Fair Care for Parkinson’s (From News Shopper)

Fair Care for Parkinson’s

2:13pm Tuesday 7th July 2009

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IN 2007, my mother died with Parkinson’s, a devastating neurological condition, for which there is no cure.

The care she received from her local hospital and subsequently home carers was exemplary and made dealing with the illness much more bearable for her. However, not everyone suffering with Parkinson’s is lucky enough to get the same level of care as she did.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) guideline on Parkinson’s has been in place for more than three years, yet on July 8 the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Parkinson’s disease released a report highlighting shocking variations in access to treatment and services across the country. This included limited information for patients, lack of respite for carers and poor access to expert nursing and therapy, all underpinned by a failure to deliver a "joined up" approach to care.

The problem won’t go away. With an ageing population, the number of people with Parkinson’s will inevitably rise.

In the UK today there are approximately 120,000 people with Parkinson’s – equal to the population of Norwich - affecting one in 100 of people over 65 and one in 50 of those over 80.

Just how will this country, and ultimately the taxpayer, cope with the added cost of care?

It shocks me to realise my mother was one of the lucky ones.

We must ensure all people with Parkinson’s, wherever they live, are given the fair care they deserve.

To support the campaign and for more information visit www.parkinsons.org.uk/faircare

John Stapleton

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