I have been working with Parkinson's patients for over a decade. In my time as a lead Parkinson's nurse specialist I have seen many challenges. However, the insights and skills I have gained are invaluable for myself, my colleagues and the patients I work with.
When it comes to patient care, the most important thing in my mind is keeping people with Parkinson's out of hospital. It is what the patients want, it is what their families want, and what the Parkinson's specialist team wants. It saves money and helps avoid setbacks with the decline of symptoms, some of which can be irreversible. No one wants to go to hospital.
For someone with Parkinson's, a lengthened stay in hospital can worsen their symptoms because of the lack of access to physical activity and timely access to medication. Therefore, as a care team, we know we need to come at it from both sides through the clinical environment and the care provided at home.
People living with Parkinson's can suffer from a lack of motivation and are less likely to ask for help. With my team, I focus on helping people in the community. We support them by undertaking regular face-to-face reviews to manage their own illness and, where possible, prevent them from worsening. This not only reduces unnecessary hospital stays but also lengths of stay so that the hospital can focus on providing high quality care for all.
This initiative is not new, but it works. It is proactive care, through collaboration with patients, their loved ones, and other specialist teams. That way we not only improve outcomes but save the NHS money. More importantly, my patients feel informed and empowered to take care of their health be it through community talks on gut health to tailored exercises from physiotherapists.
This year the Excellence Network, which is supported, funded and facilitated by Parkinson's UK, has complemented this work by expanding its pump-prime funding from just Parkinson's nurses to specialist allied health professional (AHP) posts. This can include any member of a multidisciplinary team that is dedicated to supporting people with Parkinson's, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and mental health professionals.
We know by working together we can help shine a light on this misunderstood condition. As the world's fastest growing neurological condition, everyone's Parkinson's experience is different. All these initiatives are a combined effort for the whole community.
It is clear that positive changes are happening. This chimes directly with the changes in community nursing and approaches to rehabilitative care. As a specialist nurse, it gives me pride in knowing that more conversations are happening for the better. By opening the channels to other teams and care providers, we can be there more for our patients.