Health professionals provided their opinions to MPs and Peers on the availability of psychology support for people with muscle-wasting conditions and how this can be improved at the second session of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Muscular Dystrophy inquiry into access to psychological support yesterday.
What happened at the meeting
The session, chaired by Mary Glindon MP, heard from:
- Dr Caroline Hutchings, Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine
- Dr Andria Merrison, Consultant Neurologist
- Dr Jatin Pattni, Specialist Clinical Psychologist
- Dr Michael Rose, Consultant Neurologist
- Andrea Russell, Neuromuscular Care Advisor
- Dr Sadie Thomas-Unsworth, Specialist Clinical Psychologist
- Prof Derek Willis, Consultant in Palliative Medicine
- Dr Ingram Wright, Consultant Paediatric Neuropsychologist, British Psychological Society
MPs and Peers brought the patient perspectives from the first session into the discussions and sought views and recommendations from the health professionals to take on board for the rest of the inquiry and the final report. The points made by the health professionals included:
- need for equitable access to psychological support
- integration with community-based care and support
- utilising technology to overcome geographical challenges
- establishing a best practice model of care and support
- support required for relatives as well as people with the condition
The next session on Wednesday 25 April will focus on evidence from commissioners and decision-makers.
How you can get involved
The APPG would like to hear from people with muscle-wasting conditions and family members about their experiences of accessing psychological support.
There are some questions in the Have Your Say document, and you may wish to answer some or all of these, or alternatively you can email a statement of no more than 250 words about psychological support. Please email your answers to the questions or your statement to Jonathan Kingsley at j.kingsley@musculardystrophyuk.org by Friday 27th April 2018.
For more information about the inquiry, please contact our campaigns team: campaigns@musculardystrophyuk.org or on 020 7803 4839.