Policy and campaigns
People with migraine have been overlooked for too long
We want all politicians and policy makers to understand the true impact of migraine on peoples’ lives, and to take action to improve care across the UK.
This is why we campaign to improve care, support and awareness for people with migraine. We are making progress, but we have a long way to go.
What do we do?
- Research the issues faced by people with migraine, and what needs to change, to improve migraine care
- Promote good practice in migraine care with healthcare leaders
- Build relationships with cross-party politicians across the UK, and senior health policy makers
Everything just takes so long. Waiting lists are huge and there aren’t enough doctors or hospitals with appointments or even clinics. I’ve been referred from hospital to hospital and seen so much different people. With migraine you have to try so many different things to try and find something that works, it means you just end up waiting and waiting
What change are we asking for?
- For all GPs to have up-to-date training on migraine care and the latest treatments
- Access to community migraine/headache specialist clinics for everyone who needs specialist care
- Equitable access to treatments for all eligible patients
- Greater understanding in society about the impact of migraine and an end to stigma
- Migraine-friendly workplaces and schools as the norm.
With a general election due in 2024, this is a critical year to raise the voice and visibility of people with migraine.
Timeline of action
The Migraine Trust wants as many MPs as possible to join us at an event in Parliament on Wednesday 4 December between 9am-11am in Terrace Dining Room B, where we will be launching a new toolkit they can use when supporting affected constituents and staff and will provide them with a copy, as well as a briefing and local and social media content so they can show their support and spread awareness. The event is sponsored by Caroline Nokes MP, who has spoken out about her own experiences with migraine, and Dr Simon Opher MP, who has seen many cases of migraine in his work as a GP.
You can help us by writing to your MP and urging them to attend.
Read the results of our survey into the many ways migraine hurts.
You can read more about our research here.
Read our asks for prospective candidates ahead of the general election asking them to pledge their support for better migraine care, because people with migraine deserve better
Our report ‘The impact of migraine on people in Northern Ireland and opportunities to improve care’ outlines the significant barriers to migraine care for those living in Northern Ireland, and the severe and wide-ranging repercussions on the 270,000 people in Northern Ireland living with the condition.
Read the report: Insights report: The impact of migraine on people in Northern Ireland and opportunities to improve care
On the heels of Westminster and Scotland, our next event in the Welsh Parliament sponsored by Mark Isherwood MS sought to introduce 18 local migraine representatives to politicians in the country
A further patients’ event we organised in the Scottish Parliament involved a roundtable where patient representatives met several MSPs including Jackson Carlaw MSP, who lives with chronic migraine, and the Scottish Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, Jenni Minto
We held a reception in Westminster that brought politicians together with 30 patient representatives living with migraine to hear their stories and about how they often have to fight to get the right treatment
Members of the House of Lords debated the impact of migraine and its treatment on people in work
Our latest report ‘Heading in the wrong direction: Challenges in migraine care and why people with migraine deserve better’ noted rising waiting times in the NHS and called for a national drive to improve migraine care, and over 60 politicians showed their support for Migraine Awareness Week
Read the report: Heading in the wrong direction – The Migraine Trust
Our research on migraine at work found that over a third of people have experienced discrimination at work because of their migraines and 25% had had to leave a job altogether
We launched toolkits in all four parliaments of the UK to help politicians and their members of staff to support constituents and colleagues impacted by migraine
We shone a light on how the 1 in 10 children and young people living with migraine are impacted at school and in their day-to-day lives, drawing on experiences from them, parents and carers, and educators
Dismissed for too long – The impact of migraine on children and young people (September 2022)
We used Freedom of Information data to uncover the landscape of migraine care in the NHS and found inconsistencies in access to approved treatments
Dismissed for too long_Recommendations to improve migraine care in the UK
