Health Trust apologises over MS helpline closure

A Northern Ireland health trust has apologised following the closure of a telephone helpline for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The Western Health and Social Care Trust said the telephone service is currently unavailable due to “staffing challenges”.

Efforts to recruit staff are continuing, the trust said.

Stewart Finn of the MS Society said the loss of the helpline will be “scary and frustrating” for people living with the condition.

“MS can fluctuate and progress and you need that specialist help on hand," Mr Stewart told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme.

"When it’s not available, it’s going to be scary and frustrating for people."

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, movement, sensation or balance.

According to the NHS, the symptoms will vary from person to person and can affect any part of the body.

Depending on the severity of the condition, symptoms may come and go or progress over time.

'Reassurance and advice'

Áine, who did not want to use her full name, lives with MS.

Earlier this week she contacted the helpline only to be greeted by voicemail.

The specialist nurses she usually can connect to via the helpline, she said, have been hugely important to her.

They have been a vital source of reassurance and advice during flare-ups of her condition, she said.

“It’s good for reassurance if you are having any new symptoms, or something you think might be a relapse that you might need to see a neurologist about or even get a message to your neurologist,” she said.

Áine said the helpline also meant she didn’t have to present to her GP or A&E when she needs help – services, she said, that are already under pressure.

“What am I supposed to do? You need to get someone who is specialist in this illness,” she said.

In a statement, a Western Trust spokesperson said: "We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause”.

The trust spokesperson added that anyone requiring advice should make efforts to contact their GP.

Mr Finn said the progressive nature of MS means a relationship built up over many years between patients and nurses can help as the condition and its symptoms change.

It’s as vital a service, he added, to someone who is newly diagnosed as much as it is to someone who has lived with MS for many years.

“It’s an ongoing relationship, an ongoing service people really value,” he said.