HEALTH & LIFESTYLE MS care has come a long way...so why have so few British patientsbenefited? M

TRIED

INSPIRED by all the Tour de France action? Or simply got the urge to get out for a (gentle) spin and feel the wind in your hair?

Whether you’re a wannabe racer or easy weekend rider, the good news is cycling is big business – so you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to getting kitted out.

Here are some of our top picks for summer cycling... WANT the protection of a jacket but the weight of a jersey? Thin, lightweight, breathable and water-resistant fabric makes this Le Col jacket a great choice all-year round. AJOR breakthroughs in the development of effective drugs can seem like the holy grail for anyone involved in the treatment of – or who is affected by – a chronic or serious illness.

But however groundbreaking, they’re of little use if they don’t reach the people they’re intended to help – and experts are warning that this is the situation with MS (multiple sclerosis) in the UK right now. UK MS patients receive DMTs - one of the lowest rates in Europe. Nearly a quarter (24%) aren’t even aware that treatments could help delay disability, and 74% of healthcare professionals (HCPs) believe patients face delays in starting DMTs. something I don’t think should be happening and I actually find it appalling that one in four don’t even know that DMTs could help delay disability. Everyone should have equal access and should be given the information so they’re able to make an informed decision.” whereas the others all involved injections or infusions of some sort”.

“There is so much more available [now] and patients, in my experience, are given much more choice in their treatment,” she says. And despite her own ups and downs with drugs over the years, and relapses (“I use two crutches and a wheelchair to get around these days,”) Amelia feels certain that DMTs are important.

“It’s massively important; it can mean the difference between having some sort of quality of life or not. It hasn’t been the case for me, but I know it can mean the difference between working or not being able to work. Or of having some sort of social life or hobbies versus being housebound. It really can make that sort of difference...

Not necessarily for everyone, but hasn’t everyone got the right to try and see if they work?” BUT what if the option’s not being presented? According to The Missing Pieces report, HCPs say disability is ‘routinely discussed’ with newlydiagnosed patients 69% of the time – but just 50% of patients say this was the case for them. Half of HCPs agree there’s a reluctance to discuss