Our new approach to short breaks and respite care

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We have transformed the way in which we will provide information and support people to get short breaks and respite in the future.

Our new approach is all about giving you the choice and control to plan and take the short break that suits you and your family, and supporting you at the same time.

We want to help you get the care, information and support you want, wherever you live in the UK.

What we're working on

Financial help

We are providing financial assistance to people with MS and their carers to support them to have the break that they choose.

We've already started spending half a million pounds through our Short Breaks and Activities (SBA) Fund . We have awarded 208 grants to date totalling almost £180,000, to support a huge variety of breaks.
Grants have been awarded for respite care, equipment hire, accessible transport, family holidays, taster sessions for a range of activities, and paid carers to accompany people on holiday.
Our new partnership with charity (External) Vitalise will enable even more people affected by MS to have a short break. Vitalise will match fund grants from our Short Breaks & Activities (SBA) Fund for stays at their three short breaks and respite care centres in Southport, Southampton and Essex.

Individual support

We are improving the ways we support people affected by MS to plan and take the break they want.

Our UK-wide MS Support programme aims to equip and empower our volunteers to offer consistent one-to-one support through their local branch. This includes standardising how we recruit, train and provide ongoing support for volunteers through the Support Volunteer training programme.
Through our Support Strategy we will develop and influence flexible support services to make informed choice and control a reality for people affected by MS.
We’re piloting the new post of Short Breaks Information Officer. Whether it’s finding accessible accommodation or hiring equipment, we can offer individual support and information to help people make informed choices about any aspect of taking a break. Email infoteam@mssociety.org.uk for support.

Information

We are doing more to provide information, signpost people to existing services and guide them through the process of taking a short break.

We have produced a printed Guide to Short Breaks , and a planning tool to help people navigate through the process of organising a short break or respite.
We’ll develop our website to improve the way we provide information about short breaks and respite care online, and the standards you should expect.
We'll create an online discussion forum where people affected by MS can share their stories and experiences of short breaks, holidays and respite care.

image: Mother and daughter affected by MS out sightseeing on a short break Improving breaks and respite

We are working in partnership to improve short break and respite services for people affected by MS.

We’ll be participating in a couple of pilot projects with a care provider to encourage escorted short breaks in the UK, and make it easier for people to plan and take short breaks abroad.
We’re talking to (External) Help the Hospices to improve how we work together to better support people with complex needs.
We have partnered with the (External) Calvert Trust to promote taster weekends for people affected by MS and their families at their centre in Kielder, Northumberland. (External) See the photos here.
People told us that knowledge and understanding of MS is really important, so we’re going to link up with the Education team to develop a training package for organisations who want to improve the services they offer for people with MS.

We are campaigning for improved access to care and support for people with MS and their carers, and gathering information on the impact of cuts to funding and services.

We're working with (External) In Control to develop the way we work in the future to ensure we focus on supporting people to have more choice and control to live a full life.

New approach

This sums up where we are now and where we're trying to get to. There is a lot of work to do to make sure that people affected by MS are able to access the breaks they want, but we are working hard to develop new projects and resources to make this a reality.

If you want to know more about the way things were before, you can read about our year-long respite care review or contact us for more information.

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Our new approach is all about giving you the choice and control to plan and take the short break that suits you and your family, and supporting you at the same time.