Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Improved care and support for residents with MS
IAN BUNTING
People living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Lanarkshire are benefitting from improved support and care.
A new report, published by the MS Trust and NHS Lanarkshire, has revealed significant improvements over the past 18 months.
The Lanarkshire MS nurse service, hosted by South Lanarkshire health and social care partnership, is a member of the MS Trust’s pioneering MS specialist nurse programme.
The report summarises some of the key achievements and learnings from the programme period – September 2017 to March of this year – as well as the impact on experience of care.
It highlights success stories across the service, ranging from more home visits and virtual clinics, longer appointments and better links with other health professionals, to increased trust and confidence in the MS nurses.
Maria Docherty, nurse director of South Lanarkshire health and social care partnership, said: “Our relationship and links with the MS Trust has helped us really develop person-centred expertise that’s vital to supporting people with MS.
“The nurses can help patients adjust to diagnosis, consider complicated treatment options, manage a wide range of symptoms and learn to live well with an unpredictable, often debilitating, condition
“This report also exemplifies the commitment of our committed and caring staff.”
Two years ago, NHS Lanarkshire announced that it had recruited two new MS specialist nurses, plus a part-time neurology nurse, to support the 1200 people living with MS in Lanarkshire.
The new nurses were recruited with the assistance of the MS Trust.
As part of its nationwide specialist nurse programme, the Trust part-funded one of the nurses for 18 months and have been supporting the whole team to make even more of a difference.
The report concludes that the MS nurse service is now reaching more people with MS in Lanarkshire and providing more “accessible, responsive and holistic care”.
These improvements have contributed to fewer hospitals admissions and ambulatory care required for people with MS, saving the NHS approximately £120,000 over the course of the programme.
Megan Roberts, health professionals programme manager at the MS Trust, commented: “We are delighted to see how far the MS service in Lanarkshire has come in the past 18 months; and how this has impacted so positively on the patient experience.
“The MS Trust specialist nurse programme was established to ensure people don’t have to manage MS alone.
“And it’s fantastic that the MS specialist nurses are connecting so many people to the service.
“We are looking forward to seeing how the service continues to improve and flourish in the years to come, supporting even more people with MS, and their families, in Lanarkshire.”
The full report on the service can be found at https://bit.ly/2kQT4tA.
Find out more about the MS Trust Specialist Nurse Programme at: https:// www. mstrust. org. uk/ specialist- nurseprogramme.