Nicola Sturgeon MSP reiterates support for joined-up services for MS

Excerpt from Scottish Government Question Time: Nicola Sturgeon MSP reiterates support for joined-up services for MS and self-management of long term conditions

Revive MS Support welcomed the recent debate in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 15 December 2011 about long term conditions and self management (in particular chronic pain and MS)

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy (Nicola Sturgeon): Our healthcare quality strategy aims to ensure that people with long-term conditions receive high-quality, safe, effective and person-centred care. We want to put people with long-term conditions at the heart of the national health service, enable them to be treated closer to home and offer support so that they are better able to self-manage their condition where that is appropriate.

We are seeing on-going improvements in services so that they are better designed for people with long-term conditions. For example, in 2009-10, older people required 125,000 fewer days in hospital and 29,000 got telecare at home instead of care in a hospital setting. We have also had very positive feedback from the 76,000 people who are now managing their medicines better through local pharmacies’ chronic medication service.

George Adam: As the cabinet secretary knows, Scotland has the highest incidence of multiple sclerosis per head of population in the world. Does she agree that, in tackling MS, it is important to deal with many national and local partners to determine the causes and possible treatments of the condition?

Nicola Sturgeon: I very much agree with George Adam that, in tackling multiple sclerosis and supporting people who have it, we need to consider a range of joined-up and integrated approaches. That includes research into the condition, ensuring that we have services in place for people with the condition, providing services as close to home as possible and, as is the case with other long-term conditions, ensuring that we are supporting people to self-manage their condition. I assure George Adam that that will remain central to our work as we move forward.