Multiple Sclerosis: Health Services

(asked on 4th February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the access of multiple sclerosis patients to critical healthcare professional support; and what long-term plan he has in place to ensure that MS patients are able to access treatment and support conveniently.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 22nd February 2021

While no specific assessment has been made, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Health Service in England has maintained access to urgent and emergency care, including for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). For non-urgent care, providers have offered remote consultations using video, telephone, email and text message services as a priority where appropriate.

On 23 December 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement outlined priorities for the remainder of 2020-2021 and into 2021-2022, including maximising the NHS’s capacity to treat non-COVID-19 patients. This capacity includes services for people with neurological diseases, including MS - for example, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. In the longer term, NHS systems should also continue to implement the guidance set out in the Progressive Neurological Conditions RightCare Toolkit, which was developed in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the MS Trust and the MS Society.

Reticulating Splines