UKMSSNA

Amy Harbour is the Lead nurse specialist for South East Hampshire working for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. She was recently nominated for an excellence in primary care parliamentary award. She works on the committee for the UKMSSNA, a representation for Hampshire. She has successfully completed in recent years, the international MS examination, the relapse management exam, Advanced History taking and the Hitchen model. Amy is very passionate about the changes in MS which keeps her on her toes! In her spare time she enjoys watching her boys play football and rugby and is a big Peleton fan.

I have been an MS nurse since 2001. I am acute based see patients from diagnosis to end of life. I share my committee role with Emma Gurney.

I was appointed as a MS nurse in 2010 an worked at QMC in Nottingham before working as a MS nurse funded through quintiles at Mid staffs NHS trust, in 2015 I joined the team at UHNM and continue to support patients in Stafford and stoke on trent. Previous background of ITU nursing.

Gail Clayton was appointed the first MS nurse in Wales in 1995 covering a large geographical area. As a founding member of the UKMSSNA she worked to develop and promote the role of the MS nurse both in Wales and nationally. Gail was involved in developing the provision of specialist MS service throughout Wales. Currently the lead CNS in the team and manages the multidisciplinary MS team whilst managing a complex caseload of patients in the South Wales Valleys. Her interests include paediatric MS and she runs a joint clinic with the paediatric neurologist to ensure smooth transition the adult services. Other interests include identifying the needs of people growing older with MS with the aim of providing practical support. Gail is involved in several DMT treatment monitoring clinics and has developed protocols to ensure safe DMT monitoring.

I qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1994 and have experience in medical nursing, district nursing and epilepsy.  I’ve worked for The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool since 2012 and currently manage the MS nurse service for North Wales. My role covers all aspects of MS nursing including DMT management.  I’m also an honorary lecturer for Liverpool University.

I qualified as a nurse in 2001 and have worked in Neurosciences for the majority of my career, becoming a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) nurse in 2009 in secondary care.  In 2010 alongside my MS nurse role, I took on the role of MS research nurse and Coordinator at the queen’s medical centre Nottingham and achieving my post graduate certificate in health and social care research.  In 2014 I moved to the community to work for Nottingham City care as a MS nurse Specialist I continue in this role today.  Since then I have completed my post graduate certificate in non-medical prescribing.  I remain focused on improving patient care, service development, my development and helping others to develop in their role.

Nicola is also our policy advisor

I am the MS specialist nurse who established and developed the MS Nursing service for the Western Isles in Scotland.  I have 31 years of nursing experience 9 of which have been as an MS specialist nurse. Prior to taking up the role of MS specialist, I worked predominately in community, GP practice and palliative care.

I am passionate about empowering and activating patients in the management of their MS. All the service improvements for the service have been patient led and have been instumental in developing the service to what it is today

I started my BSc nurse training in 1993 in the Philippines moving to the UK in 2000, and have always worked in Neurosciences. My previous role prior to joining the MS team was a ward manager in neurosurgery and stroke. I work at an acute Trust (UHS NHS FT) as the Lead MS Nurse with our Wessex MS Service covering the whole region working very closely with our community team. My key interests are improving patient care & journey, service development and supporting nurses within Multiple Sclerosis services.

Multiple Sclerosis Advance Nurse Practitioner (Lead Nurse) at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool.  The Walton Centre is a specialist trust that provides neurology and neurosurgery services to it’s catchment area of Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.  I qualified as a RGN in 1999 and joined the MS team in 2011.  My role includes patient care (nurse clinics, MDT clinics, DMT management, nurse advice line), service development and education (patient information days, in house training, honorary lecturer for Liverpool University).  I also manage both the MS and Neuromyelitis Optica Nurse teams.

I am an MS Support Nurse in Buckinghamshire. I have been an MS Nurse since 2016. I work mainly in the community with people with progressive MS, but also assist in the DMT clinics. I work part time. I also manage an MS Support Clinic, offering longer one to one appointments allowing patients to share any anxieties they have which may be affecting their MS .

I joined our Neurology Specialist Nursing team in July 2017 as a band 5 and my primary role was supporting Parkinson’s patients who were in hospital. I then began to learn more about MS and the DMTs. I was fortunate that an opening for an MS Specialist Nurse came free in November 2018. Since that time I have supported MS patients through clinics, infusion appointments and telephone appointments.  In November 2020 I was promoted to Lead MS Specialist Nurse and my focus is to provide a high level of service for MS patients and their families across the disease spectrum

Makeda started her nursing career at the tender age of 19years old in her birth country of Guyana South America and qualified as a Registered nurse in 1995.  She later immigrated to the UK with her Family and continues to pursue her nursing. She started off her nursing career in the UK on an orthopaedic and then as a Band 6 nurse on a neurology Ward. Being a motivated and wanting to progress in her career she later took up a post to work as a senior sister (Band 7) on a medical ward.

Having a desire and always being enthusiastic to learn more about Neurological condition Makeda took a risk of applying for a Maternity MS nurse cover at St Georges Hospital and fell in love with this speciality. After one year she then moved on to cover another maternity cover as a band 8 at Kingston Hospital this also came to an end. So Makeda then applied for a band 7 post covering both community and acute MS services at Guys and St Thomas Hospital.  Makeda then completed her MS foundation course in 2018. With the lead MS nurse retiring Makeda applied for the post of the of the lead nurse at Guys and St. Thomas trust and was awarded this position in January 2021. Makeda is now pursuing her master’s degree in nursing.

I qualified as a nurse in 2007 and have worked in acute neurology, medical admissions, and intensive care.  In 2018, I became the MS Specialist Nurse for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, working mostly in the community around the Yorkshire Dales.  Most of my patients have progressive MS and I see them in community clinics or in their own homes.  I am interested in improving patient access to disease modifying treatments for people who live in rural areas.

I completed my Nursing studies in Gran Canaria in 2003, Spain. Then, I moved to London in 2004, joined the Neurology family at St George’s Hospital in 2005 and worked in Neurosciences ever since. I completed my BSc Psychology in 2010. I joined the MS Nursing team as an MS Therapies Nurse in 2011 and then I became an MS Nurse in 2015.

I am passionate about supporting patients and their families from the day of their diagnosis right throughout all the challenges that they will face in their new journey.

In my spare time I love dancing salsa and playing Badminton.

Since qualifying as a nurse I have mainly worked in the community which is how I became an MS Nurse in 2008, planning to stay for a year to see how I got on. I have worked for the same organisation since then delivering care in the community to people with MS, liaising with a range of other services.

I qualified with my Nursing degree from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2000 and began work as a staff nurse in the Regional Neurology Unit in Belfast. In 2006 I took up a post as Multiple Sclerosis Nurse within the Belfast MS team and worked there for 13 years. I then took up a post within the Northern Health & Social Care Trust setting up a new service providing access to nurse led clinics and DMTs locally. Our caseload has grown considerably over the last 3 years, and our small team is also developing and growing in response to increasing demand.