Health Secretary pledges fast-track care for MND patients during visit to Leeds
She praised the work of Rob Burrow and vowed to prioritise MND care
Yvette Cooper has announced new fast-track support for patients with motor neurone disease (MND) as part of an overhaul of social care.
The Health Secretary praised the work of Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow, who died of complications related to MND in 2024.
Visiting the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Seacroft, Ms Cooper highlighted his work raising awareness of the disease and improving support for those affected, as well the efforts of his family and his former teammate Sir Kevin Sinfield.
She said: “What we’ve got to do now is make sure the principles that apply here about supporting families and patients are applied throughout the National Health Service and also in our social care system too.
“That’s why when Andy Burnham set out a vision for a National Care Service, we prioritised MND as being something we should focus on now, providing social care support for affected families and speeding it up as well.”
The new fast-track pathway is intended to tackle “delays and fragmentation” in support for those with MND as part of the “first phase” of fixing the social care system, the Department for Health and Social Care said.
It will be developed alongside the Motor Neurone Disease Association, existing patients and carers, and others working in health, social care and housing.
Tanya Curry, chief executive of the MND Association, said: “We hear time and time again of people with MND forced to battle a system that is slow, disjointed and too complex to move quickly enough to support people with a rapidly progressing disease.
“This must change – Ms Cooper’s statement today suggests she agrees and that there is willingness at the highest levels of Government to transform the experience for people with MND.
“We must now see that willingness turned into action, with real solutions implemented nationally and locally, in health and social care.”
The announcement comes a week after the Prime Minister pledged to work with other parties to reform the social care system, describing the current situation as “bad for everybody”.