Shift.ms impact review 2021
Over the last 12 months, our focus has been dominated by supporting MSers through the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a time of great uncertainty for everyone, but especially for people living with long-term conditions like MS.
I’m incredibly proud of how the Shift.ms team, volunteers and community have come together to support each other through these difficult times. We are delighted to share some of our key achievements over the past year in this impact report.
Everything that we’ve achieved wouldn’t have been possible without the committed support of our corporate and trust and foundation partners, individual supporters and fundraisers, who have continued to passionately and generously support our mission. I’d also like to extend my sincere gratitude to our staff team, volunteers and trustees, who continue to amaze me with their passion and commitment to our mission.
Together, we will continue to work to ensure that the Shift.ms community is here for every MSer who needs our support – no matter what.
Thank you so much.
Shift.ms has seen unprecedented demand for our services over the past year as more people reached out to others for support, or sought to make sense of complex and fast-evolving health information together in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We supported MSers by:
Co-vid Companion aimed to reduce isolation and loneliness by connecting MSers via video call during the pandemic.
The Buddy Network, which matches a newly diagnosed MSer with an experienced MS Buddy, has helped newly diagnosed MSers adjust to their diagnosis, get informed about the condition and reduce isolation.
“I was diagnosed just before the beginning of lockdown. I was alone, scared and unprepared. Knowing I could talk to my buddy was what kept me going. A match was found for me very quickly. That was really great. Timing is everything.“
PPE for the Mind is an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy programme co-designed by community members and consultant neuropsychologist Jo Johnson which aimed to help MSers build their mental resilience during the pandemic.
The MS & COVID-19 study aimed to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting MSer care from both the MSer and MS healthcare professional (HCP) perspective. This research has since been reported in a white paper to influence policy and support HCPs to better support their patients in their key challenges including lack of MS-specific guidance from government/public health organisations and lack of MS-specific unified guidance from HCPs.
Alongside responding to the evolving needs of MSers during the pandemic, over the past year we:
Our global community of over 40,000 MSers asked questions, shared advice and together helped make life with MS a bit more manageable. Alongside this, over 14,000 direct messages were sent between members looking for and providing one to one support.
Shift.ms, like many organisations, has used the past 20 months to listen to our community and consider how we can best serve their evolving needs. This has led to a focus on two key programmatic areas during the next three years:
Whatever challenge you’re facing – we’re here. The community is with you wherever you are.
The Shift.ms service prepares you to make informed decisions, by enabling MSers to educate and share experiences with others.
Focusing on these two programmes will allow Shift.ms to offer MSers a cohesive digital experience that leads to MSers being more connected, motivated, and proactive.
Some key goals within these two programmes over next year include:
Biogen, Janssen, Novartis, Merck, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi Genzyme.
The National Lottery Community Fund, The Wellcome Trust, The London Community Response Fund and The CAF Resilience Fund.
Mark Webb, Dominic Shadbolt, Lucy Riall, Isabel Riall, Poppy Riall, Peter Langly-Smith, Alice Topson, Emma Kathleen Clark, Jo Hughes, Peter Lawson, Sarah Moore, Christine Camp, Treasa Anderson, Michael Carpenter, Virginia Williams, Anna Konukh, Steven Hicks, Kirstin McFaul, Thomas Halterman, Helen Chandler, Eleanor Stacey, Tracey Hooper, Paul Patras, Gavin Giovannoni, Fiona Beets, Melissa Williams, Spencer Duru, Graham Bretherick, Richard Jeckel, Edna Williamson, Melanie Mann, Jacqui Martin, Janine Lambert, Henny Moore, Sally Roberts, Sophie Malkin, Wendy Cater, Andrew Denney, Jonathan Sim, Neil Webb
Thank you for your support over what has been a strange and turbulent 12 months.
Shift.ms is dedicated to impacting the lives of MSers when they need us most and we hope you will consider continuing your support.