Parkinson's Disease Specialist Pharmacy Network

Steering committee

The PDSPN is led by a steering committee of pharmacists from different sectors with a shared interest in Parkinson's. The network was founded by Janine Barnes, Neurology Specialist Pharmacist, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust in 2018 and the committee initially met in October 2019 with Janine as Chair. In 2022, Stephanie Bancroft, Community Pharmacist based in North West London took over as Chair and Janine replaced her as Deputy Chair.

Mission Statement

Improving the lives of people with Parkinson's by enabling and inspiring pharmacy teams to play an active role in Parkinson’s management across all clinical settings.

Conferences

The inaugural Parkinson’s Disease Specialist Pharmacy Network Conference was held on 10 October 2019 in Birmingham.  50 pharmacists, from various practice settings, and healthcare professionals working with people with Parkinson’s, attended to learn more about the central role that pharmacists can play in supporting people with the condition.

For more detail, read a blog about the day by Viv Horton, Advanced Clinical Pharmacist at South Tees NHS Foundation Trust, and member of the PDSPN steering committee. 

A second virtual Conference was held on 10 March 2022 where expert speakers provided educational content for over 80 Pharmacists and HCPs, including 3 workshops and the impact of COVID-19 on the Parkinson’s community.

Educational support for pharmacists

The PDSPN has been working with Parkinson’s UK to develop a Parkinson’s Learning Pathway for Pharmacy Professionals, which includes a directory of educational courses and resources.

We have also collaborated with Parkinson’s UK to review the Key Information booklets for Community and Hospital Pharmacy.

Awards

In 2021, the PDSPN submitted an abstract entitled ‘The Formation and Development of the PDSPN’ to the Parkinson’s Excellence Network Conference in the Shared Learning and Education category. The ensuing poster was judged in November 2022 and won the award.