Yorkshire Fatigue ME/CFS Service

Felt very validated by practitioners. At times content felt like it was pitched lower than I would have liked but I understand that this was to meet the needs of the whole group.

Diagnosed by Dr McKeever who put me completely at ease, and was very thorough. Initially was part of a group, but was not appropriate for me so was allocated individual sessions. Had several individual sessions with OT Debbie who was really supportive and helped me to understand how I could best use pacing to minimise energy exertion. She showed empathy and was encouraging. Several months on, and I use the strategies and ideas Debbie advised on a daily basis. I was told that I could be re referred should I need more help in the future.

The staff are nice and well intentioned, but the offer is limited to pacing guidance and can feel like patient blaming for over-exertion triggering symptoms. No tests (all have to go back to GP), no treatments and no long term support for chronic, debilitating, complex illness offers no hope for future.

Nina has been so kind throughout and in a world where ME/CFS is still often stigmatised or poorly understood it was lovely to have a safe space where someone understands the many ways that this illness affects your body and your life. I learnt useful tools to help reduce crashes and also learnt valuable lessons about being kind to myself.

They were really helpful and understanding, nothing was too much trouble and they really made me feel more in control of my illness.

Understanding how CFS affects your day to day life and being made aware of management techniques and pacing of symptoms. Nina made me feel supported and not silly for about the way the symptoms were affecting me I now feel I have the tools and understanding to manage my symptoms.

Such helpful staff and beneficial to helping me with my me/cfs

I was referred to the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic after my diagnosis in 2021 and was able to receive one-to-one online sessions with an occupational therapist for nearly two years. Every session was extremely helpful, not only giving me practical advice but also as a source of support.

I have long-term severe ME. The home visits and support from Sue Pemberton have been invaluable. Sue Pemberton is a very special person who really understands ME, and has hand picked and trained all her staff extremely well. Very sad that in April 2023 the clinic will be closing to anyone outside of North Yorkshire - and no doubt ALL home visits for severe/housebound ME patients will also be stopped.

Very supportive. Understand much better how chronic fatigue effects my body and how to manage symptoms. Useful information that enabled me to improve various aspects of my life. My anxiety is much lower and I am more confident to deal with the challenges of everyday life.

Excellent service with 1-1 occupational health sessions and group education sessions. Remote delivery options were brilliant.

Very informative, caring and supportive. Lots of support and understanding to help manage this condition. Thank to Joe and Sue

Thank you.

The Yorkshire Fatigue clinic really helped me to understand my chronic fatigue and how it may have come about and gave me the tools and knowledge to help improve my health. The Dr was very knowledgeable and supportive throughout the process and understood my individual issues.

Sue made me feel heard and understood. I felt like I could express myself.

Reassuring to have medical professionals who understand and can help manage such a misunderstood condition such as ME/CFS is such a relief. Appointment system runs like clockwork and all appointments have been beneficial. This service cannot be praised highly enough.

I have been referred several times to the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic and until Covid have received very supportive sessions with them. As lockdown and shielding exacerbated previously undiagnosed and well-masked autism and ADHD, I found myself told that I had exhausted what the clinic can offer. I emailed the clinic to ask about that and was told that if autistic burnout was part of the problems, then the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic couldn't help, even though I still have ME. I feel very abandoned now.

Therapist helped me learn techniques I will use for the rest of my life to manage fatigue and POTS

The Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic has been a lifeline, helping me to manage and understand my fatigue as well as emotional support to allow me to accept my new abilities. I can't praise the service highly enough, thank you for your professionalism, compassion, patience and support.

My experience was good because of the lovely supportive staff who help you break down everything you could need to work on. I feel more stable and more confident in managing my day to day life despite the disabling limitations of this illness. The staff are lovely, thorough, and overall amazing support that I have not seen elsewhere. When things don't work for you, they find more ways to help and are always happy to change things up for you. I understand a lot more about my ME/CFS and feel supported and know they are there for help, even after discharge.

Supportive staff. Learning techniques to manage lifestyle. Empathetic and good at listening to struggles.

I knew that I the service couldn't cure me but they gave me strategies to help improve my symptoms.

My sons OT patiently and gently probed my monosyllabic 15 year old son who was in denial about his condition, giving gentle but firm advice and direction. By the end of our sessions my son will tell other people about his CF, is making active mature decisions to manage his condition and is in a better place mentally.

They have been vital in helping me understand my condition and learn to live with it. They have always been there to provide and support or advice I needed. They're an excellent service.

Received support in moving forward with the dianosis and also identified that further assessments needed, regarding probable issues relating to ASD.

The Clinic has given me more understanding of my condition and how to manage it.

The guidance and support i was given was fantastic. I don't know where i would have been without it.

I never thought I would get chronic fatigue and knew no one with the condition, the help, support and advice I received was invaluable.

Overall I want to thank you for offering professional and caring support. Due to Covid, all my sessions were online but this still worked really well, maybe even better because I was able to attend from the comfort of my home. Your website has lots of helpful information which I was able to download and read at my leisure. My therapist, Joseph was so supportive and always listened to my concerns and really helped me to understand how I work and ways I could adapt and experiment to support my health. I can say that hand on heart without his support then I would not still be at university. I now have a more solid understanding of what I need to do (and not do) to ensure my ME/CFS remains stable as I work to complete my degree next year. The things I have learned will also support me after university when I look to set up my own coaching business and for this, I am very grateful.

I gained such a huge amount from my time with the fatigue clinic, on so many levels. I was too unwell to leave the house so the specialist occupational health specialist came to my house instead, which, apart from obviously meaning I was physically able to access the clinic, it also gave me a much better chance of mentally being able to get the best out of the opportunity as I wasn't wiped out before we'd even begun. I was scared at the beginning, I didn't know what to do and couldn't manage my symptoms or level of functioning at all at the start. This service has helped so much. The specialist was incredibly knowledgeable about ME, he taught me so so much about how the condition presents, how to pace, how to manage all the little things that come along to potentially derail you along the way with ME, or stop you managing it effectively. I had a great many external event's and additional medical complications along my journey, that really made it very difficult to manage things appropriately, and varied my level of functioning greatly, my specialist helped problem solve all of these things, and provided reassurance and guidance where I badly needed it. I have much greater control of my mental health now after the help and guidance I've had. Being unable to access traditional NHS mental health support (CBT one to one session's), because of being housebound, this support from the clinic in this area has been genuinely life changing. I literally don't know how I would have got through the last few years without this service! I have a huge bag of mental resources now that I can use moving forward. I feel like I'm well prepared for anything ME can throw at me. And I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was to have people who actually understood what I was experiencing, who just got it. Cannot rate this service highly enough!

I have had ME/CFS since I was 15 and joined YFC when I was 22. The tips and support I have been given in my individual therapy sessions have massively helped me control and manage my symptoms during my last year of university. It is also great that even after you leave the clinic you are encouraged to keep in touch and always email if you have any issues or flare ups.

The Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic was great from diagnosis to rehabilitation. They helped me understand ME/CFS and learn to pace in order to find enjoyment in life within the parameters of the condition. Highly recommended

I was referred to the clinic by my GP and to be brutally honest - I dread to think how bad my management of my ME would be now with Dr Sue's help and support. I felt like I was receiving very tailored care throughout the whole programme of therapy and I am now well armed with the tools and knowledge I need to manage my ME ongoing.

I cannot praise the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic enough. My GP service was mildly sympathetic to my chronic condition, but clueless. Referral to the clinic has been absolutely essential to my mental and physical well-being. No 'cure' of course, but many positive insights and tactics. Dr Sue Pemberton is so knowledgeable. It was incredibly validating to have an expert take my health situation seriously.

I had ME/CFS for 16 years when I was in my 30s having to leave my beloved job as a deputy headteacher. I was seriously sick for most of that time. Nevertheless I learned strategies to cope and slowly recovered. Then I had 12 brilliant years of the same wild, effervescent energy and drive I had hitherto enjoyed and was able to rebuild my career, this time as a University lecturer. After 10 years of this joy I was suddenly struck down by autoimmune hepatitis which seemed to trigger the ME/CFS again (as well as causing chronic kidney disease and heart issues). When I first had ME/CFS I was grateful for the work of the ME Association and the likes of Dr Charles Shepherd, but in the wider world & in medical circles especially, it was a little respected condition. (I was told I was 'workshy' and 'fearful of success'.) I was delighted to note (the second time round) that ME/CFS is now classified as a debilitating multi-systemic chronic illness of unknown etiology and classed as a neurological disorder by the World Health Organization. That my GP, my liver consultant and other medical professionals were quick to see the pattern in me was astonishing. That I was offered a place at the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic was even more so. I found every interaction at the clinic to be warm, caring, professional and positive. The sessions (firstly group face to face, then - when Covid hit - group zoom, then 1-1 ) have been invaluable. So much research has now been done and there is greater scientific explanation for the condition and its life destroying symptoms. This translates into practical measures by the clinic to enable sufferers to make steady progress and to share anxieties and dips in health while feeling safe and understood. I am parting ways with the clinic after 18 months having learned exactly how to proceed. I go clutching my many notes, the book 'Fighting Fatigue' by Sue Pemberton, and with a massive understanding of why my body behaves as it does and how I can work with it to extend energy, performance and productivity. My Occupational Therapist Nina Dunn has been outstanding and I will miss her encouragement, her emotional & psychological support and her sense of humour. My experience here has been completely positive. A mega thank you to all concerned.

Have helped me immensely in improving my condition! without their assistance i would still be unable to leave bed or do anything at all.

Prior to meeting Sue Pemberton I was at rock bottom physically and I subsequently found out mentally, after not recovering well from Covid. However, after just one meeting I felt very reassured by Sue that given time and acting on her advice, I had a very good prognosis. My wife noticed an immediate change in my attitude, from being quite down to being much more optimistic. Over the next few months I had many ups and downs - as predicted by Sue, but overall I was on the upward curve. Since completing the course of support, I don't feel 100%, but i'm much better about recognising triggers and symptoms and putting coping strategies in place, so avoiding major hiccups. My school has since referred a number of staff to Sue with similar issues and they are equally highly satisfied.

Fantastic service, after years of suffering from chronic fatigue and back and forth to GP it was good to have someone finally listen. The recovery group courses where very well led despite being through Zoom. I feel in much better place and now have the tools to manage my symptoms.

The most important reason for this being a really positive experience was the fact that the doctor and the occupational therapist I saw knew the facts about M.E../Chronic Fatigue. I therefore felt I could trust them and that they would be able to help me. I benefited from the phone appointments through learning how to regulate the small amount of energy i have. No one promised me a recovery but I feel i am in a position now where I could recover at some point. I now am able to do a small amount of the things I wanted to do and am able to use the advice on relaxing and meditating to punctuate my activities and not to expect too much of myself. I have been able to build on the advice on 'mindfulness' to be kinder to myself and develop a bigger picture of how to live with my health issues. i have also been able to start changing mindsets that had become ingrained and moving towards new ways of thinking . I do not feel much better but I am a lot happier.

I thought after 6 years of visiting various doctors I was doomed to feel hopeless forever but finally they referred me to YFC. I had therapy with Joseph Bradley and that man changed my life in 9 sessions. I no longer have suicidal thoughts, which were becoming more frequent and very worrying, and I feel very positive about living better with this condition. He showed me all the tools I need to cope emotionally and mentally which has a positive impact on the physical issues. I know I will never be cured but I feel I can now cope with the future better.

Very helpful, they helped myself and my family understand my condition and the effects of ME. They helped by informing and educating my employer about my condition and considerations that could be put in place to help my recovery.

Supportive and very effective treatment. I've also got Dr Sue Pemberton's excellent book 'Fighting Fatigue: Managing the Symptoms of CFS/ME'

As a result of post-operative fatigue I had had to reduce my hours of work and severely restrict my social activities. An introductory session helped my partner and I know more about the condition and how to manage activities - this was further developed through the courses and individual sessions. I have used the knowledge and insight gained to understand how to manage the condition and live life in a more balanced way.

Although they cannot cure my symptoms they have given me great tools to control the overall impact on my daily life

I started my journey feeling very emotionally unstable, severe pain and unable to control my tiredness. After 3 sessions I feel under more control over everything with useful tips on how to keep going after being discharged.

When I began treatment at the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic I was pretty much housebound and found small tasks extremely difficult, if not impossible. After a year with the clinic I am now working 3 days a week, I am able to manage my condition through the tools they have provided me with. Thank you so much for all your help and support.

Very helpful talking with people who were at the top of their profession

Sue and Joe are excellent at what they do here and the group sessions in particular are fantastic. I recommend this service to anyone going through cfs/me and its literally one of the best things I've done to help me.

Thank you so much for the care and rehabilitation the clinic has given me other the past 9 months. I would not be in the place I am in now if I had not been referred. I can't thank Sue and the team enough. My mental health and physical health is in a much better place thanks to the Yorkshire Fatigue clinic. Go along with an open mind ready to work on your health with full understanding and support. Once again thank you Sue and the clinic for giving me my life back.

I was the carer for my partner who was a patient with this clinic and the support we received was second to none. From practical solutions to an unparalleled depth of understanding of the illness and symptoms and how to manage them. ME/CFS is an awful illness and without the care received I have no idea how we would have survived. Everything was delivered in manageable steps. We have been lucky, I have my partner back and she is well again.

I am so happy with the service I have received from YFC. I have had treatment from this excellent team for just over a year and a half and am now in a state of remission from ME/CFS! Their understanding of the condition and the personalised care they have provided has been truly impressive. I will be forever grateful - I have my life back in a way I never thought possible. Thank you!

Dr Pemberton understood my situation and explained matters in a non-technical manner. Mapped out what was happening and why and what steps I could take to get myself into a better situation regarding sleep I am delighted with the service I received and hope I can get to a much better place regarding my sleep issues

The treatment received through this service has improved my quality of life and left me with a lot of positivity and hope for future improvement in my condition. The staff are knowledgeable, empathetic and treat people with a dignity missing with other services. Additionally, the staff are available for advice after treatment has ended so one does not feel cut-off if further help is required.

I received care under the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic for over a year and I feel that my condition has improved greatly. The information I have learned about my condition is extremely useful.

After spending years trying to manage my CFS with little input from anyone in the NHS which has made my illness worse I was given constructive advice which I believe in time will help me improve or at least halt my decline. The clinic's are run by people who understand and every effort is made to make the sessions accessible from length of sessions to timing and spacing them out. Although mostly group sessions, enough time is given to deal with individual issues.

A thorough explanation was given to me and recommendations made for my GP to follow up on

On my first appointment I was diagnosed with m.e, I also attended the workshop at the clinic which I found useful as I met other people who are going through the same as me, the workshop gave me an insight into the therapy sessions. I was under the clinic for 15 months, I have leant how to cope with these condition, I am able to pace myself. I have also returned to part time work, at one point I never thought I would be well enough again to work, I am also now doing regular walking exercise. If I had not had the input from the Clinic and from Joseph I do not believe that i would be where I am now.

A lovely, compassionate & knowledgeable specialist team. I was unsure what to expect and coming from the medical field myself I was particularly impressed with their model of working, Their ability to impart valuable information to their clients and the focus on the individual was really effective. We are very lucky to have access to such a specialist team in Yorkshire.

Sue Pemberton has provided a number of extremely useful techniques, which have helped me to improve significantly.

My therapist was an excellent listener and really supported me during my recovery. I was lost before being referred to the YFC. Now I am making a start at getting back to work, and am reclaiming my life from fatigue. This clinic is an absolutely essential service.

Sue is very caring and has a calming influence and gave me lots of support and advice every time I met with her. I now have a greater understanding of my illness and feel armed with lots of tools to try manage things.

They helped me to understand my illness more and what influences the mental and physical symptoms so I could manage and place myself on a daily basis.

I have received support from the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic for CFS/Me for a number of years. Joseph Bradley has been such a huge support for me and has helped me to get far better control over my health. They listen, they provide emotional support and they offer really helpful practical suggestions. I couldn't recommend it more!

I had a wonderful experience of advice and rehabilitation from Joseph Bradley (a specialist occupational therapist), with whom I had 10 appointments spread over the course of just over a year, where I went from being unable to go to school at all to being able to go to college with the same timetable as other students. The advice seemed tailored to me personally and focused on my priorities specifically. I am very grateful to Joe and to the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic. Thank you!

I have received years of treatment from the Yorkshire Fatigue clinic, seeing a specialist occupational therapist called Joseph Bradley. Because of him I was able to progress from getting up and getting dressed in the mornings zapping my morning energy and having no commitments out of the house to doing an A Level, a BTEC, and a voluntary job. I love routine but thanks to his service I am not confident I can handle unexpected changes in my routine without it knocking me flat, and I enjoy a fairly static level of health. I now have a good idea of how to pace myself, whilst still gradually increasing what I do day-to-day and in life in general. I have never seen an occupational therapist before but thanks to seeing Joe I am confident that the Yorkshire Fatigue clinic provides very good ones. I'd recommend the Yorkshire Fatigue clinic.

Joseph Bradley (Specialist O.T) has supported our daughter from a point where she was too unwell to access college at all, to where she is now. She has just finished two years of sixth form (part-time) has a social life, and volunteers locally. She has just had her last session with Joe. He has been professional, knowledgeable, encouraging and kind. His advice on pacing and strategies for managing college and work have been genuinely life-changing for our daughter.

I will be forever grateful for all the help you have given me to better understand my illness and to help to develop strategies that work for me. Thank you for your support and positivity.

Educated me in a very positive, supportive and kind environment on ways to help me help myself to improve my health and well-being.

Referred by my GP. I had individual therapy. This service taught me about my illness (not understanding it only added to my distress, which exacerbated all my symptoms), and the skills I needed to stop relapsing and crashing and to start to build, gradually, on gains (however small). I worked with a very supportive and knowledgeable therapist. I now feel I have the knowledge and skills to continue moving forward and regaining my health. Am already seeing a huge difference in how much I can do. A Brilliant Service!

I have been having home visits due to being bedbound/housebound most days. I am coming up to my last session with him and I am going to miss him so much. He is so nice to work along with and fantastic at his job. If it wasn't for Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic I would still be keeping this horrible illness to myself as doctors don't understand or wish not to. Thank you to you all.

After twenty years of not really knowing what was going on with my body, talking with Joe really opened my eyes. Getting up to date with current thought on my illness, current therapies, and gaining an understanding of how to better maintain my own condition, really was invaluable.

I've been in contact with this service for most of the time it has existed, and it is a life saver. Other services I've previously used pale into insignificance. I worked directly with Sue and she understood my situation extremely well. I always left encouraged to keep going with the hard work of managing my conditions. She never minded repeating things I regularly forgot and was patient with my learning and frustrations. So so so grateful.

My daughter first developed CFS when she was 12 years old and was unable to attend school at all, often being unable to get out of bed until 3-4pm in the afternoon. With the care, advice and guidance of the people at the Yorkshire Fatigue Clinic, we have gained the confidence to work with and sometimes educate our daughter's teachers (from whom we eventually obtained excellent support), educational welfare officers and some health-care professionals in relation to CFS. This has allowed us to slowly but surely re-integrate our daughter into school in a manner which was in keeping with her medical needs for frequent rest breaks and avoidance of crowds / unnecessary stress. Without the YFC and their specialist advice I do not know how we would have coped with standing up for our daughter's needs in the face of an education system which we originally felt had little or no understanding of CFS, with few systems and little finance in place to adequately support people with the condition. In short, the clinic has been absolutely essential in enabling our daughter to reach a stage whereby she is now nearly back to full-time schooling and is about to embark on a full programme of GCSE's with appropriate support and understanding being made available by the school.

Wonderful, friendly, helpful and empathetic team. I am so lucky to have had them helping me. I've definitely improved with their help.

The clinic has provided me with all of the toolkits necessary to help me to improve my health and is a vital service for people who have CFS/ME and are willing to put in the hard work required to improve their quality of life and health. The support offered is exceptional. The move to the eco-centre only added to the excellent services provided.

I attended the clinic before they moved premises. My only issue with the old premises was that it felt like a long walk from the waiting area to the room, which may be why they changed premises for those with more severe fatigue. I had a really good experience at this clinic. The staff are real experts in their field and keep abreast of all the latest research, which is far more than you can hope for from a standard NHS service. They're also compassionate and care about providing a good service, another thing that's sadly falling by the wayside at standard NHS clinics with the continual funding cuts. I would highly recommend this service to anybody with a diagnosis of CFS or ME, or who thinks they may have it, as the clinic can also assess you to see if you have this.

My therapist is excellent and always instills confidence and hope. Unlike some I don't take much notice of surroundings as I am there for the therapy session but it offered all I needed. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Clinic to anyone needing help with fatigue issues.

Very good experience. Individual therapy sessions skilfully conducted by therapist, enough time given to each session, and clear and helpful goals set to work on between sessions.