Introducing our new Advanced MS Champion for Cumbria

We are delighted to announce that our second Advanced MS Champion Nicola Hyslop will be joining the MS team in Cumbria in July. Nicola, who has worked as a district nurse for a number of years, will bring much-needed care to people in the local area living with the complex and often devastating symptoms that characterise advanced MS, as well as providing support to families and carers. We caught up with Nicola to talk about the importance of this new role and how it will make a difference to people living with advanced MS in Cumbria. 

What was it about the Advanced MS Champion role that made you want to apply?

In my previous role as a district nurse,  I have worked with people in the community setting who have a wide range of clinical and social needs. I wanted to focus on an area of nursing that would utilise all my past clinical experience, local knowledge and links to services, while continuing to develop my career within a specialised area of nursing. The Advanced MS Champion post allows me the best of both worlds, working closely with people with advanced MS within their own environment.

How will this role make a difference for people with advanced MS in Cumbria?

The MS service in Cumbria is continually expanding and is staffed by a very small and dedicated team. The patient caseload and the rurality of the local area has often made it difficult for those patients with advanced MS to be reviewed regularly which may have led to unnecessary hospital admissions and them feeling unsupported.  I hope to provide people with regular contact in their homes,  promote wellbeing and treatment when appropriate, and ultimately reduce the need for unnecessary hospital admissions by ensuring that the appropriate support is in place.

I enjoy working with people and every day is different 

What are you looking forward to most about becoming an Advanced MS Champion?

I am really excited to have the opportunity to take on the challenge of being an Advanced MS Champion.  I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know people with MS and their families, building a good rapport which will enable us to work together, to ensure that they are fully supported and receiving the most appropriate care.  

What made you want to become a nurse?

I started nursing as a health care assistant on a busy orthopaedic ward in Carlisle. This sparked my interest in nursing as a career.  I enjoy working with people, and every day is different.  Even small changes can have a dramatic affect on someone’s wellbeing ….and why not be the person who helps make those changes!