Sir – Oxfordshire NHS’s plan for people with long-term conditions to “look after themselves” shows just how little they understand about ME/chronic fatigue syndrome, one of three illnesses mentioned in your article (February 25).

Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT) recommends in particular the Expert Patient Company’s self-help courses, but these courses require attendance for two hours every week.

For many ME sufferers this is the equivalent of the saying “go climb a mountain (it saves us money)” because this is what two hours of mental activity is like for most of us.

People with ME most in need of help cannot get out of the house because of the profound fatigue they suffer, let alone attend courses.

You quote Ian Cave, of the PCT, saying “it is far better for taxpayers to pay for these … (self-help) courses than spend more in the long run on hospitals.” This offers a totally false choice: neither these courses nor hospital attendance are appropriate for most ME sufferers.

If Mr Cave would like to find out some facts about the needs of ME sufferers in Oxfordshire then he should contact the patient group Oxfordshire ME Group for Action (OMEGA) at www.oxnet.org.uk/omega A key plank of the PCT’s current strategic plan is to improve services for four patient groups in particular, including “people with long-term conditions”, for whom its services will be based on “excellence”. ME sufferers are amongst the most neglected in the county. Telling us to “go away and attend this company’s course” is based more on negligence, not excellence.

Tony Williams, Oxford