We are excited to be celebrating 20 years of TiMS at conference in 2025 (Sunday 23 to Tuesday 25 March 2025).
We would love you to join us at conference for our TiMS meet and greet as well as our update session. Our stand will be packed full of insights into the TiMS group, including information on the history of TiMS and videos from our working group members. There will be cake too!
The co-chairs now have an updated job description ready to advertise the new vice chair role. The successful candidate will learn about the co-chair role for a year before stepping into the co-chair role alongside Susan Hourihan when Jody Barber steps down. Recruitment for the vice chair role will be this year (2025).
During our December meeting, CEO of the MS Trust, Lucy Taylor spoke about the merger between the MS Trust and MS Research, Treatment and Education. The new organisation, which will retain the name Multiple Sclerosis Trust, will continue to provide the resources people with MS and their families rely on, including the helpline, website and MS publications.
It will maintain the ongoing fight for equitable access to MS health care across the country and will remain as the only charity to educate all new MS health professionals. The new structure will pave the way for the funding of research projects. Hence, the trust will be perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.
We are incredibly excited about the opportunities this merger offers the MS Community. By adding research to our toolbox, and combining our expertise with that of MS Research, we're now expertly positioned to make an even greater difference to the lives of people living with MS and their families.
Lucy Taylor, CEO of the MS Trust
If you would like to petition for change in the NHS, here is the link to do so: Change NHS
The Refuel MS project has been looking at current fatigue management provision in the NHS. An article around the project will be published soon. A key aspect of the work has highlighted variations in the interventions provided across the NHS.
Work around the production of an app is ongoing. The use of the patient app, whilst being supported by therapists, is going through a rigorous process. There is hope that it will be commissioned in order to centralise provision of intervention.
The proposed trials would run with a selection of people from the MS Register in order to look at how it could be implemented within the context of the NHS. The evaluation phase will start in the next 6 months.
The development of the optimal clinical pathway (PDF, 5.6MB) for adults with MS has been overseen by NNAG and led by a working group of clinicians and MS organisations. A public consultation was held to gather input, views and experience from people with neurological conditions and wider stakeholders.
The MS Trust has begun a new service mapping project. This time, the Trust is not only focusing on the perspective of AHPs through their nurse mapping, but also from the perspective of patients with MS. This will give a realistic picture of how services are operating.
We will be encouraging HPs and people with MS to fill this out once the questionnaire is published. More updates will follow in coming newsletter editions.
Thank you to all those who helped with the Getting around with MS report.
Please see below information about two national meetings which may be of interest.
National Neurology Transformation Meeting 2025
In January 2024 the first National Neurology Transformation Meeting was held. It was attended by over 120 delegates including clinical leads, operational managers and commissioners, focusing on understanding the new NHS landscape and the implications for neurology services. Recordings of the 2024 sessions are available for reference and background.
Transforming MS for All Summit Meeting 2025
This summit meeting will be held on 12 September 2025. Follow the link to register your interest.
The MS Trust is planning Welsh translations of some of our important information for people living with MS. To help us make sure we get this right, we are looking for fluent Welsh speakers to join a panel of people with MS and MS health professionals focused on the needs of people with MS in Wales.
This panel will help us review our translations for accuracy but will also have the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences of MS services in Wales.
You’ll need to be able to read information about MS in Welsh and English, and give comments in a timely manner, either via email, video call or over the phone. There may be opportunities for in-person or online focus groups throughout the year. You’ll be helping us to make sure we are providing the best possible services for people with MS in Wales.
If you are interested, please email Claire at resources@mstrust.org.uk. We’ll send you more information about this volunteer role and answer any questions you have.
The Working Group is keen that the resources and work we do helps others in the field. Please visit the TiMS website pages which include a variety of resources, including outcome measures, core stability exercises and competencies.
If you have a question about any aspect of managing MS, contact the working group and we will do our very best to answer it.
If you would like more information about TiMS, the working group and to see the work we have done to date, click on TiMS in the Health Professions section on the MS Trust website.
