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Get It On Time campaign - what hospitals can do

Nurse holding watchWhether you are a hospital pharmacist, doctor or nurse, there are a number of things you can do to help people with Parkinson's get their medication on time, every time, during their hospital stay.

Hospital medicines management audit

The Parkinson's hospital medicines management audit is for use by pharmacists, nurses, neurologists and geriatricians working in hospitals.

Hospital stays can be extended if medication is not managed appropriately. This audit allows you to measure your hospital performance against key standards.

The audit includes a patient questionnaire to measure the experiences of people with Parkinson's who have been in hospital.

If you can get the management of medication right for Parkinson's patients, you are likely to have processes in place that work for all other conditions.

Medicine management training DVD

Our free 10-minute DVD is for hospital ward staff. You can watch it online or order a free copy.

Get It On Time - Medicine management for patients with Parkinson's DVD

It explains how important it is that people with Parkinson's get their medication on time, and what steps can be taken to ensure this happens.

Other actions to take in your hospital

We'd love to hear from you if you have examples of how you've improved your processes - or if you need support.

  • Introduce a system to alert the local specialist Parkinson's nurse when a person with Parkinson's is admitted.
  • Introduce a self-administration policy for patients with Parkinson's.
  • Highlight that a patient has Parkinson's in their patient files by using an electronic flagging system
  • Use our Get It On Time resources and information sheets.
  • Use pill timers or alarm clocks on the ward to remind staff about patients whose medication is due at different times to the standard drug rounds.
  • Tell your colleagues about the Get It On Time campaign and why the timing of medication is so important.
  • Contact your local Parkinson's UK education and training officer to organise a training session.
  • Talk to people with Parkinson's about their experiences and needs.
  • Report incidents involving Parkinson's medication to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) or to the local, multidisciplinary medication incident reporting and monitoring system in place at your hospital.

Share your success

We are always looking to share good practice examples from around the UK with other hospitals who are looking to improve their processes.

If you work in a hospital and have been auditing processes around the administration of Parkinson's medication or working to improve the experience of people with Parkinson's, we'd love to hear from you.

If you want support to improve processes in your hospital, we can help. We can put you in contact with people with Parkinson's in your area and share examples of good practice from around the UK.

Contact us on 020 7963 9332 or email giot@parkinsons.org.uk

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Additional resources for hospitals