Free enquiry service for people with MS in the UK.

With a month still to go, 2016 has officially been the busiest year yet for our Information Team, with the total number of enquiries received now exceeding our previous record, and it looking likely that for the first time ever we will have had more than 3,000 requests for information in one year from people living with MS, and health professionals on the front line of MS Care.

We are proud to be playing such an important role in ensuring that those with MS are able to live as full a life as possible. Time and time again we hear how people diagnosed with MS are finding there is either not enough information available, or there is too much – particularly online – and it is difficult to know what to believe. The MS Trust Information Team take away some of the uncertainty and help those affected to see a way forward.

The responsibility of this is huge for the team, made up of just three Information Officers. MS is complicated, life-long and unpredictable, without a known cause or cure, and it affects people in very different ways. Because of this, not only are the number of inquiries steadily increasing, the types of inquiries received are becoming increasingly varied and complex – from stem cell treatment, to symptom management, and diseased modifying drugs to pregnancy with MS. The list is growing and with every new piece of research, the team have to confidently be able to identify the sensationalist headlines and the latest fads, versus progress which could offer very real hope.

Furthermore, the way people access information today is ever changing. And so not only do the Information Team manage the increasingly busy enquiry line, they also write and update all the MS Trust publications – available both online and offline - and have sent out nearly 55,000 information factsheets and booklets, many of which are sent to Health Professionals helping people newly diagnosed with MS or experiencing changes in their MS to understand their condition and come to terms with the practical implications of their diagnosis. This is in addition to providing all the MS Trust website content – including the Understanding MS and the A-Z of MS pages. The website is an important resource for both people with MS and Health Professionals, and these two sections alone have had almost 4.5 million views in 2016.

We are determined to be here to provide evidence-based, personalised information about MS for everyone that needs it. We have the expertise needed to do so and are hugely proud of the dedication shown by our Information Team in delivering this service. But we can only continue to do this thanks to the generosity of people like you. Your support via Global Giving means so much to us, and on behalf of everyone here at the MS Trust and the 100,000 people with MS in the UK, thank you so much. We are truly grateful.

Yours sincerely,

Jo Sopala

Director of Fundraising