The spotlight was on Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, at this week’s Conservative Party conference in Manchester, as he took part in the ‘Can you beat the MS lottery’ challenge.
The interactive challenge, which was designed by the MS Society, tests politicians’ knowledge of multiple sclerosis (MS) by asking them to match numbered lottery balls to a range of statements. MPs are called upon to guess on everything from the UK’s ranking amongst EU countries for access to MS treatments to how much money local councils are cutting from care budgets.
Laura Weir, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the MS Society, explained: “With changes currently being made to the NHS and welfare benefits, there has never been a more important time to make politicians aware of the difficulties facing people with MS across the country in obtaining the drugs, specialist care and welfare support they need. This is what we are aiming to do with our MS lottery challenge.”
Mr Loughton approached the MS Society after local constituents with MS got in touch. He said:
“People with MS face a lottery on a daily basis when it comes to accessing treatments, care and welfare support. I will continue to work with the MS Society to ensure that people affected by MS in East Worthing and Shoreham receive the treatments and support they need.”
For more information on MS and the support available to those affected by the condition visit the MS Society’s website: www.mssociety.org.uk.
The MS Society (www.mssociety.org.uk) is the UK’s largest charity dedicated to supporting everyone whose life is touched by multiple sclerosis (MS), providing an award-winning freephone helpline (0808 800 8000), specialist MS nurses and funding around 70 vital MS research projects in the UK.
MS is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults and an estimated 100,000 people in the UK have MS.
MS is the result of damage to myelin – the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system – which interferes with messages between the brain and the body.
For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern.
Symptoms range from loss of sight and mobility, fatigue, depression and cognitive problems. There is no cure and few effective treatments.