PATIENTS suffering from Parkinson’s face long waits to be diagnosed and receive care because doctors don’t know enough about the disease, it was claimed today.
There are 120,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK, with 10,000 diagnosed with the condition each year.
But despite the large numbers of people involved, patients do not believe the medical profession has sufficient knowledge to help them cope with the illness.
Parkinson’s disease often starts with hand tremor. Other symptoms include muscle rigidity or stiffness and slow movement.
The Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS) is calling for better training for community-based doctors and nurses in diagnosing and treating the condition.
A survey of 180 members of the society found that 90 per cent said their doctor did not have sufficient knowledge of Parkinson’s disease.
A fifth of patients did not have a local Parkinson’s disease consultant, such as a neurologist, in their area, while 85 per cent had either no specialist nurse or insufficient nurse support.
Almost half said there was not enough physiotherapy available in their local area, while 51 per cent said there was not enough occupational therapy.
The charity said it wanted the new National Service Framework covering long-term conditions like Parkinson’s to "become a reality sooner rather than later".
Source
There are 120,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK, with 10,000 diagnosed with the condition each year.
But despite the large numbers of people involved, patients do not believe the medical profession has sufficient knowledge to help them cope with the illness.
Parkinson’s disease often starts with hand tremor. Other symptoms include muscle rigidity or stiffness and slow movement.
The Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS) is calling for better training for community-based doctors and nurses in diagnosing and treating the condition.
A survey of 180 members of the society found that 90 per cent said their doctor did not have sufficient knowledge of Parkinson’s disease.
A fifth of patients did not have a local Parkinson’s disease consultant, such as a neurologist, in their area, while 85 per cent had either no specialist nurse or insufficient nurse support.
Almost half said there was not enough physiotherapy available in their local area, while 51 per cent said there was not enough occupational therapy.
The charity said it wanted the new National Service Framework covering long-term conditions like Parkinson’s to "become a reality sooner rather than later".
Source