Welcome to the summer 2022 edition of the TiMS newsletter.
As well as Covid presenting us with so many changes in the way we work, the TiMS working group has also undergone a lot of change.
We have sadly said goodbye to several of our working group over the last 12 months and have also said goodbye to Delia Britter from the MS Trust, who has supported TiMS and the working group for so many years.
This does mean, however, that we have been able to welcome some new faces and expertise to the group, and we are very excited to have two speech and language therapists in addition to two new Occupational Therapists and four new Physiotherapists. Have a look to see how the working group is now made up and let us know if you are interested in becoming a member.
For us as co-chairs, our agreed terms are coming to an end, so there will be the opportunity for others to take over as co-chairs in the coming months, take a look at our aims and constitution for more information.
Over the last couple of years, the working group has had to pause several projects and workstreams, but we are now able to (cautiously) start going again. The TiMS Self-Reported Assessment is available now and we are hoping to bring you guidelines for holistic MS annual reviews in the very near future.
Along with our own projects, the TiMS working group continues to be involved with many other groups and projects, including linking with the UKMSSNA (UK Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurses Association), being part of the MS Academy Faculty, and advising and reviewing documents from organisations such as NICE, the UK MS Audit, NHS England, the MS Trust and MS Society.
The most important thing for us, is to be there for the TiMS membership, so if there is anything you need from us, please let us know.
Michelle & Jody, Co-chairs of TiMS
Kind regards,
Michelle & Jody
Michelle Davies & Jody Barber
Co-chairs of the TiMS working group
The MS Trust conference is a fantastic event for MS health professionals. It's an opportunity for teams to learn, share expertise, and focus on improving care for everyone affected by MS.
This year’s Bold in Blue 25th MS Trust Annual Conference was a resounding success. It was so good to be back face to face with great speakers, interesting topics, fun at the annual poster speed dating competition and of course an amazing gala dinner and disco. A big congratulations must go to the winners of the Fancy Dress Competition, The Dorset Silver Surfers.
The 26th MS Trust annual conference will take place from Sunday, 26 to Tuesday, 28 March 2023, Jurys Inn Hinckley Island Hotel SAVE THE DATE!
If you have been following the progress of these, they are now being referred to as the skills and knowledge framework for physiotherapists and occupational therapists on the website. A TiMS Working Group is currently reviewing and updating them as they were written in 2018.
The framework is for therapists at all levels who work with people who have MS and is intended to help them identify the skills and knowledge they need to manage MS effectively. The format is also being simplified to make it more user-friendly. We shall let you know when the update is available later this year. Our long-term aim is to produce similar documents for other AHP groups.
Clinical Guidelines for FES should be available by the end of July. They will be cascaded through many channels; we will let you know when they are published. They are a collaborate project with the CSP and IFESS (International FES Society).
The MS Trust has an interesting and informative 11-minute talk you can watch with Christine Singleton and Sarah Joiner: Talking functional electrical stimulation (FES) with Christine Singleton and Sarah Joiner
The MS Society has also recently published a new evidence pack full of useful information on FES and setting up a FES service: Evidence for professionals | Multiple Sclerosis Society UK (mssociety.org.uk)
Odstock Medical also provides heaps of information for professionals and patients at Home | Odstock Medical
A TiMS working group continues to work on this subject. If you have any services, pathways or knowledge you wish to add to our evidence base and information gathering we would be grateful to hear of it, please let us know at therapistsinms@mstrust.org.uk
Researchers from the Faculty of Health at the University of Plymouth, together with collaborators from NHS Trusts in Devon and Cornwall have been working on developing an online toolkit of resources – 'The Telerehab Toolkit' Telerehab Toolkit | MS Trust. This toolkit is designed to support health and social care practitioners in the remote assessment and management of people with movement impairment and physical disability, including people recovering from COVID-19. This project has been funded by the UKRI Medical Research Council.
TiMS met in June, and we have decided our priority work areas will be respiratory resources and mapping MS therapy services, to support you in evidencing and articulating capacity and competency to sustain your own service.
