MS Trust Information Services
What we do
- Answer enquiries about MS
- Produce books, factsheets and other publications
- Produce the MS Trust's newsletters
- Update the Information and Research sections of the website
Do you have an enquiry for the MS Trust Information Service?
Call us for free:
0800 032 3839
email us:
infoteam@mstrust.org.uk
Or write to:
MS Trust Information Service
Spirella Building
Letchworth Garden City
SG6 4ET
Enquiries
The core of what we do is the personal information service. We believe that people with MS should be actively involved in the management of their condition. We try to gather together reliable, independent information that can help them decide how to approach their issue and have informed conversations with their health professionals. Our focus is on health information, but people can ask us anything about MS. If we are unable to find an answer ourselves we will try to direct them to organisations best able to help.
The information team deal with a wide range of enquiries about MS, from anyone affected by the condition - people with MS, their families, health professionals, and more. Questions asked can include queries from people recently diagnosed, calls about treatment options for a new symptom, requests for more information on research news that has been in the press - and many, many more.
Books and factsheets
MS Trust produces an increasing range of books and factsheet, and we have also produced two DVDs.
Publications are written in partnership with health professionals who have experience in the topic. The Information Team member offer supports, help finding resources and references, and editing drafts of the text to help create interesting and accessible books that people with MS will want to read.
Once a first draft is complete, it is sent to members of our readers' panel - people with MS who have agreed to review and comment on the books in progress. Their comments are vital in ensuring that the book is meeting the needs of the intended readers. Depending on the type of changes suggested, the readers' panel may see the book several times during production. It is also sent to selected health professionals to make sure that the technical information is accurate.
- Would you like to help us produce our books and factsheets? We are always looking for new people who are willing to join the readers' panel
To ensure they are still current, books are reviewed every three years, so each member of the Information Team is usually working on a new title or a review of one of the existing books.
Factsheets are usually written in house and aim to give a good, basic introduction to key topics such as symptoms (pain, fatigue, spasticity), specific drugs (Tysabri, Campath, mitoxantrone), less conventional treatments (diet, cannabis, LDN) and other topics such as Talking about MS. Factsheets can be quickly revised to reflect recent news.
Newsletters
Two groups within the Information Team each look after one of our newsletters - Open Door for people affected by MS, and Way Ahead for professionals working with people with MS.
Each newsletter takes three months to put together - choosing topics, contacting writers, gathering news and then assembling the newsletter itself. With Open Door we try to include a mixture of articles from people with MS and from health professionals, news about the world of MS and recent research news and information on the activities of the MS Trust.
Are there topics you would like to see covered in Open Door? Perhaps you would like to write about your own experiences. If so, please let us know.
Website
The MS Trust's website contains hundreds of pages of information about the whole spectrum of MS. In addition, we run several themed chatrooms each year allowing people with MS to discuss a topic with health professionals and others in a similar situation. Each member of the Information Team is involved in keeping the site up to date and developing new pages and areas, including the StayingSmart site for people with cognitive problems.