News articles about: MS Variance

‘The future is not a destination, something we need to imagine, plan, design and build  a continual cycle,’ said Martin Fischer at Raising the Bar in July this year. He and Sue Thomas were discussing whether we can improve on the current model of services and support available to those with MS. The answer was […]

The array of evidence emerging around lifestyle risk factors for long term conditions is staggering, from the more expected vascular risks like smoking and alcohol misuse, to highly unexpected risks such as loneliness and even mid-life hearing loss. This workstream is exploring the evidence specifically relating to wellness and lifestyle interventions, and a renewed focus […]

Audit, the act of examining, measuring and comparing, is the ultimate in information finding. It is essential to understand the current situation and to know whether improvement is being made over time. A huge number of the posters submitted at ‘Raising the bar’ addressed either individual service audits across the country or thow to establish […]

For many years, the importance of involving patients in service evaluation and planning has been a gold standard to commissioning cycles and service planning, and the necessity of shared decision-making has underpinned positive healthcare practice. However, the involvement of patients as equal partners in service delivery itself is a lesser-known concept.  At ‘Raising the bar’ […]

‘A pragmatic rolling UK MS audit: What data to collect and how to collect it painlessly’ Jeremy Hobart, Professor of Clinical Neurology and Health Measurement at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry is the representative on the national ‘Raising the bar’ steering group and lead for this workstream. Objectives:  To agree on the […]

Professor Gavin Giovannoni, chair of the ‘Raising the Bar for MS’ steering group, opened the same-titled event in July this year by presenting a vivid picture of what he termed ‘the perfect storm’. Delegates who had attended the opening event in November 2018, or have kept abreast of the national project online, were already aware […]

This July, the second in a series of national events to discuss, inspire and instigate action to ‘raise the bar for MS services’ opened with a poll.  Setting the tone for the two-day intensive event, 85% of the 120 healthcare practitioners either agreed or strongly agreed that ‘Those of us in the room have the […]

Dr Agne Straukiene, consultant neurologist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, is a representative on the national ‘Raising the bar’ steering group and the lead for this workstream. Objectives: To review the evidence that wellness and lifestyle interventions improve MS outcomes To define measurable outcomes in this area. To set achievable goals for […]

Dr Helen Ford, Consultant Neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and Prof Gavin Giovannoni, Professor of Neurology at Barts and The London led the initial discussions for this workstream. They invite other MS Academy members to join as lead representatives to help take the projects forward. Objectives: To review how the social determinants of health affect […]