LEARN 2025 – Andrew’s blog for MND Scotland

In this blog, Andrew Bethell, discusses what he enjoys most about his role as a MND Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist for NHS Highland.    

Can you tell us about yourself? 

After working in engineering for 15 years, I retrained as a nurse in 2005 at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. I then worked in a number of posts before settling in the Neuro Rehab unit in Aberdeen and completing a postgraduate certificate in Head Injury Rehabilitation.  

I started as the MND Specialist Nurse for NHS Highland in 2014 and undertook my MSc in Nursing.  

In 2019, I was awarded the Gordon Aikman Scholarship to develop mental health support plans for people affected by MND.  

I served on the MND Scotland Scientific Advisory panel from 2017 to 2025 and have recently been appointed to the MND Scotland Board of Trustees, where I also sit on the MND Scotland Gordon Aikman Scholarship award panel. 

Can you tell us about your experience as an MND Specialist Nurse? 

NHS Highland covers an area the size of Belgium, so my role involves a huge amount of travelling, ranging from urban centres like Inverness and Fort William to remote and rural locations such as the Ardnamurchan peninsula and the Flow Country in Caithness, as well as Skye and some of the Inner Isles.  

I primarily visit patients in their own homes to advise on MND and its progression and help with symptom management and support them in planning for the future. 

I also provide teaching for local healthcare teams, who may not be familiar with MND. 

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

Over the last decade, I have had the privilege to be in a position to make at least a small positive impact on people’s lives that have been devastated by their, or a loved one’s, MND diagnosis. 

How does the support from MND Scotland help with your role? 

At a time when people are newly diagnosed and don’t know which way to turn, MND Scotland provides an invaluable source of support, both financially in the form of the Welfare & Benefits team assisting with the practicalities of life, through to emotional support via counselling, and support groups. 

Can you tell us about your involvement with MND Scotland’s Scientific Advisory Panel? 

Sitting on the MND Scotland’s SAP has given me an invaluable insight into the breadth of research projects that are underway, and the complexities involved in seeking funding for projects, and the challenges researchers face. This has enabled me to explain to patients and their families why progress in finding a cure can sometimes appear to be slow.  

The range of people now sitting on the SAP – researchers, clinicians and people affected by MND ensures that applications are appropriately represented. 

Why is it important for events like LEARN to take place? 

This is a unique opportunity to meet both the researchers and the people who may benefit from their work. The LEARN events are a valuable opportunity for researchers to meet people whose lives are affected by MND and find out the issues that most affect them in their lives, and likewise, it gives the researchers an opportunity to explain the challenges they face when embarking on research projects and the timescales involved.   

The Lived Experience and Researcher Network (LEARN), organised by Scotland’s MND charity, MND Scotland, brings together people affected by motor neuron disease (MND) and local MND researchers.  

For more information, please visit: https://mndscotland.org.uk/news/learn-2025/