MS Health Care Excellence Awards Launched in UK

UK-based MS Trust has announced the launch of new awards designed to distinguish healthcare professionals that are committed to treating and changing the lives of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). The QuDos Awards are currently open for nominations and will feature ten different categories.

The QuDoS in MS Awards – recognizing Quality in the Delivery of Services in Multiple Sclerosis – is an initiative being co-led by the MS Trust and online media platform Pharmaphorum. The purpose of the awards is to distinguish innovation and excellence in MS healthcare, as well as recognize the impact of individuals or health teams that are working to improve patients’ quality of life through their MS management and service delivery.

“The MS Trust is proud to be associated with the QuDoS in MS Awards,” stated the director of service development at the MS Trust, Amy Bowen, in a press release, as the Trust recently  announced the launch of the program. “These awards will enable teams and individuals across the UK to be recognised for their efforts in improving the quality of care for people living with multiple sclerosis.”

The awards will be granted to a wide range of possible health and research professionals in a series of categories, including MS specialist nurses, other nurses that work with MS patients, district nurses, practice nurses or community matrons, allied health professionals like physiotherapists and occupational therapists, commissioners in CCGs or NHS England, neurologists, specialist registrars and consultants, pharmacists, GPs, as well as healthcare professionals working in the community, a hospital or primary care setting, a nursing or care home or a rehabilitation or palliative care setting.

The applications will be open until September 3th and the MS Trust and Pharmaphorum will announce the winners at an official ceremony on November 7th, following the decision by a judges’ panel of distinguished clinicians, academics, nurses and patient representatives in the MS field. The two organizations believe that the awards represent an opportunity for healthcare professionals either working in a major care center or in a rural community setting to gain recognition for their work.

The awards are being co-sponsored by Genzyme and Novartis. Genzyme commercializes Aubagio (teriflunomide) for the treatment of MS, a therapy that was recently approved to enter the Pharmacare provincial drug formulary of the Canadian province Prince Edward Island (PEI). Novartis recently joined the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) organization and their Believe and Achieve program as a corporate partner, providing employment placements for MS patients. Through the program, participants have the opportunity to work as a trainee for a minimum of six-months through a paid, supported and mentored work-placement with an EMSP corporate partner.

“Novartis is delighted to support the QuDos in MS Awards – Recognising Quality in the Delivery of Services in Multiple Sclerosis – programme,” added the MS brand manager at Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Jitender Punn. “Novartis wants to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to prevent and treat diseases, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. Novartis is keen to support this programme because it recognises innovation and excellency in the treatment and care of patients with multiple sclerosis.”