NHS 'is failing MS sufferers'

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The UK's 85,000 sufferers are subject to a "postcode lottery", with access to basic services - including pain relief - a matter of geographical location, a survey for the RCP found.

And the NHS is still failing to implement 2003 National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the management of the condition, the RCP said.

MS is an auto-immune disease which can lead to symptoms ranging from pins and needles to fatigue and paralysis.

The audit of services revealed that only 36% of people with MS had access to neurological rehabilitation facilities, which can reduce the severity of symptoms.

And long delays mean 50% of patients are waiting more than 20 weeks to be diagnosed after a GP referral.

Of the 1,300 MS sufferers surveyed, 6% developed a skin pressure ulcer during the past year - a marker of poor quality service.

Treating the highest grade of pressure ulcer - grade four - costs the NHS an estimated £10,551.

As well as MS sufferers themselves, 140 Primary Care Trusts, 137 NHS Trusts and seven Strategic Health Authorities took part in the audit, which was carried out by the RCP's Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit (CEEu) and the MS Trust.

The report made a series of recommendations, and called on the Department of Health to ensure MS sufferers had access to adequate services to meet their clinical needs.