Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital receives a prestigious Centre of Excellence award from leading national charity Muscular Dystrophy UK.
The charity for more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions awarded Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, for providing outstanding care, promoting best practice locally and nationally and demonstrating their commitment to improving health and care for people living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions.
In total 24 neuromuscular centres across the UK were recognised, including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The information gathered through the awards process provides a benchmark of neuromuscular services across all centres that took part in a national audit. This will help centres in their efforts to build business cases for additional NHS investment in core services.
Dr Imelda Hughes, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital said: “The children’s neuromuscular team are honoured to receive the Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Centre of Excellence award for the second time. This recognises the ongoing care and support provided to children with neuromuscular conditions in Greater Manchester and beyond and acknowledges the efforts of the team and the support from other speciality teams in the hospital in providing an excellent standard of care to children and families living with neuromuscular conditions.”
The centres across the country can provide a lifeline for those living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition including David, 13 years old, from Hale who was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy in 2011 at 7 months old. Jonathan and Patricia Dee, David’s parents, said: “Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is central to our lives because, over the years, the staff within it have helped David with life-enhancing new medicine, and as such has transformed dark days into one of hope. They provide exceptional care, expertise, compassion, and unwavering support. We are always grateful.”
Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “We would like to congratulate Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital that has been recognised with a Centre of Excellence award after a robust and rigorous assessment of their service by leading neuromuscular experts and members of the muscle wasting and weakening community. Despite continuing pressures and challenges within the NHS, these centres strive every day to ensure they promote best practice and provide an exemplary service.
“The findings from our Centre of Excellence awards demonstrate that many centres continue to require investment to develop specialist multi-disciplinary teams that can provide the best care possible along with a working environment that fosters the ability to conduct or support excellent research and clinical trials to advance treatments and other scientific progress. That’s why we’re calling on commissioners to include requirements for the provision of the recommended standards of neuromuscular care.”
Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Centres of Excellence awards take place every three years. The audit is overseen by the charity’s Services Development Committee, and an independent sub-committee of neuromuscular health professionals and people with lived experience of neuromuscular conditions. The audit reviews information, a range of case studies and examples of best practice as well as assessing the way neuromuscular services are organised and how people using the services can access them.
For further information on Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Centre of Excellence awards visit: