Watch all webinars on our website: https://neurologyacademy.org/on-demand-webinars

Multiple Sclerosis Academy webinars

31 March 2020
The ABN guidelines are suggesting that most high efficacy DMTs are treated the same. The MS Academy hosted a debate on 31 March 2020 to discuss whether ocrelizumab and cladribine should be treated in the same way as alemtuzumab in terms of risk of #COVID19. 

Please note that all session and slide content are the views of the Speakers, not the MS Academy. The content of the recording is the speaker’s personal opinion at the time of recording. Due to the everchanging situation, advice given at the time of recording is subject to change.

Chairs:
Prof Klaus Schmierer, Professor of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Prof David Baker, Professor of Neuroimmunology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry

Video and presentation slides available here: https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/04/01/webinar-debate-should-ocrelizumab-and-cladribine-be-treated-in-the-same-way-as-alemtuzumab-in-terms-of-covid-19/

This meeting has been sponsored by Roche Products Limited. Roche Products Limited has had no control over the educational content of this activity.

Should ocrelizumab & cladribine be treated the same way as alemtuzumab in terms of risk of COVID-19?

9 April 2020
How MS nurses/practitioners can best care for their patients, their colleagues and themselves

Video and slides available here: https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/04/30/webinar-ms-nurses-practitioners-mind-health-in-times-of-crisis/

Jo Johnson, consultant neuropsychologist and author of ‘Surviving Me’ presented a valuable webinar for professionals alongside Ruth Stross, MS Nurse Specialist. 

Presenting practical ideas and exercises for achieving and maintaining a good level of ‘mind health’, over thirty MS specialist nurses and similar practitioners attended the live webinar. 

Jo asserts that knowing your personal values makes you far more capable of managing a whole range of physical and mental challenges in times of crisis, and that actioning your values helps move you towards who you want to me. Essentially, aligning your values and who you are (your essence) and what you do (your form). 

Jo advocates considering the two ‘gears of the mind’, and notes that both gears are important, and both are needed in different scenarios. 
She highlights that ‘thinking gear’ is essential for thinking things through, planning, remembering, and such. However, by staying in it all of the time, that can lead to stress, anxiety and sleeplessness. Often our ‘thinking gear’ can take us away from our values and the actions we want to take to be more ourselves. 

‘Sensing gear’ is when we are in the present, experiencing our current situation, calling on our senses, and just ‘being’. When we are in ‘sensing gear’ we notice our thoughts, notice how we feel, and can make better choices about what we do as a result of them. Learning to get back into ‘sensing gear’ more often allows us to make choices that take us further towards the person we want to be, or actions that are more in line with our values.

Speakers:
– Jo Johnson, Consultant Neuropsychologist, Mind Your Head
– Ruth Stross, MS Nurse Specialist, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

Please note that all session and slide content are the views of the Speakers, not the MS Academy. The content of the recording is the speaker’s personal opinion at the time of recording. Due to the everchanging situation, advice given at the time of recording is subject to change.

https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/04/30/webinar-ms-nurses-practitioners-mind-health-in-times-of-crisis/

This meeting has been sponsored by Roche Products Limited. Roche Products Limited has had no control over the educational content of this activity.

MS Nurses/Practitioners – Mind health in times of crisis: How to best care for patients and yourself

14 April 2020
Please note that all session and slide content are the views of the Speakers, not the MS Academy. The content of the recording is the speaker’s personal opinion at the time of recording. Due to the everchanging situation, advice given at the time of recording is subject to change.


Speakers: 
– Dr Niall MacDougall, Consultant Neurologist and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Glasgow
– Dr Brendan McLean, Consultant Neurologist, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
– Rachel Morrison, MS Nurse Specialist, NHS Western Isles
– Joela Mathews, Neuroscience Pharmacist, Barts Health NHS Trust


Consultant neurologists Dr Niall MacDougall and Dr Brendan McLean who both practice in rural and remote settings, discuss the practicalities of remote-managing patients alongside Western Isles-based specialist nurse Rachel Morrison and neuro-pharmacist Joela Mathews.

All have varied experience with remote-managing their patients and discuss both their historic learning and their current practice managing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Practical ideas on video-clinics, telemedicine tools and more abound in this useful webinar.

Questions answered included:
– How current infusions being carried out with ideas discussed around home infusions in the future
– How to manage relapse remotely
– The levels of scanning and monitoring of patients at present
– Whether anyone is using self-assessment batteries and questionnaires around quality of life and everyday living
– DMT initiation and use
– Remote management and adhering to compliance and governance guidance


This meeting has been sponsored by Roche Products Limited. Roche Products Limited has had no control over the educational content of this activity.

Running a remote multiple sclerosis service during the COVID-19 pandemic | MS Academy

22 April 2020
Please note that all session and slide content are the views of the Speakers, not the MS Academy. The content of the recording is the speaker’s personal opinion at the time of recording. Due to the everchanging situation, advice given at the time of recording is subject to change.

Speakers:
– Prof Gavin Giovannoni, Professor of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry & Academic Director, MS Academy
– George Pepper, Co-founder and CEO, Shift.ms
– Joela Mathews, Neuroscience Pharmacist, Barts Health NHS Trust
– Phillip Anderson, Head of Policy, MS Society
– Megan Roberts, Head of Health Professionals Programmes, MS Trust

Video and resources: https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/04/24/webinar-mscovid19-question-time-22-04-2020/

This meeting has been sponsored by Roche Products Limited. Roche Products Limited has had no control over the educational content of this activity.

#MSCovid19 Question Time – 22/04/2020 | MS Academy

29 April 2020
Please note the questions have been anonymised to prevent individuals who asked the question from being identified and the advice is meant to be generic. The answers given are the speaker’s personal opinion at the time of recording. Due to the everchanging situation, advice given at the time of recording is subject to change. The answers to the questions are not meant to replace the advice of your own medical team, but are meant to help support the wider MS community in these extraordinary times. All session and slide content are the views of the speakers, not the MS Academy.

Video and resources: https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/05/01/webinar-how-to-prepare-in-the-event-of-you-getting-covid-19/

Speakers:
– Prof Gavin Giovannoni, Professor of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry & Academic Director, MS Academy
– George Pepper, Co-founder and CEO, Shift.ms
– Megan Roberts, Head of Health Professionals Programmes, MS Trust
– Jody Barber, Highly Specialist Neurological Physiotherapist from Hertfordshire who specialises in respiratory health and has a 100% MS caseload

There has been a very positive outcome from ‘prehabilitation’ before an operation: a preventative strength-training style programme designed to prevent injuries before they can occur.
We know that a large number of our population will be infected with coronavirus in an effort to develop herd immunity, and so preparing our bodies and minds to experience that is key to managing that.
This webinar will look at the modifiable risk factors for severe COVID-19 and consider ways of reducing personal risk.

https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/05/01/webinar-how-to-prepare-in-the-event-of-you-getting-covid-19/

This meeting has been sponsored by Roche Products Limited. Roche Products Limited has had no control over the educational content of this activity.

How to prepare in the event of you getting COVID-19 | MS Academy

Video and resources: https://multiplesclerosisacademy.org/2020/07/16/webinar-siponimod-how-do-we-give-patients-with-secondary-progressive-ms-hope/

In June 2020, NICE issued draft guidance which saying it was unable to recommend siponimod as a disease modifying drug (DMD) for secondary progressive MS (SPMS) in England and Wales. 

The news came as a blow to people with SPMS who have no other treatment options, and to clinicians who had been discussing the possibility of the drug with their patients.

Dr David Paling, Prof Gavin Giovannoni, and Dr Rachel Farrell discussed the implications of the decision and the future of SPMS treatment.

10 July 2020
Please note that all session and slide content are the views of the Speakers, not the MS Academy. The content of the recording is the speaker’s personal opinion at the time of recording. Due to the everchanging situation, advice given at the time of recording is subject to change.

This meeting has been sponsored by Roche Products Limited. Roche Products Limited has had no control over the educational content of this activity.

Siponimod – how do we give patients with secondary progressive MS hope?

The Neurology Academy is an innovative training programme helping you to hone your expertise within our Academy specialities. 
We are an education provider for clinicians, specialist nurses and professions allied to medicine and the training focus is on both disease management and service transformation.