VIEWPOINT ON NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Now is the time for neurological conditions to take the limelight. While lots of work has gone on behind the scenes, it was only in 2017 that the First Minister announced the production of Scotland’s first ever Action Plan for Neurology Alongside this the Clinical Standards for Neurological Conditions are also being revised.

There are many different elements contributing to the development of the Action Plan; including prevalence data gathering and neurological service mapping. Essential to this work is gathering the views of people living with neurological conditions, and their experiences of services across Scotland.

The ALLIANCE is delighted to be leading a programme of consultation, in collaboration with the Neurological Alliance of Scotland, to gather and leverage the powerful voice of the neurological community in Scotland.

Together we plan to develop recommendations and priorities for the future of neurological services based on the voice of people with lived experience of these conditions. We are therefore using a number of ways to capture that voice, ensuring we understand the experiences of people with neurological conditions accessing services and their shared priorities. In order to do this, a mixed methods approach is being taken in order to get a breadth and depth of views. A review of existing information about experiences accessing neurological services has been undertaken a number of focus groups held and now a survey is being launched. Broad themes emerged from the initial research that address systemic challenges people face in accessing the services that they need and many of the reports begun to suggest how people would like the system to respond to these challenges. Therefore, with each ‘emergent theme’, this report captures ‘aspirations’ for improved neurological services and for how the