There is a “shocking” lack of support for people who have a disabling condition which causes severe exhaustion, a new report claims.

Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are being “neglected”, charity Action for ME said.

The charity’s latest report found that just three in 10 patients believe their family doctors are well informed about their illness.

Of 2,000 sufferers surveyed, half said they had not been to a specialist clinic in the past five years.

And 80 per cent said they had not had a social care assessment in the same time frame.

Action for ME chief executive Sonya Chowdhury said: “Even though we know from the people with ME/CFS who contact us every day about the lack of services or support they have access to, these results are still shocking.

“We know that there are many brilliant and supportive professionals working with people with ME/CFS out there. But there is still a long way to go in providing targeted health and social care services to meet the complex needs of people with ME/CFS, particularly those who are more severely affected.”

CFS or ME causes persistent exhaustion that affects everyday life and doesn’t go away with sleep or rest.