Campaigns blog

Find out how MS campaigns are making a difference across the UK.

Latest entries

Will the Care Bill help fix our social care system?

MS Society flags in front of Big BenThe Care Bill, which brings together 60 years of care and support legislations, was published on Friday 10 May – and it could significantly improve care and support in England for people with MS.

Formally the Draft Care and Support Bill, it includes measures such as:

Help us save MS specialist nurses

MS specialist nursing posts in England are at risk. To date, the MS Society has saved 16 MS specialist nursing posts from being axed, but with your help we can ensure we protect many more.

Today we launch a map which shows where there is currently MS specialist nurse provision, and a guide to help you campaign to save your MS nurse in England if their post is at risk.

Thousands support the campaign to stop the MS lottery

Last week over 6000 people joined the campaign to stop the MS lottery. The 6000 included lots of celebrities - Chris Hoy, Scott Mills, Sally Gunnell, the Maccabees, Alex Deakin, Russell Tovey and Beccy Huxtable to name a few - and also a number of politicians.

We went to Westminster to launch the campaign and the research behind it. Take a look at what happened:

2012: The change you made

In 2012, 6000 Campaigns Community members helped the MS Society achieve some amazing things.

We've made a video to celebrate, and share, how you helped deliver changes and improve the lives of people with MS.

You can also download a report of the MS Society's 2012 achievements to see the impact of our work in research, support, fundraising and much more!

Bedroom tax: information on changes to housing benefit rules

From April 2013, if you live in a council or housing association home and claim housing benefit, new rules could mean cuts to your housing benefit - known as under-occupying rules, or the 'bedroom tax'.

People judged to have spare rooms could lose on average £728 per year from their Housing Benefit, unless they can move somewhere smaller.

Some disabled adults will face a stark choice: pay more to stay in their home or leave.

Help end prescription charges for long-term conditions in England

From 1 April 2013 prescription charges will be increased by 20p to £7.85 per prescription item. A new report by the Prescription Charges Coalition - 'Paying the Price' - looks at what are the true cost of prescription charges for people with long-term conditions.

Meet Samantha, Campaigns Officer

Samantha is the policy and campaigns team’s Campaigns Officer and has been with us since July last year. She grew up in the Isle of Man and moved to the UK to study Law & Criminal Justice at the University of Kent.

Share your WCA experience with the media

A report from the Public Accounts Committee last week highlighted the flaws in the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to test people for Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

Calling campaigners in England: local Healthwatch and you

From April a new patient champion body, Healthwatch, will be launched in every local authority across England. Your Local Healthwatch will gather views and experiences of health and social care services from patients, carers and members of the public.

Getting loud about PIP

At the end of January, Campaigns Community members and Stephen Lloyd MP marched 20 metres to the Department for Work and Pensions to hand in a letter to the Minister for Disabled People.

Our letter raised our concerns for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and had been signed by over 4000 people.

Two days after this stunt the Government made a key change to PIP, making assessments fairer for people with fluctuating conditions, like MS.

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