are being referred to the Fatigue Service for help with ME/CFS, your GP needs to confirm that you have this condition first.

You do not need to already have a diagnosis of Post COVID-19 Syndrome to come to our service. We will check your symptoms and tell you if you have it.

Your first appointment is all about getting to know you.

We want to understand how your condition affects your daily life, what challenges you face, and what support you might need. By listening to your experience, we can make sure you are offered the pathway and support that best suits you. This could mean joining a group session, having extra one-to-one appointments, or being referred to one of our additional services that can help support you.

It is important that you feel ready to make changes and try new ways to manage your health. Everyone is ready at different times, so it may be best to wait until you feel ready before using the service.

The appointment will last about one hour and will usually take place by video call, unless you have asked for a different way. We will send you a link to your appointment before it takes place.

Sometimes our emails may go into your junk folder, and our phone calls may show as “no number.” If you are waiting to hear from us, please check your junk mail.

It is important that Fatigue Service appointments are kept or cancelled in advance wherever possible, as missed appointments impact waiting times and delay access for others currently on the waiting list.

We run online workshops to help people learn how to manage their fatigue and live well. The workshops take place once a week, on the same day and time, usually at 10:30am, by video. We will tell you the dates and times when you are booked on.

If you cannot come to all the workshops, please let us know before the session. If you have trouble joining the meeting, please call our number and ask for help.

We will send you handouts and the presentation slides by email before the sessions. We can also send these on paper, if you prefer.

The workshops will cover; Fatigue and associated symptoms, effective rest, activity diaries, emotional energy, cognitive difficulties, sleep, altered breathing patterns, communication and managing setbacks.

After you have been to all the workshops, you can ask for one-to-one sessions with a Fatigue Practitioner. If you choose this, our Health Navigator will contact you to help you with keeping an activity diary.

Our follow-up sessions are where we bring everything together. We will look at what you have learned and help you make a plan to use the strategies that work best for you in your everyday life.

We will look at ways to help you manage your energy, such as keeping track of what you do each day and how it makes you feel. Together, we will help you find the right balance between activity and rest, learn your limits, and make a plan to help you keep your energy steady.

By the end of the sessions, we hope you will have your own set of tools and ideas to help you manage your symptoms, feel more in control, and make day-to-day life a little easier.

Once you join the service, you might be able to get extra support. You can talk to our Health Navigator or Fatigue Practitioner to learn more about these additional services.

Physiotherapy

Our Physiotherapist can help you with breathing, movement, and understanding a condition called POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).  They offer appointments in different places across the county, so you can choose a location that works best for you.

Activity Diary Support

If you ask for one-to-one sessions, our Health Navigator will support you first. They will help you learn how to use an activity diary before your 1:1 follow up appointments.

Employment Advice

Our Employment Advisor can help you with work, employment, and benefits. They can support you in a group or one-to-one.

Peer Support

Peer Support Groups are a place where you can meet other people with fatigue. You can share your experiences and help each other with advice and support.

Please note exclusion criteria for our service can be found on the referral form.

If you think your patient would benefit from help with their ME/CFS or Post COVID-19 Syndrome symptoms, please refer them to our service using the form on TeamNet or our Intranet.

ME/CFS

We do not make the diagnosis. A GP or main health professional needs to diagnose ME/CFS and explain this to the patient first. They also need to check that nothing else is causing the fatigue.

Post COVID-19 Syndrome

If a patient has symptoms that last more than 12 weeks after having COVID, please consider a referral to our service. A specialist GP will see the patient and confirm the diagnosis.

Citizens Advice

• Long Covid and diet – British Dietetic Association (BDA)

• Home – Mind
• Talking Therapies – Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

• Acas | Making working life better for everyone in Britain
• Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is – GOV.UK

• The ME Association
• Action for ME
• COVID recovery – YouTube Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust ‘Recovery Puzzle’ Films.

• Somerset Community Pain Management Service
• Ten Footsteps to Living Well with Pain – Live Well with Pain

Talking Therapies website

Somerset Village & Community Agents website