Join our Protect Parkinson's nurses campaign
18 July 2011
The current drive for NHS efficiency savings means
that we're deeply concerned that specialist Parkinson's nurses – who can save
the NHS in England more than £42million a year - are at
risk.
So today we have launched an urgent
campaign to call on people across England to write to local NHS
commissioners to protect these front-line nurses from NHS
cost-cutting.
Parkinson's nurses under threat
Findings from a
new survey of Parkinson's nurses in England revealed that:
- 1 in 3 (29%) feel insecure in their posts, with 1 in 5
(21%) saying that their post is at risk or threatened in some
way
- more than a quarter of Parkinson's nurses in England (27%) are
having to withdraw home visits, do more paperwork or work on
wards
- 1 in 5 nurses (19%) in the survey report caseloads of over 700
people, more than double the recommended 300
This all has a negative impact on the quality of support and
care that Parkinson's nurses can give to people with Parkinson's.
Parkinson's nurses actually help achieve cost savings, while
providing high quality services to patients.
Image: Lorraine Savory, Parkinson's nurse
Parkinson's nurses save the NHS money
Parkinson's nurses are front-line staff that save the NHS money
by designing innovative services that reduce demand on consultant
time, hospital admissions and time spent in hospital.
There are currently 264 Parkinson's nurses in England.
Why Parkinson's nurses are vital
There's no uncertainty about the money that Parkinson's nurses can save and the massive difference they make. So join our campaign now.
People with Parkinson's have the right to live as independently
as possible.
But they need specialist support from Parkinson's nurses to
navigate a complex health and social care system.
A recent survey showed that twice as many people with
Parkinson's in the UK rated their nurse as the most helpful in
understanding their local Parkinson's services (65%), compared to
their neurologist (32%).
Pamela champions her nurse
Pamela Goff, 60, from Sheffield, was diagnosed with Parkinson's
2 years ago. She says:
"My Parkinson's nurse answered all of our questions and I
learned so much in that hour that no amount of reading could have
done.
"She understands me and gives me the tools to live an active
life without resorting to other NHS services.
"I told her about the lack of sleep and waking with stiff
muscles in the night. She suggested a change to my medication and
hey presto I can sleep for 6 to 7 hours at night!"
Why we need you to support our campaign
Steve Ford, our Chief Executive, comments:
"Even though there is uncertainty over commissioning
arrangements in parts of the UK, there's no uncertainty about the
money that Parkinson's nurses can save and the massive difference
they make to the lives of people with Parkinson's.
"So join our campaign and help protect Parkinson's nurses in
your local community now."
Find out more
You can get involved:
We've produced a new report Parkinson's
nurses: a guide for commissioners in England which you can
download or order.
The Protect Parkinson's nurses campaign is part of our
wider Fair Care for Parkinson's campaign
to make sure that everyone affected by Parkinson's in the UK is
given the care they deserve.
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