A MULTIPLE sclerosis sufferer is to become an expert in his own illness.
Tom Stebbings, 44, of Darlington, will be the first person to take part in a programme to make him an authority on the condition.
The Expert Patient programme, run by Darlington Primary Care Group, is part of a nationwide Department of Health initiative.
The town is one of the first to pilot the programme to offer learning to people with chronic illnesses.
Mr Stebbings, who has had MS for three years, will work alongside Liz Graham, clinical governance manager.
She said: "If you make patients with chronic illnesses experts in their own conditions it not only empowers them to challenge us professionals, but also affects how they use services. They will find that with every ache and pain they do not need accident and emergency or to call their doctor because they become an expert in their condition."
Mr Stebbings will earn a qualification equivalent to an NVQ.
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