Newcastle City Council rubber stamped their support for the Motor Neurone Disease Charter, a campaign promoted by the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), with unanimous support at a recent meeting of its full Council.
The Charter has been created by the MNDA and is a statement of respect, care and support that people living with MND in Newcastle can expect from both the local authority and its partners.
It has 5 key points that Newcastle City Council will be working to achieve, as well as working closely with key partners to help shape their services in line with the agreement.
They are –
• The right to an early diagnosis and information
• The right to access quality care and treatments
• The right to be treated as individuals and with dignity and respect
• The right to maximise their quality of life
Carers of people with MND have the right to be valued, respected, listened to and well supported.
MND is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, it is fatal and around 5,000 people suffer with the disease in the UK at any one time. Each case of MND effects the person differently and the services required are varied with each case.
The aim of the Charter is to raise awareness of the disease and make sure people living with MND, and their carers, can access the best possible services.
Councillor Karen Kilgour, cabinet member for Adults and Health, put forward the successful motion at the last Council meeting in June, she said –
“It is important that Newcastle City Council adopts this charter and I am pleased that we are already working on the key points highlighted.
“As a council we can shape and adapt many of the services that people with MND will interact with, including social care, health and housing. It is important we embrace the Charter and use our influence over these services to make sure they support people with MND in the most suitable way.
“We can also play an important role in ensuring that all our staff understand MND and can work with people in the city who may be living with the disease.
“I hope by adopting the Charter and working closely with the MNDA we can turn Newcastle into a city that supports people suffering from MND and has better outcomes for themselves and their families.”
Nationally the Charter has helped raised awareness of MND to over 33k individuals and organisations who have signed up to the agreement.
Chris James, Director of External Affairs for the MND Association said
“The importance of the MND Charter is undeniable. We want everyone to be clear that access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time, as set out in our Charter, can transform lives.”
The Council has worked closely with partners such as Newcastle Carers and the British Red Cross to ensure they are aware of the Charter and how it can be used across their services.
Newcastle Carers provide dedicated support and information to unpaid carers aged 18 and over who provide care and support to someone living in Newcastle, including those supporting people living with MND. The support provided by Newcastle Carers includes drop in information, advice sessions, Carer Cafés, Carer support groups, counselling and training.
The British Red Cross provide the Carers Emergency Contact Scheme on behalf of Newcastle City Council which provides emergency support to Carers across the city.
People of all ages can suffer from MND and Newcastle City Council is working closely with Newcastle Young Carers Service, a team based in Barnardo’s. A young carer can be anyone under the age of 18 who provides care to another person, including people living with MND.
It is important that the MND Charter raises the profile of the illness throughout all of these services and ensures people suffering from MND and the family and carers supporting them are valued, respected, listened to and well supported.