Writing to your MP

Lyme Disease Action needs people affected by Lyme disease to write to their MPs. We need them to hear about your case and how it has affected your life. We need our democratic representatives to realise that this is a very real problem that concerns everybody.

We recommend that, at least in the first instance, letters to MPs are in the form of letters written on paper.

Towards the end of your letter, we need you to make the following requests:

Ask your MP to write to the Secretary of State for Health to find out for you what is being done to address patient’s concerns about diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Please do not forget to finish your letter by requesting that your MP sign EDM 958.

It may help you to focus your letter by saying that you support Lyme Disease Action’s ‘Ten Steps to better control of Lyme disease’ a leaflet which is available as a PDF on our website or from our PO Box. You can see the main text of this leaflet at Requires Government Action.

Whether you have had a clinical diagnosis, a confirmed laboratory diagnosis or have been given this diagnosis in some other way, evidence from your stories is compelling. If, regardless of your laboratory test status, you find you are much better on antibiotic treatment, please include that in your letter.

Every MP can be reached by addressing your letter to them as the MP for (your constituency) and sending it to: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA or to their constituency office.

You can see essential reminders and more help with letter-writing in the section Help for letter-writing. There is also a set of sample letters that you can use for inspiration at Sample letters.

Also please ask friends and relatives to write making their points about how your illness has affected everyone around you as well as yourself. Parents, please write on behalf of child victims. Don’t forget to include requests (1) and (2) as shown above.

If you know of Lyme-affected people who do not have internet access, we would be very glad if they could write to their MP too. See Useful information.

Lyme Disease Action needs to hear your feedback about how our lobbying efforts are being received. Please send us your experiences using our feedback page.

We need and appreciate your support.

If you do not know who your MP is, have your postcode to hand and use either of the following links:
http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Please help us to help you by making a donation for ‘Lobby for Lyme’ and all our vital work.