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 help ensure that NHS hospital staff responsible for (a) administering and (b) prescribing medications are provided with training on (i) Parkinson's disease medication and (b) medication for other time-critical conditions.

Individual employers are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to carry out their role. NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.

The healthcare regulators set standards of competency for prescribing practice. The standards set out the knowledge, understanding and skills required for safe and effective prescribing practice.