Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to face-to-face appointments for people with Parkinson’s in Hampshire.

Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their populations and for commissioning services that meet those needs, including decisions on the balance between in‑person and remote appointments across primary, community, and hospital care. This includes ensuring that people who need or prefer a face‑to‑face appointment are able to access one, while continuing to develop more flexible and efficient models of care for those who are happy to engage digitally or remotely.

For people with Parkinson’s, multidisciplinary care, including in‑person assessment and review, remains an important part of disease management, and local services in Hampshire are expected to organise appointments in line with national clinical standards and local capacity planning. ICBs are required to keep access under regular review to ensure people can be seen face‑to‑face when this is clinically required, including through specialist neurology clinics, Parkinson’s nurse services, and community‑based support.

NHS England continues to work with local systems, including in Hampshire, to improve outpatient access, reduce waiting times, and ensure equitable provision of face‑to‑face care for people with Parkinson’s across all regions.