The MS Trust and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust are delighted to announce they have collaborated to appoint a new specialist MS nurse, who will support people living with multiple sclerosis in the Sunderland area, where there are more than 1,000 people living with MS.
New MS nurse, Ashley Thomas’s role was created as part of the MS Trust Specialist Nurse Programme, with the goal of ensuring that everyone with MS in the UK has access to a specialist MS health professional. The MS Trust funds 80% of the new MS nurse’s role for the first 15 months and provides support and mentorship for the nurse and their team over that period.
Ashley has returned to the Trust after starting her nursing career at Sunderland Royal Hospital's A&E, where she worked for five years. She then spent two years working in a high security prison and a further four with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust as a Parkinson's specialist nurse, in which she gained her qualification in prescribing.
She trained at Northumbria University, completing an advanced diploma and then a top up degree. Ashley, who also lives in Sunderland, will work alongside specialist nurse Carmel Wilkinson, MS co-ordinator Vickie Jones, lead MS Consultant Kate Petheram and Consultant Neurologist Gemma Maxwell.
Research conducted by the MS Trust recommends a specialist MS Nurse for every 315 people registered with an MS service. However, in many areas of the country this is not the case. Ashley’s role is the first of two positions planned for the Sunderland area in the next 12 months. This will not only enhance the lives of people living with MS, but will also alleviate the workload of Consultant Neurologists, which will in turn reduce waiting times.
The Health Professionals Team at the MS Trust are committed to delivering the Specialist Nurse Programmes, whilst also providing expert guidance to MS teams. They develop and support educational opportunities for MS specialists which include a Foundation Module and an annual Conference.
Diane Palmer is Deputy Director of Nursing for the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
We offer a warm welcome to Ashley as she returns to work for our Trust again. She will be joining a team who are passionate about the care they offer to our patients who have MS.
Ashley is excited about her new role and said of the opportunity.
I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work within South Tyneside and Sunderland MS service. It is a speciality which I have always been very interested in and the current growth of the service is very exciting to be a part of. I hope to be an added source of support and guidance for people with MS in our locality.
Lucy Taylor, CEO, MS Trust.
We’ve been working closely with South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust for several years and are delighted to be able to support them with this new MS Specialist Nurse appointment. We are aware of the pressures the MS team in this area have been facing and are thrilled to help boost capacity with this position. We’re also excited to continue our partnership with this NHS Trust to fund an Advanced MS Champion for the region in the next 12 months.
