Quality statement 3: Coordinated care | Multiple sclerosis | Quality standards

Quality statement

Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a single point of contact who coordinates access to care from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Rationale

Adults with MS have different needs for information, advice and support, and this will change as their condition progresses. Support should be tailored to the individual person and responsive to changing needs, including relapses, acute deteriorating symptoms and progression. The single point of contact should have knowledge of MS services and will ensure that adults with MS can access care and support from health and social care practitioners, which is relevant to their specific needs.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

a) Evidence of local arrangements to provide adults with MS with a single point of contact with knowledge of MS services who coordinates access to care from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from service protocols or service specifications.

b) Evidence of local arrangements for a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS to care for adults with MS.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from service specifications or local protocols.

Process

Proportion of adults with MS with a single point of contact who coordinates access to care from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Numerator – the number in the denominator with a single point of contact who coordinates access to care from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Denominator – the number of adults with MS.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient records.

Outcome

a) Patient satisfaction with a single point of contact for coordination of access to care.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient surveys.

b) Patient satisfaction with timeliness of access to care from the multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient surveys.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (neurology services) ensure that adults with MS have a single point of contact with knowledge of MS services who coordinates access to care from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Health and social care practitioners (members of the multidisciplinary team) provide coordinated care for adults with MS through a single point of contact who has knowledge of MS services.

Commissioners (NHS England, integrated care systems and clinical commissioning groups) ensure that, for adults with MS, they commission neurology services that have a single point of contact with knowledge of MS services who coordinates access to care from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS.

Adults with MS have someone they can contact to help them get the care they need from health and care services. They know when and how to contact this person. They can talk about any changes in their condition and any extra or different support they might need. Support should be available from a team with training and skills in managing MS.

Source guidance

Multiple sclerosis in adults: management. NICE guideline NG220 (2022), recommendations 1.3.1 and 1.3.2

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Multidisciplinary team with expertise in MS

The team should involve professionals who have expertise in managing MS, including MS nurses, consultant neurologists, physiotherapists with expertise in MS and occupational therapists.

Other professionals should be involved, according to the needs of the individual adult with MS, such as consultants in rehabilitation medicine, speech and language therapists, psychologists, dietitians, specialist neuropharmacists or specialist MS pharmacists, primary healthcare team, social care and continence specialists. A multidisciplinary team approach should encompass all these perspectives as well as those of the person with MS and their family. [NICE's guideline on multiple sclerosis in adults, recommendation 1.3.2 and 2014 full guideline, section 7.6]