2022 UK Parkinson’s Audit shows a mixed picture for Parkinson’s health services

The 2022 audit reports on care provided to 9,760 people with Parkinson’s during the 5-month data collection period. 

Views of 6,795 people with Parkinson’s and their family, friends and carers were also collected via the Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) questionnaire about their experience of the service they attend. Positively, 84.5% of PREM respondents rated the quality of service they receive as excellent or good.

Positive results from bone health

Assessment of bone health has significantly improved from 40% of patients assessed in 2019 to 60% in 2022. Following the 2019 audit report, the Parkinson’s Excellence Network launched its Better bone health national programme and the Bone Health Initiative, a national multi-centre service improvement project with 44 services across the UK. This subgroup assessed bone health in 74.8% of its patients in 2022.

The better bone health programme has also focused on raising awareness of bone health among people with Parkinson’s through the launch of an information video and ‘Ask the experts’ Q&A webinar.

Amongst improvements in many areas, the audit identified focus areas for change across all services. These were:

• specialised multidisciplinary working
• standardised practices
• communication and information sharing
• medicines management
• educating the workforce.

The areas for improvement vary across the different service types but some key themes have emerged, including early referral to therapy services, waiting times, standardised assessments, anticipatory care planning and advice about driving. 

Continued excellent Parkinson's care despite significant challenges

Dr Rowan Wathes, Associate Director of the Parkinson’s Excellence Network, said:

"The audit has demonstrated lack of progress, or even deterioration, in key areas, including early referral to therapy services, waiting times, standardised assessments, and care planning.

"Through the Parkinson’s Excellence Network, we are working with healthcare professionals and people with Parkinson’s to improve services where we can through funding nurse and therapist posts, providing educational resources and support for quality improvement projects. The audit shows how vital our work is for people with Parkinson’s, many of whom are struggling to stay warm and eat well in the face of the rising cost of living, a further risk to their health and wellbeing." 

Dr Anne-Louise Cunnington, the Parkinson’s Excellence Network’s Audit lead, added:

"As Clinical Lead for the audit I have been both humbled and inspired by the intrinsic professional motivation of all that have participated in the audit. The results demonstrate continued and improving excellent Parkinson's care in the face of recent and ongoing significant challenges."

Next steps for services

Each participating service will now receive a report of their audit results, alongside the UK-wide results being available. Read the UK-wide audit results.

Participating teams will be supported to develop service improvement plans informed by their results and encouraged to sign up to 2 national service improvement projects via the UK Parkinson's Audit tool. Services that did not participate in the 2022 audit may also be able to join a national project. Log in to the Audit and Service Improvement tool.

The full audit reports, including breakdowns of results by profession and the full PREM results, are now available. 

Details of support and funding around service improvement priority topics will be announced in coming months on the UK Parkinson's audit webpage and via the monthly Excellence Network e-newsletter. Sign up for the Excellence Network e-newsletter.