MS MasterClasses 2023: an amazing set of projects

This year we have just finished running our second modules for both our MS MasterClasses, and have trialled a new approach to the project presentation aspect on the Foundation and Advanced courses this month.

Every MasterClass brings with it an intermodule project, a way for delegates to put some of their new learning into practice in the local service. In the past, our Faculty have narrowed down the projects to three they feel stand out, and the delegates listen to these projects presented before voting for their winner. The other two are then considered the runners up.

In these latest MS MasterClasses, our honorary academic director Dr Wallace Brownlee decided to freshen up the voting process. Every delegate gave a short presentation of their projects and then voted for the project they felt was most deserving of winning using an anonymous Sli-do poll.

Congratulations go to…..

First and second places in both the Advanced and Foundation project awards this year went to pharmacists and specialist nurses, which really demonstrates the growing service leadership being taken across the multidisciplinary team, and we're thrilled to offer our congratulations to them all for their outstanding work!

Our 18th MS MasterClass project award was won by neurosciences pharmacist Sukhi Chahal. Her project, looking at ways to reduce time to treatment for people with MS, involved changes to the homecare system used to deliver disease-modifying treatments. Her initiatives reduced the time from prescription to delivery by an average of 2 and a half weeks!

The runner up award for this year's Advanced project went to MS specialist nurse Lisa Marsh, for her work to improving communication with people with MS and support their self-management by reducing the timespan between their appointment and receiving their summary letter of that appointment and any subsequent information agreed on for them.

Meanwhile, in the Foundation presentations two weeks ago, there were further congratulations due to the pharmacist and nurse specialist duo, Denisse Bongol and Jessica Mensah, who won the project award for their improvements to optimise nurse-led patient reviews, streamlining the process to give more space to the person with MS to discuss what matters to them.

Second place was awarded to advanced clinical practitioner Marco Silingardi who evaluated his services' local DMT provision to optimise access and delivery for people with MS.

All the posters for these projects, and that of their fellow delegates, will soon be available to read more about, take learning from, and potentially replicate in your own local area. In the meantime you can find lots of other excellent projects by previous classes, all working to improve services and support for people with MS across the country.