Charity scheme saves Norfolk hospital over £100,000
It was created by the Multiple Sclerosis Trust and The October Club, between 2018 and 2020
A new charity initiative in Norfolk says it's improved patients' lives and helped local hospitals save thousands of pounds.
The MS Trust have created 'champions', who patients with Multiple Sclerosis can visit instead of going to see doctors.
They say it's reduced the length of hospital stays, improved patient quality of life, freed up GP and hospital time and saved the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital over £100,000 in a year.
The scheme has been introduced in six areas across the country, including Norwich, and ran between 2018 and 2020.
There are roughly 550 people with MS in Norwich.
Of those, it is estimated that 250 will be in the 'progressive stage', where the condition steadily worsens over time.
With advancing disability, people often develop complex health needs and experience multiple symptoms including weakness, spasms, urinary and faecal incontinence, pain and cognitive difficulties.
Others are unable to walk and spend most of their day in a wheelchair or in bed.
What real terms impact has this scheme had?
According to the MS Trust the scheme has:
-Saved the NNUH £107,316
-Prevented 33 hospital admissions, over a 12-month period
-Reduced the length of hospital stays from 11 to 8 days
-Freed up an average of 172 appointments per year for MS Specialist Nurses
"All too often the MS team is so bus"
Ruth O’Regan is the Advanced Multiple Sclerosis Champion in Norwich:
“All too often the MS team is so busy that they don’t have time to go out into the community; this can lead to some people with advanced MS being left behind by services as they cannot attend hospital appointments to get specialist care they need.
This role has given me the opportunity to assess people with advanced MS in their homes and listen to their needs and work with them more holistically.”
"Having her to speak to is a great help to my mental health"
Keith Roads' wife Dawn has AMS. She received support from Ruth in Norwich as part of the pilot scheme:
“It’s very stressful when you see the person you love is going away from you and you see them deteriorating. I've got to maintain a happy disposition because I want Dawn to have a happy life for the rest of her life. Having Ruth to offload on helps me to give Dawn that emotional support.
"It's hard to build a relationship with clinical staff as they’re constantly changing. While Ruth is a huge practical help, it's also just nice to have someone there who I can offload to a bit. I feel like I can call Ruth for support when I’m getting stressed about how to cope with things.
"Having her to speak to is a great help to my mental health. Ruth’s role has been so valuable to me and Dawn and indirectly has helped the carers and everyone else involved in our lives.”