New MS Trust Chair of Trustees discusses what she is looking forward to in her new role.

As Caitlin Sorrell looks to take over at the helm of the MS Trust board of Trustees, she reflects on what has been a difficult 12 months and what her top priorities are for the coming year.

I’m writing this a few days before I take on the role of Chair of the MS Trust on the 7 December 2020. I’m excited and I’m also a little bit nervous. I feel a sense of responsibility towards Laura, our outgoing Chair, towards the trustees and towards the staff at the MS Trust, who all work incredibly hard to support people with MS and those who care for them. The year that is coming to a close has been a very difficult one for everybody, and I’m really proud of the way in which our staff showed great flexibility and adapted to ensure that we continued to provide as much support as we could to those who needed us. Thanks to Laura, to the trustees and to the staff, as I step up to the plate, the MS Trust has a strong sense of who it is and where it is going, but also vitally, it is in a sustainable financial position.

More importantly, I feel responsibility towards people living with MS.

For me, that’s not an abstract concept. It’s my husband and my brother-in-law. It’s some of my fellow trustees. It’s people I’ve met through the MS Trust and through my psychology research. I want to make sure that we continue to support them by providing reliable advice and information in ways that make it easily accessible and understandable. The MS Trust needs to make sure that we reflect the diversity and the breadth of experiences of people with multiple sclerosis, and that their voices are heard.

I want to build on the great work that has been done, and I want to use the strong position we are in to deliver more. We all know that MS services across the UK were stretched even before the pandemic, and a key priority for us is to ensure that we support the NHS to provide the right level of care. I look forward to seeing our MS nurse programme restarting, and I’m keen to kick start our second wave of Advanced MS Champions, because we know that these roles not only benefit people with MS, but also benefit the NHS. But it’s not just about new posts. The MS Trust will also continue to support the health professionals that are already providing the services that people with MS rely on, even if we have to find different and innovative ways to do this, such as launching the first virtual MS Trust conference, with online training and networking opportunities.

Whilst we are in a solid financial situation, uncertain times still lie ahead. There is also no doubt that with more income, we could do more for people living with MS. We need to continue to demonstrate to our supporters that we are making a real difference with the money that they donate or fundraise for us, and I would like to thank all those who have supported us through these challenging times and will hopefully continue to do so in the future.