Urine testing kits available for free for members

​If you think you may have a UTI but are unable to get support from your GP or MS nurse or your MS symptoms are worse than normal, you can consider accessing a test kit at the Bedford MS Therapy Centre for use on site or to take away for use at home.

The UTI test kits are free for members of the Bedford MS Therapy Centre

Testing for a urine infection is important if you suspect a relapse or notice acute changes in your Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. From the 9 Oct you can access urine testing kits at Bedford MS Therapy Centre. These can either be used at the Centre, or taken home.

Recent research has shown that 10% of emergency admissions to hospital for people with MS are due to a urine infection (UTI), and once in hospital, people tend to stay for an average of around 7 days.  It is important that people with MS have access to a mid-stream urine test (MSU test) when a UTI is suspected, for example, if they notice their MS symptoms are worse than normal. By diagnosing and treating UTIs earlier, complications and hospital admissions can be avoided.

As you may be aware, the MSU testing process is quite straightforward, but getting an MSU test normally involves visiting a GP or MS nurse. With services currently under so much pressure, and to avoid unnecessary face-to-face contact, we have developed a home MSU test kit.