Understanding what ME/Long Covid is and How it impacts employees

Hello and welcome to Believe in ME with Rhona Barton. This episode is the start of a short series for Organisations. The aim is to help educate leaders, managers and HR teams about ME & Long Covid. Please feel free to share this series with your organisation.

You can head to www.rhonabarton.co.uk/media for more information about me and my story.

Don’t forget that you can review, share & subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ok, let’s jump straight in!

What is ME?

ME, or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, is a long-term fluctuating, neurological condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems. ​ M.E. affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK, and between 17 and 30 million people worldwide. It is anticipated that this figure will increase following the Coronavirus pandemic due to Long Covid.

The list of symptoms that people with ME can experience is wide and varied and, unfortunately, they don’t seem to fit a set pattern. ​ We do know, however, that those with Long Covid show very similar symptoms.

People with M.E. experience severe, persistent fatigue associated with post exertional malaise. This is the body’s inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy and can lead to a flare-up in symptoms.

Around a quarter of people with M.E. are severely affected, leaving them housebound and/or bed-bound for long periods. Those experiencing this level of symptom severity are unable to work.

Even in its mildest form, M.E. can have a significant impact on an individual’s life, and not just on their health. A lack of understanding and awareness about M.E. means patients can experience disbelief, and even discrimination, from friends, family, health and social care professionals and employers.

People who have M.E. often say that they, their employer and the people supporting them need more information about how to effectively manage M.E. at work. This podcast series is for anyone employing or managing someone with mild to moderate M.E. and outlines the advice to help you when recruiting and supporting people with M.E.

That’s it for today everybody. As I’ve mentioned, this episode is the start of a short series for Organisations. The aim is to help educate leaders, managers and HR teams about ME & Long Covid. Please feel free to share this series with your organisation.

You can head to www.rhonabarton.co.uk/media for more information about me and my story.

Thank you for listening. Don’t forget that you can review, share & subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.