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Act now for Fair Care in Scotland

16 November 2009

Fair Care for Parkinson'sPeople affected by Parkinson's in Scotland are urged to take action by emailing Scotland's Health Minister, Shona Robison MSP, in a bid to improve NHS Parkinson's services in Scotland.

The call to action is part of our Fair Care for Parkinson's campaign, which aims to highlight the wide variation in access to essential services and information for people with Parkinson's.

New Clinical Standards for Scotland

The more people who take action, the louder our voice will be.

Andrew Sim, Scotland Manager

The emails ask the Minister to improve NHS services for people with Parkinson's and their carers in Scotland.

We want the Minister to ensure that Health Boards implement the newly published NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) Clinical Standards for Neurological Health Services throughout Scotland.

The Standards outline the services that the NHS should provide for people with neurological conditions in Scotland.

They include the following requirements:

  • diagnosis from a doctor with a specialist knowledge of Parkinson's
  • ongoing access to a Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist
  • ongoing access to a team of health professionals

Our overview of the Clinical Standards (PDF, 44KB) gives you more information about the Standards and the difference they could make to people with Parkinson's in Scotland.

An opportunity to make a difference

Andrew Sim, Scotland Manager for the Parkinson's Disease Society comments:

We need to make sure that the Scottish Government Standards are implemented in every Health Board, so that Parkinson's services improve.

Andrew Sim, Scotland Manager


"This is a great opportunity for people affected by Parkinson's to tell the Minister about the difference that the Standards could make to the 10,000 people with Parkinson's and their families in Scotland.

"We need to make sure that the Scottish Government Standards are implemented in every Health Board, so that Parkinson's services improve.

"Our Fair Care for Parkinson's campaign aims to highlight the severe inequalities in access to care across Scotland and the UK. We have a long way to go. Too many people are missing out on the NHS care outlined in the Standards.

"We are calling for strong leadership, monitoring and staff resources to make the Standards happen.

"The more people who take action, the louder our voice will be."

Fair Care for Parkinson's

Help make sure people living with Parkinson's get the services they need, wherever they live.

Get involved - take action now