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The SNAP (Scottish Needs Assessment Programme) Report 2000
This report outlines the sort of service which MS patients should be able to enjoy, drawing on the MS Society's groundbreaking publication 'Standards of healthcare for people with MS (1997). The SNAP report states that the ideal MS service should:
- allow rapid referral of suspected cases;
- provide assessment of possible diagnosis by a neurologist;
- provide assessment from a multi-disciplinary team experienced in MS Management to identify individual needs and to deliver the appropriate service;
- provide ongoing and continuous follow-up at defined intervals and also to allow a rapid self-referral system at times of crisis;
- provide information and support to patients and carers.'
It concludes that the current level of services in most parts of Scotland fall far short of the ideal:
'Wide variations in accessibility and quality of care exist for patients with MS.........Service planners should address the funding issues of MS services with the knowledge that current care is substantially sub-optimal, inadequately resourced and unacceptably fragmented.'
The report recommends that:
- a national strategy for MS care should be developed
- health Boards should urgently develop strategies for the achievement of good practice outlined in the MS Society's Standards document
- a sophisticated mechanism for co-ordinating assessments and input
- the introduction of managed clinical networks
- consideration given to service provision in geographically remote areas
The MS Society Scotland is campaigning on the report's key recommendations, please visit our key campaigns section for the latest news.
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For more information:
National Office
MS Society Scotland
Ratho Park
88 Glasgow Road
Ratho Station
Newbridge
EH28 8PP
Tel: 0131 335 4050
email
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