Parkinson's Excellence Network pump priming: the story so far
We expanded our successful Parkinson's nurse pump priming scheme in 2022 to recognise the importance of the wider multidisciplinary team. Here we take a look at how the funding is being used.
Since the pump priming scheme was relaunched to include specialist allied health professional (AHP) posts, we've funded:
- 10 new Parkinson’s nurse posts
- 17 allied health professional (AHP) posts including 8 physiotherapists, 5 occupational therapists, 3 speech and language therapists and 1 pharmacist
In 2023 we were able to support the development of new nurse posts in Morecambe Bay, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North Devon. There were successful bids for AHP posts in South Tees, Cambridge & Peterborough, North Devon, Berkshire and a pharmacist post in Swansea.
We're accepting bids for 2024, this year we have two opportunities in June and October. We're really keen to support bids from areas with high levels of health inequality, increasing access to multidisciplinary teams and access to advanced care pathways and therapies.
You can find deadlines and other key dates, plus detailed guidance on both schemes on our website. Visit the dedicated pump priming page.
If you'd like to arrange an informal conversation with the team to discuss your pump priming ideas, get in touch at [email protected].
Spotlight: pump priming success in Bradford
In 2022, we funded a physiotherapist and occupational therapist in Bradford. Although the area had a Parkinson's nurse service with some great therapists working alongside them, there were no dedicated Parkinson's therapist hours. This meant that a large cohort of patients were often waiting over 40 weeks to be seen.
The pump primed posts have had a really positive early impact, with waiting lists reduced and waiting time drastically reduced by over half in under 20 weeks. The team has also streamlined processes supporting improved referral pathways and patient triage to the Parkinson's team.
The team has already made proactive changes using informal feedback, and is currently working to formally capture feedback from patients and colleagues. They're also working on their first year report with plans underway for staff training and collaboration with inpatient teams to improve patient flow and reduce hospital length of stay.
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