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 ensure that people with Parkinson’s disease have access to their medication on time.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults highlights the importance of patients getting Parkinson’s medicines on time, to prevent harmful effects. NICE guidance states that people with Parkinson’s disease who are admitted to hospital or care homes should be given their medicines at the appropriate times, which, in some cases, may mean allowing self-medication.

Whilst hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive their appropriate medication on time, there are tools to support both patients and staff to achieve this. Electronic prescribing systems, currently in use in 85% of hospitals in England, enable in-depth monitoring and reporting on missed or delayed dosing of medications.

Parkinson’s UK has produced resources, as part of their Get It on Time campaign, which support people with Parkinson's with medicine management in preparation for a hospital stay. These resources can also support hospital and care home staff to make sure that patients and residents get their medication on time, every time.

NHS England has also published guidance, developed in partnership with charities, including Parkinson’s UK, to help local National Health Service staff take practical steps to improve the care for patients with progressive neurological conditions in hospitals. The Right Care Toolkit for progressive neurological conditions provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of the timely administration of specific drugs for Parkinson’s, such as Levodopa, in both acute and community health settings.