Three neurological charities have struck a unique partnership with the Department of Health to support the future of the specialist nurse, whose role has increasingly become a soft target amid health budget cuts.
The MS Society, Epilepsy Action and Parkinson’s Disease Society have welcomed the backing of Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services. This follows a summit held on Tuesday (1 May) to highlight the vital role of specialist nurses in helping people with multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
The three charities joined together to seek support from the minister to promote specialist nursing, which potentially saves the NHS millions each year and is overlooked by some local health commissioners.
The Minister agreed that local health commissioners needed to better understand the direct and indirect benefits of specialist nursing.
He said: "Today's meeting was both informative and productive in understanding the role of specialist nurses and their contribution to ensuring the care that their patients receive is of a high quality and tailored to their needs.
“It was also an opportunity to hear about the value they add to local healthcare communities and the efficiencies they can make through their distinct approach.”
Now a guidance document will be prepared to outline best practice and educate health commissioners on the benefits of protecting the specialist nurse post. This will be launched at a national conference in early 2008.
The MS Society has been funding MS specialist nurse posts through its Nurse Fund and Fast Track Scheme since 1999. It is estimated that MS specialist nurses, through reducing hospital admissions and the length of stay, can save health trusts around £60,000 treating relapse symptoms at home
However, in a survey of 82 MS nurses carried out in 2006, 29% had been asked to justify their posts and 86% reported that financial pressures were having an adverse effect on patient care.
MS Society Chief Executive, Simon Gillespie, said: “I am delighted by the support offered by Ivan Lewis MP and the Chief Nursing Officer, Chris Beasley.
“For too long the specialist nurse post has been misunderstood and the Minister’s commitment to highlight the benefits to people with complex neurological conditions like MS, alongside the financial savings specialist nurses bring to Trusts, is good news.”
Epilepsy Action has been funding epilepsy specialist nurses (ESNs) through its Sapphire Nurse Scheme since 1995. There are currently 185 ESNs in the UK; 83 of which are Sapphire Nurses.
It is estimated that ESNs, by reducing waiting times for people with epilepsy to see a specialist or general neurological consultant, can save health trusts £80,000 per year. However, around 8% of ESN posts are currently under threat due to financial pressures on NHS trusts.
Rflecting on the outcome of the meeting, Epilepsy Action Chief Executive, Philip Lee, said: “I am pleased that the important role the voluntary sector plays in providing services for people with long term conditions has been recognised and welcome the focus on specialist nurses.
“We are looking forward to working closely with the Department of Health to implement the outcomes of today’s meeting and to making a real difference to the lives of people with epilepsy.”
The Parkinson’s Disease Society has invested more than £7.5million in specialist Parkinson’s nursing posts since 1989. There are currently 230 Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists in the UK.
It is estimated that Parkinson’s disease nurse specialist care, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, can reduce hospital admissions by 50%, saving the NHS in England £3.8million in admissions every year.
Steve Ford, Parkinson’s Disease Society Chief Executive, said: “Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists play a vitally important role in providing quality care to people with Parkinson’s, while being cost effective to local health organisations.
“The Parkinson’s Disease Society is still firmly committed to putting more money on the table to establish more nurse posts across the UK. The enthusiasm of the Minister to help charities outline the benefits of specialist nurses will help make this a win-win situation both for patients and commissioners.”
Ivan Lewis MP added: “I am pleased that we were able to commit to jointly working together to produce best practice guidance and information about the contribution available from the voluntary sector.
“Our aim will be to make the case for specialist nurses becoming mainstream in services available to people with long-term conditions."