Muscular dystrophy sufferers 'lose out' in postcode lottery
Care home
15th September 2008
Sufferers of a rare illness are not being offered sufficient care home respite, a national patient survey has claimed.
Research by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign found that many people with the disease are losing out on essential health and social care services due to a postcode lottery, reports CaringBusiness.
The survey, entitled State of the Nation, also found that half of patients with muscular dystrophy have been forced to fund their wheelchair out of their own pockets or with the help of a charity.
Philip Butcher, chief executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said the government needed to establish a specialist neuromuscular service that would be available throughout the UK.
He commented: "The families’ experiences identified in our report underline that urgent steps need to be taken. The time for talking is over. Action is needed now."
More than 60,000 people in the UK are affected by muscular dystrophy.
