Minister launches innovative new MS team for Dundee

Ms Robison will meet with members of the team at 1.15pm before giving her perspective on long term conditions in Scotland and how such developments relate to the Government’s Better Health, Better Care strategy. Dr Jonathon O’Riordan, Consultant Neurologist at NHS Tayside, will then provide a clinical overview of MS and Andrew Johnston, the MS Society Scotland’s Service Development Manager will speak on the value of specialist posts and multi-disciplinary teams for people with MS.

The guests will then hear from Alan Izat, MS Specialist Nurse in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, on his experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary health team in the Ayrshire and Arran MS Service. A question and answer panel will complete the launch activities, offering an opportunity for participants to ask some of the people involved in putting the new team together how it will take forward its work.

Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health, said: “For reasons we don’t fully understand, Scotland has the highest rate of Multiple Sclerosis in the world. That fact alone means we need to take the condition extremely seriously, but of course behind every statistic there are real people and real families coping with circumstances which can be extremely difficult. Our efforts have to focus on them.
“The launch of this new multi-disciplinary team in Dundee, bringing together a range of key specialists, including for the first time a dedicated MS specialist care manager/social worker, will help deliver a more integrated service to the hundreds of people in the city living with MS.

“As part of our support for those working to learn more about MS, I am delighted to announce a Scottish Government grant of £70,000 to help the MS Society with start-up costs as it carries out a national audit on the incidence and prevalence of MS. This will be an invaluable tool for helping to address MS issues in Scotland and will, we hope, over time encourage proposals for more research into the condition.”

John Ballantyne, Chair of the Dundee branch of the MS Society and Vice Chair of the MS Society Scotland, said: “This is a great day for people affected by MS in Dundee. The branch campaigned for three years to bring this new team together and we are looking forward to hearing more about the new opportunities it presents for improving MS care in the City.

“The team is also a great example of the voluntary and public sectors working effectively together to deliver the kind of integrated services that people in Dundee need. However, we also know that this is only the beginning of the process of improving services and look forward to playing our full part in making it a success.”

Dundee City Council social work and health convener Councillor Helen Wright said: "Dundee is set to become the first area in Scotland to offer a unique approach to the care of people with multiple sclerosis.

"MS affects a great many people. There are about 350 people with this condition in Dundee, and if you factor in the numbers in their families, you can see that the effects of MS on people's lives is significant. This new multi-disciplinary and integrated service will provide a high standard of care to people in need.

"The partnership involving social work, health and the MS Society will bring real benefits to people with MS living in Dundee."

Karen Anderson, Head of Allied Health Professions, Dundee Community Health Partnership, said: "The Dundee Community Health Partnership (CHP) are very pleased to be a partner in the project. The team will work with public and voluntary agencies to promote awareness of the needs of people with MS and their families.

"They are looking forward to working with people with MS to develop closer links with community initiatives, employment support and training opportunities, as well as develop the health services available to people with MS.

"The development of this specialist team is another strand of the worthwhile improvements in place across Dundee to enable people who have long term conditions to take greater control of their condition and their future."

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