Councillor Ruth Maguire has signed up to Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland’s campaign to be an ‘MS: Voice for Change’. The Society is asking all candidates in the forthcoming Holyrood elections to support their constituents who live with the daily reality of MS by pledging their support to three key asks:
1. Care, support and treatment for people living with MS is person centred, consistent and based within the community
2. Voices of people living with MS are heard in the health and social care integration process
3. Newly devolved powers create an empowering and fairer landscape for people living with MS
Ruth said:
‘With devolved health and social care, and more powers to come, Scotland is in a strong position to lead the way in caring for people with MS and to help them care for themselves where possible. People with MS can find it very hard to travel to access the services they need to manage their condition.
‘Those with MS and their carers often feel that support is not available or is too far away to be practical. In common with other disabled people in our community they also feel under threat from the Conservative Party changes to Disability Living Allowance and the introduction of Personal Independence Payments.
‘Given that George Osborne’s reason for the changes is to reduce the overall level of support, not to improve it, such assessments can be very stressful and such stress only makes the MS worse.
‘Here in Scotland we have a chance to distance ourselves from the Tory party’s attack on those with disabilities.
I am 100% behind the MS Society’s campaign to ‘Give MS a Voice at Holyrood’.
Ruth Maguire MSP 