THE Motor Neurone Disease Association has welcomed new Assistant Director of Care Sally Hughes, with a broad remit including to build on care and support innovations introduced during the pandemic.

Sally joins the senior leadership team of the charity from the British Heart Foundation, and brings with her experience in strategic planning, quality improvement and commissioning roles from the third sector, NHS and local government.

Sally has previous experience of working alongside the MND Association and other charities which support people with neurological conditions, to improve outcomes for patients. Her focus now is to ensure services for people with MND remain a priority and that new ways of working within the health and social care arena are used to benefit people with the disease.

Sally said:

“Although the pandemic has disrupted services there are lots of positive stories and examples of innovation that could help deliver care that better meets the needs of people with MND and their families – virtual appointments when appropriate are a great example of that. I want to make sure we take the best of these experiences, from what we all recognise has been a truly tough year, and work with stakeholders to influence the kind of care we want for people living with MND in the future.”

Director of Care Improvement at the Association Nick Goldup said:

“We are delighted to welcome Sally to the team at such a pivotal time. We are looking forward to tapping into her wealth of experience to further develop our support for the MND community and to ensure the care for people with MND remains a priority for the NHS.”

MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It can affect a person’s ability to walk, talk, eat and ultimately to breathe. A third of people die within a year of diagnosis and half within two years. There is no effective treatment and no cure.