Multiple sclerosis specialist team recognised at national awards

Many congratulations indeed to the Anne Rowling Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Team, NHS Lothian, who won the "Developments in the Management of MS Award" at the Scottish Healthcare Awards 2023.

Professor David Hunt, who leads the MS and neuroinflammation service, said:

We are delighted to receive this award which recognises the team's work on rapid diagnosis, access to effective treatments and delivery of impactful research.

Transforming NHS services for people newly diagnosed with MS

The management of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been revolutionised over the past decade by the development of highly effective disease-modifying therapies which reduce inflammatory disease activity and can slow the progression of disability. This has led to an urgent need to reconfigure multiple sclerosis services to facilitate early, accurate diagnosis and access to treatment.

To address this need, the team, led by Prof David Hunt, have developed the 'new diagnosis initiative', a patient-centred service with a focus on prompt, coordinated, quality-assured diagnosis and treatment, linked to research addressing patient priorities.

In the new initiative, people with newly diagnosed MS are seen in a clinic within 1-2 weeks, and are assessed by the whole specialist MS team. The diagnosis is quality-assured by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, and patients are promptly offered disease modifying therapies whenever appropriate. Furthermore, newly diagnosed patients are routinely offered access to clinical trials, and studies which address some of the more important questions about how best to treat newly-diagnosed MS.

The new diagnosis initiative has led to a reduction in time to confirmed diagnosis, as well as a marked improvement in timely access to disease modifying therapies.

The annual Scottish Healthcare Awards were held in the Glasgow Marriott Hotel on Wednesday 29th November 2023. The awards recognise the dedication, and remarkable work undertaken by Scottish Healthcare professionals. 

Useful links

The multiple sclerosis clinic at the Anne Rowling Clinic

The Department of Clinical Neurosciences, NHS Lothian (external website)

Professor David Hunt's profile