Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to receive a diagnosis.

The Department recognises the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and the impact that early identification has on people’s long‑term outcomes. We remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.

National programmes like NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) supports faster diagnosis by using clinically‑led, data‑driven reviews to identify delays and unwarranted variation in neurology services. GIRFT provides evidence‑based recommendations to streamline referral and outpatient pathways, improve data quality, and share best practice between trusts. This helps increase specialist capacity, reduce waiting times for assessment, and ensure more timely access to diagnosis for people with suspected Parkinson’s disease.

Additionally, by delivering the shifts outlined in the 10‑Year Health Plan, we can free up specialist capacity by increasing community‑based provision, reducing administrative burden through digital tools, and supporting earlier identification and management of neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. This will allow neurologists and geriatricians to focus on more complex cases and improve diagnostic timeliness.