Raising the bar by encouraging healthy lifestyles

From webinars on ‘what to do in the event you get COVID-19’ and videos on prehabilitation and rehabilitation for the lungs, to webinars and resources on PPE for the mind and managing stress during the pandemic, various professionals from different backgrounds have been sharing their expertise during this time.

The health lifestyle workstream has galvanised a core team comprising MS nurses, physiotherapists, a consultant, GP, nutritionist and neuropsychiatrist. The group has set out a two-pronged plan to both equip professionals to focus on health and wellness with their patients, and to provide the information, resources and support needed for people with MS to directly engage in that.

The aims are:

‘Every patient, from here on, will have access to this form of preventative care as a core part of their NHS support at diagnosis’:

A blueprint for a Healthy Lifestyle Clinic, supported with a basic business case and resources, is being made so that professionals can begin including these clinics as core appointments with all newly diagnosed patients.

A roadmap for existing self-referral clinics and services covering smoking cessation, wellness services, weight management etc in localities who elect to run HLS clinics

‘Anyone who wants to, can direct their own wellness’:

Providing resources in multiple formats, and signposting to existing resources, so people can make small, incremental and personally relevant changes in a positive direction.

‘Engaging the disengaged’:

Finding what matters most to each individual, motivating them through that emotion, and working with them without agenda to attain that goal.

Using SMART principles and tailoring information to individual’s own goals and incentives to try and help people make small, lasting changes that align with their own priorities.

The workstream has created a short survey to help them collect basic information about current healthy lifestyle activities across the UK. Gathering this baseline data is essential to inform how the group moves forward to help MS services with implementing new healthy lifestyle pathways. Please take a few minutes to complete the handful of questions.

Start survey