Best practice guidelines published to improve MND care in NZ

A new set of clinical guidelines for the management and care of individuals with MND has been published today, 8 November 2022.

Developed over a number of years by a working group of New Zealand MND clinicians and funded by MND New Zealand, this first-ever New Zealand based best practice recommendations (BPRs) represent what specialists in MND care agree should be the standard of care for any New Zealander diagnosed with MND.

Following a hui in Wellington in late 2019, the project “Improving care, improving lives’’ was launched, aimed at improving the clinical management of Motor Neurone Disease in New Zealand. In fulfilment of this objective, MND New Zealand set up a working group of 18 nationally representative leading clinicians, experts in MND care and treatment.

“This is a first and a milestone for standardising and promoting world class MND holistic clinical care across Aotearoa New Zealand, ” says Sir Richard Faull KNZM, FRSNZ, Director, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland and Medical Patron, MND New Zealand.

The guidelines represent the first step in an overall framework being developed in response to concerns raised by the MND Community in New Zealand, and have been written to provide clinical guidance and to standardise care throughout NZ.

The guidelines have been contextualised for New Zealand and recognise the important roles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Whare Tapa Whā in the delivery of healthcare services in Aotearoa New Zealand, and it’s hoped that Te Whatu Ora Health NZ will encourage their adoption and implementation.

MND New Zealand would like to acknowledge the significant time and effort contributed by the Motor Neurone Disease Clinical Working Group (MNDCWG) in the development of these Best Practice Recommendations. The group includes 18 members from different health sectors around Aotearoa New Zealand, who have an interest in improving care for people with MND and their 1whānau. The MNDCWG was co-chaired by Claire Reilly and Chris Drennan in 2020, and Claire Reilly and Alan Stanley in 2021

Motor Neurone Disease Clinical Working Group (MNDCWG)

• Helen Brown, Palliative Care Dietitian
• Fiona Hewerdine, Speech-Language Therapist
• Heather Brunton, MND Nurse Specialist
• Julie Hill, Physiotherapist
• Melissa Carey, Māori Health Researcher
• Clair King, Respiratory Physician
• Alison Charleston, Geriatrician & Neurologist
• Diana Rae, Palliative Care Medical Officer
• Helen Murray, Occupational Therapist
• Tom Reid, Palliative Medicine Specialist
• James Cleland, Neurologist
• Claire Reilly, MND Community & Research Advisor
• Chris Drennan, Respiratory Physician
• Raewyn Robinson, MND Nurse Specialist
• Toni Foster, MND NZ Support Team Leader
• Val Spooner, Speech-Language Therapist
• Julie Grenfell, Social Worker
• Alan Stanley, Neurologist

Read the NZ Best Practice Recommendations here.