A SPECIALIST Bradford nurse for Multiple Sclerosis has scooped a top national award.

Judges at the first 2015 QuDoS Awards named Liz Watson as winner of the Outstanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Specialist Nurse of the Year.

The awards highlight innovation and excellence in MS management and service delivery as well as recognising individuals and teams who help improve the quality of life and care of patients.

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological condition which affects about 100,000 people in the UK when the coating around nerve fibres in the body is damaged, causing a range of symptoms from fatigue to difficulty walking. There is no cure yet and the cause is still not known but treatments and specialists can help manage the condition.

Judges who were impressed with Ms Watson's work said she was "at the heartbeat of the MS service at Bradford" showing innovation as well as clinical excellence by co-ordinating Bradford Teaching Hospitals' MS services and running regular specialist clinics.

Judging panel chairman, Professor Alan Thompson, who is consultant neurologist and dean of the University College London Faculty of Brain Sciences said: “It has been fantastic to hear about some hugely talented, hardworking individuals in the field of Multiple Sclerosis going that extra mile to improve the quality of life of their patients."

Ms Watson extended her nursing role to manage the cases of patients with progressive MS which freed up consultant time and has been able to provide a quality one-stop holistic service.

She is now instrumental in the Disease Modifying Treatment process helping with decision making and co-ordinating the start of patients' treatment and then the ongoing monitoring of them to make sure they can get access to the service when they need it.

One of the new ideas Ms Watson has brought in includes a clinic where patients can meet both their consultant and MS specialists at the same time.

She said: “I am delighted to have received this award and immensely proud that the high quality service we have developed and deliver in Bradford has been recognised by the MS Trust and judging panel.

"This type of recognition and praise inspires and motivates us even more to continue to improve services locally for those affected by Multiple Sclerosis, in what are very challenging times for all of us working within the NHS.

The QuDoS in MS Awards is supported by the MS Trust and sponsored by a number of pharmaceutical companies including Biogen, Genzyme and Novartis.