New support for motor neurone disease patients announced
Yvette Cooper has announced new fast-track support for motor neurone disease (MND) patients, forming part of a wider overhaul of social care, reports BritPanorama.
The Health Secretary paid tribute to the late Rob Burrow, a former England rugby league star who died in 2024 from complications associated with MND.
Visiting a care centre in Leeds named after Burrow, Ms Cooper emphasized his significant role in raising awareness and improving support for MND patients, noting the contributions of his family and former teammate Sir Kevin Sinfield.
She stated, “What we’ve got to do now is make sure the principles that apply here about supporting families and patients are applied throughout the National Health Service and also in our social care system too.”
Further emphasizing urgency, Ms Cooper added, “That’s why when Andy Burnham set out a vision for a National Care Service, we prioritised MND as being something we should focus on now, providing social care support for affected families and speeding it up as well.”
The new fast-track pathway aims to address “delays and fragmentation” in support for individuals with MND, as part of the “first phase” of reforming the social care system, according to the Department for Health and Social Care.
Development will occur in collaboration with the Motor Neurone Disease Association, current patients and carers, along with professionals in health, social care, and housing.
Tanya Curry, chief executive of the MND Association, remarked, “We hear time and time again of people with MND forced to battle a system that is slow, disjointed and too complex to move quickly enough to support people with a rapidly progressing disease.”
She further asserted, “This must change – Ms Cooper’s statement today suggests she agrees and that there is willingness at the highest levels of Government to transform the experience for people with MND.”
However, she emphasized the necessity for this willingness to translate into action, calling for tangible solutions at both national and local levels.
The announcement follows a week after the Prime Minister pledged to collaborate with various parties in reforming the social care system, characterizing the current state as “bad for everybody.”
Mr Burnham revealed plans to expedite Baroness Louise Casey’s commission into social care, advancing the initial 2028 deadline to next year. He also committed to immediate workforce reforms, suggesting that staff integration with the NHS is vital, and expressed intentions to work with other major parties to achieve consensus on the matter.
