Influencing the future of the NHS workforce in England

What is the 10 Year Workforce Plan?

The 10 Year NHS Workforce Plan is designed to transform the NHS by creating a workforce fit for the future. The plan is expected to set out how NHS staff can deliver more care in the community, make greater use of digital technologies, and prevent conditions from worsening -  the ‘three shifts’ outlined in the government’s 10 Year Health Plan. The government says it will focus on getting the right staff in the right places to provide better care.

What we said

The government was interested in examples of where the three shifts are already happening, and how NHS staff enabled these successes. We shared many excellent examples from Parkinson’s care, with most receiving support or funding from Parkinson’s UK.

We were clear that the status quo isn’t working for people with Parkinson’s, as they face poor, unequal access to specialist care. They are also waiting too long for a diagnosis, with our new research estimating that up to 21,000 people are living with the condition undiagnosed and unsupported. These challenges are compounded by longstanding workforce shortages - for example, we estimate that we need over 100 more full-time Parkinson's specialist nurses across the UK to provide the care that people with Parkinson’s need.

We urged the government again to fix the Parkinson’s specialist health workforce by:

• changing the way the Parkinson's specialist health workforce is trained and works to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow
• attracting, retaining and training healthcare professionals to make sure all people with Parkinson's get timely access to the specialist care they need
• having a better understanding of the current Parkinson's specialist health workforce and implementing better planning for the future.

View our consultation response on the Parkinson’s specialist health workforce.

What happens next?

We hope the government will use the evidence that we submitted to inform its 10 Year Workforce Plan. The plan is due to be published in spring 2026. 

Juliet Tizzard, Director of External Relations of Parkinson’s UK, said: 
“This workforce plan must mark real change for people with Parkinson’s. Right now, too many face unacceptable delays and inconsistent access to specialist care. The government has a real opportunity to fix this, and we’re ready to work together to make sure every person with Parkinson’s gets the timely, expert support that they need.”