Parkinson's team do the double at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards!

The Parkinson's Outreach Advanced Community Therapy Team (PROACT) went home from the ceremony with the Improving Safety for Older People Initiative of the Year, and Neighbourhood and Community Health Safety Initiative of the Year awards.

PROACT is physiotherapist, Charlotte Smith, and occupational therapist, Tuesday Miller. The team provides personalised care for people with Parkinson's and specialist therapy intervention, at the time of need.

Seamless working

They work seamlessly with the wider Parkinson's team and neuro outpatient physiotherapy service at the Trust. A monthly referral triage meeting has been established by PROACT with neuro physio outpatient colleagues, to support the aim that patients are seen by the right person, at the right time and at a place that suits their needs best.

PROACT encourages patients to self-refer patients, to improve self-management throughout the course of their condition.

In their first year PROACT reduced the waiting list for physiotherapy and occupational therapy to less than 4 weeks, with the average patient being seen in less than 2 weeks.

Pump primed by Parkinson's UK Excellence Network

Our pump priming funding initiative provided the resources for the 2 posts that make up the PROACT team. South Tees physiotherapist, Claire Ward, occupational therapist, Debra Gallant and Dr Neil Archibald were the driving force behind the funding application and supporting the new recruits.

Charlotte and Tuesday feel that their results and impact were achieved with the support that pump priming offers - beyond the funding - including regular check-ins with our Service Improvement team to make sure they are gathering the evidence and data that could make their posts sustainable.