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Developing better treatments and improving care for those with multiple sclerosis is of paramount importance – and a major focus for health services and drug companies. Led by Professor Jeremy Hobart, the University has developed patient-reported outcome measures that are being used in clinical trials around the world to better record the impact of drugs. And through the MS Brain Health Initiative, it has developed a positioning statement, international guidelines for MS care and an audit tool that is being piloted in 14 different countries.

Hepatitis C is a global health crisis affecting the lives of an estimated 180 million people. A major contributor to liver disease, in the UK alone, around 180,000 people are infected by hepatitis C at any one time. To counter this, Professor Matthew Cramp has established the Hepatology Research Group and built from scratch the South West Liver Unit at Derriford Hospital, from where he both treats patients and conducts clinical trials.

Faced with the challenge of an ageing population, person-centred approaches to care have also been shown to reduce costs, such as through reduced bed days and reduced readmission rates, and improve outcomes for patients, including increasing wellbeing, self-efficacy, and reductions in pain and fatigue. Dr Helen Lloyd’s work has been instrumental in developing models for integrating person-centred and coordinated care for people with multiple long-term conditions.