Time critical medication and Get It On Time campaign resources
Information and resources for professionals, to support Get It On Time: the campaign to make sure everyone with Parkinson's in hospital or care homes gets their medication on time, every time.
- Inpatient care and medicines management
- Tools
- All professions
What is Get It On Time?
For anyone with Parkinson's, the impact of not getting medication on time in hospital can be severe. It can be debilitating, and cause stress, anxiety, immobility and severe tremors. In the worst cases, it can be fatal.
Our information and resources support hospital and care home staff to make sure that patients and residents get their medication on time, every time. They can also support people with Parkinson's with medicine management in preparation for a hospital stay.
Time critical medication resources
Guides for healthcare professionals
- Time critical medications in Parkinson's: Nurse in charge and ward staff guide
- Screening swallowing problems in Parkinson's: nurse in charge and ward staff guide
- Hospital pharmacy time critical Parkinson's medication guide
- Ambulance service factsheet
Resources for healthcare professionals
- Get It On Time laminated clock posters
- Get It On Time campaign posters
- Get It On Time stickers
- Caring for your patient with Parkinson’s
- Key information for hospital pharmacists
Resources for your patients
Download 10 recommendations for your hospital
A group of NHS professionals who live with Parkinson’s have developed a set of 10 recommendations for hospitals in collaboration with the Excellence Network. These recommendations will enable NHS staff to support timely, safe and appropriate medicine management for people with Parkinson's.
- 10 recommendations document - England (PDF, 88KB)
- 10 recommendations document - Scotland (PDF, 64KB)
- 10 recommendations document - Wales (PDF, 64KB)
- 10 recommendations document - Northern Ireland (PDF, 120KB)
- Hospital benchmarking template (Word document, 31KB)
Watch the accompanying video produced by the professionals, which brings the recommendations to life.
Time critical medication learning for professionals
This free online course teaches hospital staff about Parkinson's symptoms, treatments and the importance of medication timing.
This free, 15-minute, online presentation will help ward staff understand the key issues when caring for people with Parkinson's.
This free 15-minute online, interactive short course about Parkinson's has been designed specifically for pharmacists.
These free modules will help any pharmacist, team member or student increase their understanding of Parkinson's.
Discover our course about medication for non-administrators of medicines
Aimed at all hospital staff, this online course teaches the importance of giving Parkinson’s medications on time, with a particular focus on staff who don’t administer medication.
News and research
The NHS Professionals - Living and working with Parkinson's group, in collaboration with the Parkinson's Excellence Network, have scooped the HSJ Patient Involvement in Safety Award for our Get It On Time campaign.
A new factsheet of advice on getting people with Parkinson’s their medication on time when they’re being transported to hospital is now available.
Read our Excellence Network blog for insights and stories from Parkinson's professionals. Our latest blog covers our recent time critical medication highlights.
Researchers are looking for people with Parkinson’s who are taking medication for their Parkinson’s, and who have recently attended hospital, or who have a hospital visit planned.
- Rapid Response Report NPSA/2010/RRR009: Reducing harm from omitted and delayed medicines in hospital. National Patient Safety Agency (2010). Read the NPSA report.
- Commissioner’s Guide to the NCEPOD Report - ‘Hard to Swallow?’. A review of the quality of dysphagia care provided to patients with Parkinson’s disease aged 16 years and over who were admitted to hospital when acutely unwell. The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD). Go to the Commissioner's Guide to the NCEPOD report.
- Hard to Swallow? A review of the quality of dysphagia care provided to patients with Parkinson’s disease aged 16 years and over who were admitted to hospital when acutely unwell. A report published by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (2021). Read the 'Hard to Swallow?' review.
- A comprehensive review of the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease dysphagia and aspiration. Patel et al 2020. Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology: Vol 14, No 6 (tandfonline.com). Read the comprehensive review.
- A New Simple Screening Tool - 4QT: Can It Identify Those with Swallowing Problems? A Pilot Study. Tsang, K et al 2020. PMC (nih.gov) Geriatrics. March 5(1):11. View the screening tool.