To ask the Minister of Health what actions he is taking to ensure that the multiple sclerosis service in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust is adequately staffed at all levels.

Services for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are available as part of wider Neurology service provision in each Trust area. The teams of staff dedicated to MS services in each Trust reflect the cohorts of people being managed and can be relatively small as part of the wider neurology teams who provide care across a range of conditions.

The services can therefore, at times, be vulnerable if there are any unplanned absences in the team. However, this needs to be weighed against making service provision more locally accessible for patients who can often have mobility issues.

Officials from my Department work closely with Trusts, including South Eastern Trust, to assess the needs of people with MS and over the years investment has been made to allow:

Appointment of additional medical staff with a specific interest in MS services

The provision of dedicated multi-disciplinary clinics for people with MS;

Appointment of dedicated MS nursing and physiotherapy staff;

Local provision of infusion delivered disease modifying treatments (DMTs);

Local prescribing and dispensing of other disease modifying medications for patients.