Back to:
GPs & primary care team

Who to refer

Who to refer via SCI Gateway:

  • Patients with new focal neurology where MS is the considered diagnosis.

Who to refer via on-call registrar:

  • Patients with known MS who are experiencing a relapse and
    • Their level of function is severely impaired +/-
    • No response to steroids is seen.

Who not to refer

  • Headache, isolated fatigue/tiredness, and intermittent sensory symptoms are unlikely to be due to MS (please see National Benign Sensory Symptoms Factsheethttps://www.nhscfsd.co.uk/media/lzmn51jm/advice-sheets-summary-v2.pdf).
  • Patients currently under review by the MS team (Please make contact directly with the MS Specialist Nurse team in the 1st instance).

How to refer

New patients via SCI Gateway/Neurology
Existing patients through MS Specialist Nurse Service:

  • For Perth and Kinross Christine Whatley on ext 34028,
  • Dundee, Angus and NE Fife Laura McEwan and Rose Perera on ext 35252
  • MS Champion for Tayside and NE Fife Rachel Morrison (advanced MS) on ext 36033.
  • E-mail: tay.msspecialistnurses@nhs.scot

Primary care management

See additional information for relapse and spasticity management.

MS typically presents with:

  • A specific focal symptom evolving over hours to days, persisting for days to weeks, then gradually resolving.
  • Typical symptoms include:
    • Optic neuritis – typically painful loss of vision (including colour vision) in one eye – please direct patient to optician in 1st instance
    • Brain stem/cerebellar syndromes – double vision, unsteadiness/ataxia, facial numbness
    • Spinal cord syndromes – evolving weakness/numbness of legs (with or without arm or sphincter involvement)
    • Cerebral hemisphere syndromes – hemiparesis/hemisensory symptoms
  • Relapses are not characterised by numerous, non-focal symptoms waxing and waning over long periods of time.
  • See National MS Factsheet for more information

Useful resources