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A National Strategy for MND
Urgent, national action is required to improve the quality of life and achieve dignity in death which people with MND need and have a right to expect, no matter where they live in this country.
Urgent, national action is required is to realise efficiency gains and value for money of spend on care for people with MND, and research into the causes and cure of this disease.
Please visit our dedicated campaign website at www.mnd2010.org to sign our petition and see how else you can get involved in the campaign.
Why is a strategy the solution?
MND requires significant input from health and social care services however low awareness amongst professionals coupled with decades of systematic neglect of neurology has resulted in extremely patchy and deeply inequitable provision. As a result the quality of life of people with MND, their families and carers is being routinely undermined.
A National Strategy for MND is urgently needed to ensure people with MND receive the co-ordinated, holistic care and support they both need and have a right to expect from the NHS and social services, no matter where they live in the country. A National Strategy for MND would enable good practice to be rolled out, increase awareness and education, and provide the tool to ensure efficient planning and allocation, ensuring that services and resources are used as effectively as possible.
This MND Association Manifesto (622 kb) outlines the key areas of concern for people with MND and recommendations for inclusions to a National Strategy for MND to address these challenges.
The National Service Framework for long-term conditions (NSF), which focuses on the needs of people with neurological conditions and brain or spinal injuries was published in 2005. This provided a valuable and positive vision, but it did not come with a road-map to implementation: the National Strategy for MND should be the road-map for implementing the NSF for people with MND. While new funding is not absolutely required for a National Strategy for MND, funding that is already in place for the constituent parts of the NSF must be maintained and deployed more effectively.
Key Quality Requirements of particular relevance to a National Strategy for MND include KQR1 – Person centred service; KQR 2 – Early recognition, prompt diagnosis and treatment; and KQR 9 – Palliative care. This range of worthwhile initiatives must be made to work in a co-ordinated way, to secure consistently high quality care provision for people with MND.
For more information, contact the Public Affairs and Campaigns Team
