Fifth of Parkinson's patients not offered specialist care, audit finds

5 September 2011

Almost one fifth (18%) of patients newly-diagnosed with Parkinson's were not offered a specialist Parkinson's nurse contact details, even though the service is available in their area, according to findings from the latest clinical audit from charity Parkinson's UK.

From the 53 healthcare trusts which took part in the study, almost 10% are therefore not meeting NICE guidelines for the condition. The guidelines state that patients who are newly diagnosed with Parkinson's should be offered contact information for their local Parkinson's nurse, where there is one available.

• See the full report >>
• See more about the Parkinson's audit >>

The findings come from the charity's annual Parkinson's audit which assessed 53 trusts or equivalent organisations across the UK and included the treatment details of more than 1,800 people with a suspected diagnosis of Parkinson's. The audit measures services against NICE Guidelines. It is designed to highlight areas where improvements need to be made and encourage the trusts to make these changes. 

In addition, more than a third (40%) of Parkinson's patients were not offered any take-home information about the condition - something which is deemed essential for people with Parkinson's to take charge of their condition. Parkinson's UK provides a wide range of information for people with Parkinson's, their families and carers, as well as professionals working with people with the condition.

Parkinson's is a complex neurological condition, for which there is currently no cure. It can affect individuals in very different ways, with the symptoms and severity varying from person to person. Each patient will usually have a carefully balanced combination of medication to control their symptoms.

For more information about the Parkinson's Audit or to download the full report visit parkinsons.org.uk/audit.