Government plans to cut NHS waiting times and give people more choice on care
On 4 August, the UK government published a plan to address the NHS care backlog in England and give people more choice in who provides their care. We look at what it could mean for people with Parkinson’s.
What does this new NHS plan mean?
The NHS in England will use capacity from the independent sector (while remaining free at the point of use) to carry out more diagnostic tests closer to home. Community diagnostic centres are ‘one-stop shops’ for diagnostic tests including for cancer, lung function and blood tests.
However, these centres are unlikely to benefit people with Parkinson’s as they do not include DAT scans, which are sometimes used to diagnose Parkinson’s. Currently there's no simple diagnostic test that can confirm Parkinson’s.
Moves towards greater patient choice
Earlier this year, the government announced a number of measures aimed at improving patient choice, including:
- Being able to choose from up to 5 health care providers on the NHS app and website, following referral for care and treatment by your GP.
- People waiting more than 40 weeks for an appointment but have yet to receive a treatment date will be asked whether they want to switch hospitals.
In this latest plan, people will be able to find information on quality, waiting times and distance to travel on the My Planned Care website. Further changes are being made to the NHS app to enable people to view and request changes to their appointments.
Sam Freeman Carney, Health Policy and Improvement Lead at Parkinson's UK, said:
"Providing people with Parkinson’s more choice and the potential of shorter waits to see a health professional is of course welcome. However, increasing the number of community diagnostics centres in England is unlikely to speed up access to care for people with Parkinson’s.
"Addressing the existing workforce pressures is what is needed to improve access to care. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is a step in the right direction, but we need more specifics on what this means for the Parkinson’s workforce. The government must set out how it will address the shortfall in Parkinson’s nurses and ensure health professionals receive training in Parkinson’s."
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