Derbyshire Parkinson's Disease Service
Hospital: Derbyshire Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust
Hospital type: Acute trust
Challenge
There were no Parkinson's-specific services and the teams
involved in managing Parkinson's patients were uncoordinated and
lacked direction. Another challenge was the low number of doctors
per head of the population in the area.
Action
Dr Bajaj, lead consultant for the project, developed a
comprehensive, holistic approach to Parkinson's disease from the
point of diagnosis, using a multidisciplinary team. Integral to
this has been the use of research to drive clinical advances in
diagnostics and therapeutics.
The team now includes a Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist and
a community-based neurology nurse specialist providing liaison
services for the Parkinson's disease community.
The Parkinson's service is run jointly between care of the
elderly and neurology services enabling a balanced and innovative
approach to patient care.
Achievements
- A Parkinson's disease steering group for southern Derbyshire
now oversees developments, such as good practice,
information-sharing and a common approach to drug monitoring.
- Post-diagnosis counselling is now routine for Parkinson's
disease patients.
- The team has contributed to development of the Lindop
Parkinson's Assessment Scale for mobility, which has been taken up
nationwide.
- Virtual clinics allow the team to reach out to patients who
cannot make the journey to hospital themselves.
- Winners of the Hospital Doctor Parkinson's Disease Team of the
Year 2007
Contact details
nin.bajaj@derbyhospitals.nhs.uk
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