Marking 20 years of Parkinson's disease nurse specialists: Looking to the future

Abstract

This year we celebrate 20 years since the introduction of the first Parkinson's disease nurse specialist (PDNS) in Cornwall. Vast improvements in Parkinson's care have resulted from the creation of about 270 posts, throughout the UK, since 1989. With a population of 100000 people with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the UK and 10000 new cases of this long-term condition each year, this specialist role is clearly needed. Nationally, access to a PDNS varies, and in areas of the country where there is an established PDNS service there can be problems with unmanageable caseload numbers. This has been an issue in Cornwall, so a combined approach of utilising alternative models of care along with the extension of practitioners' roles, has helped meet service demand. However, with a possible reduction in commissioning of nurse specialists in the next few years different approaches to care will be essential to provide care effectively for the growing caseloads of such nurses.

Promoting continuity of care for people with long‐term neurological conditions: the role of the neurology nurse specialist

“…2008, Boyd et al. 2009, Leary & Oliver 2009, Osbourne 2009), but few describe what NSs co‐ordinate, how they co‐ordinate and what impact this co‐ordination has for the service user. Our research shows how NNSs are able to co‐ordinate services within the health sector as well as across interfaces with other sectors in response to service user’s needs.…”

The lived experience of sleep disturbance in people with Parkinson’s disease

“…Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists were first introduced over 20 years ago in the UK to address an unmet need for direct access, ongoing advice, education, support, assessment, co‐ordination and provision of services for people with PD (Osborne 2009). Their role is extensive from advising on specific management issues, providing emotional and social support, coordinating case management, care and referrals, and increasing awareness about the condition (Reynolds et al.…”

Specialized Staff for the Care of People with Parkinson’s Disease in Germany: An Overview

“…German PD nurses also stated that they have not enough time for appropriate care and nursing, just like PD nurses have mentioned in the UK (16). PD nurses have a more extensive caseload than the suggested manageable number of 300 patients [ 15 ] and therefore need to be substantially supported.…”

“…Such is also relevant given the lack of general practitioners (GP) and neurologists in rural areas [ 11 ]. Experiences in other countries (e.g., the Netherlands, England) show that PD nurses can provide a large part of care and treatment [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Given the growing number of PD patients, it is difficult to provide comprehensive care solely through physicians and nurses alone.…”