Home News NHS England is Letting People with Parkinson's Down

26 February 2016

Today, an influential group of MPs (the Public Accounts Committee) have released a report reviewing the state of neurology services across England.

They confirm what we already know - that people with neurological conditions, like Parkinson's, are being seriously let down.

Postcode lottery

We believe that the quality of treatment, and the speed at which people with Parkinson's receive support shouldn't be impacted by where you live.

Unfortunately, this is the case for people with Parkinson's. Diagnosis and treatment depends on how each local area arranges their neurology services.

Public Accounts Committee report

The report found that there are disparities in outcomes for people living with conditions like Parkinson's. It also comments on the costs that the NHS incurs as a result of poor care.

The Committee found this to be particularly alarming given that NHS England have abolished the National Clinical Director for Adult Neurology role, which the inquiry found to have had a positive impact whilst in post.

You can read more about what they found in their report 'Services to people with neurological conditions: progress review'.

Campaigning for neurology leadership

NHS England confirmed in January 2016 that they would be cutting the National Clinical Director for Adult Neurology post. We have been campaigning to keep this role as it champions neurology services within the NHS.

This means that people with Parkinson's no longer have a representative at the top. It is concerning that neurology is not being seen as a priority for the NHS.

Steve Ford, Parkinson's UK Chief Executive commented:

NHS England cannot afford to bury its head in the sand. They need to urgently put the PAC's recommendations into action.

Steve Ford

"We hear time and again from people with Parkinson's that their experience of care varies hugely across the country.

In 2012/13 people with Parkinson's spent over 128,000 excess days in hospital at a cost of more than £20 million to NHS England.

Providing the right care, at the right time has the potential to radically improve services for people with Parkinson's and save the NHS money."

Share your experience to improve services

Last year over 7,500 people shared their experiences of health and care services with us through our UK Parkinson's audit and the 'your life your services' survey.

This will help the work we are doing with professionals to ensure that people with Parkinson's get access to high quality services at the right time.

If you'd like to share your experiences of health and care services, good or bad, please email campaigns@parkinsons.org.uk. To speak to someone about any medical issues, including symptoms or your medication, please contact our helpline on 0800 800 0303.

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