FIERCE criticism has been launched over the lack of services for people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the Bordon and Alton area. Described by local MS Society members as a 'post code lottery', this area of North Hampshire has been identified nationally as a 'black hole' for service provision. But, the Society is in fighting spirit - it is "on the case" and is working with the newly formed Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) to address the matter. This should come as heartening news for East Hampshire resident Andrew George, who claims that trying to access the right services for his wife has been a logistical nightmare. Susan George was diagnosed with MS 27 years ago - a diagnosis which happened to coincide with the couple's move to Alton. Since then constant and disruptive reorganisation within the NHS has caused lack of continuity to the point where Mr George believes Alton/Bordon to be "probably one of the worst areas for access to patient care for MS" in the whole of Hampshire. It is Mr George's view that the NICE guidelines, initiated in August 2004 for MS sufferers and seeking to extol a pattern of seamless, rapid and responsive care in the community, are not being met. One of his major concerns is the recent reduction in district nursing staff from six to two - nor does the area have an MS specialist nurse. Instead of receiving house visits from the district nurse his wife is being advised to visit her GP. However, in her condition this if often difficult to accomplish. He also says that his wife is having to travel outside the area to obtain specialist support - the neurologist is based at Guildford and she has to travel to Bordon for a urologist. Furthermore, there is little or no provision for maintenance physiotherapy in the area. He believes that through persistence and sheer determination he is managing to get the level of care and support his wife needs but his fear is that there are people in the community who may be unable to do this. Recent past chairman of the Alton and District branch of the MS Society, Bernie Green, understands Mr George's frustration. Living with MS since 1990, the Bordon resident agrees: "You do have to shout hard and long to get what you want, but you shouldn't have to do that." He also acknowledges that there are people who don't have anybody to fight for them and that is where the MS Society comes in. "You don't have to be a member to access information and advice which is given, in the strictest confidence, to anyone who calls needing our help or support," said Mr Green. The lack of services in the rural patch covered by the Alton and District MS Society (Alton, Bordon and surrounding villages) is currently top of the agenda at national level. According to Service Development officer for Hampshire, Dennis Morgan, the MS Society is currently engaging in positive discussion with Hampshire PCT about how to "plug the gap" and build a specialist team in the north of of the county. An 'Evolving Services' project has been established which has involved consultation with a range of professional providers, a survey of MS sufferers and workshops to try and determine a way forward. In a statement from Hampshire PCT it confirms that since it was formed in October last year it has identified that care for people with long term conditions varies across the county. As such the PCT is "committed to working with local patients, their carers and support groups to address these issues and ensure that care across the county is of the highest quality. "And this will include strengthening specialist MS support across the county, training local nurses in specialist MS care and working with the MS Society to improve services." The statement further confirmed that he PCT was actively recruiting to fill vacancies in the district nursing team and was expecting to make appointments in mid-September. In the meantime, supported by colleagues from Basingstoke, the local team is said to be "prioritising its workload to ensure that essential services are maintained." "Once the recruitment process for new staff is complete the full district nursing service will resume," said the statement. It was made clear, however, that it is not possible to provide outpatient clinics for every speciality at every single local community hospital and that local patients would have to continue to travel to access neurology and urology services. However, physiotherapy for acute needs was among the outpatient services available at Alton, and maintenance physiotherapy for chronic conditions such as MS can be provided as part of NHS continuing care packages - but the reality appears to be that this doesn't happen. It is a key area of concern for the MS Society. Mr Morgan is currently writing a paper on the matter and the local branch has taken matters into its own hands and is currently looking at setting up its own physiotherapy service in partnership with a local gym provider. Mr Morgan firmly believes that maintenance physiotherapy should be available to all MS sufferers and that the PCT should buy into the partnership in line with its own stated principles - and so the debate continues. • To contact Alton and District MS Society call Spiro Sueref on 01420 561259
