MPs support NHS recommendations for MS Services
24 Feb 2004
MPs, Peers and people affected by MS from the MS Society and the wider MS Community came together at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on MS at Westminster on Tuesday 24th February to consider whether the recently published NHS Guidelines on managing MS can prompt real changes in MS service provision.
Chaired by James Gray MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on MS, speakers included Sanjay Chadha, MS Society Trustee and service user, Sharon Haffenden, the MS Society's UK Director of Research and Service and Dr John Keen GP, occupational physician and member of the Guidelines Development Group.
MPs including Dr Richard Taylor MP, Doug Naysmith MP and Ann Clywd MP voiced concern about the difficulties many people with MS in their constituencies face trying to access appropriate services and offered their support for these clear evidence based recommendations on how to manage MS from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
At the session the MS Society underlined its commitment to helping MS service providers implement these guidelines but called for more clarity on the role of other NHS agencies such as the Commission for Health Audit and Inspection (CHAI) in ensuring the NHS takes forward these recommendations for MS treatment and care.
"This Guideline from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the management of MS is a real opportunity to improve services and clinical care. It is particularly helpful to GP's and other professionals who are not specialists, but it can also help every individual person with MS who is struggling to piece together the jigsaw that is life with MS." - Sharon Haffenden, MS Society UK Director of Research & Services.
MPs including Dr Richard Taylor MP, Doug Naysmith MP and Ann Clywd MP voiced concern about the difficulties many people with MS in their constituencies face trying to access appropriate services and offered their support for these clear evidence based recommendations on how to manage MS from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
At the session the MS Society underlined its commitment to helping MS service providers implement these guidelines but called for more clarity on the role of other NHS agencies such as the Commission for Health Audit and Inspection (CHAI) in ensuring the NHS takes forward these recommendations for MS treatment and care.
"This Guideline from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the management of MS is a real opportunity to improve services and clinical care. It is particularly helpful to GP's and other professionals who are not specialists, but it can also help every individual person with MS who is struggling to piece together the jigsaw that is life with MS." - Sharon Haffenden, MS Society UK Director of Research & Services.
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Read the minutes from this meeting and find out what issues were raised
Read the minutes from this meeting and find out what issues were raised
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