People diagnosed with Parkinson's find hospitals to be scary places due to medication issues

Care quality within hospital wards is the focus of a new report from charity Parkinson’s UK, which highlights a number of disturbing statistics adults with the condition face.

Marking Parkinson’s Awareness Week with their release of the report, the charity’s findings – taken from a YouGov survey of more than 3,600 people affected by Parkinson’s – found that 69 per cent of adults with the disease confirmed increased levels of anxiety while in hospital because of difficulties found in getting their required medication.

Other damning statistics include that 59 per cent of respondents who do not have regular access to medication in hospital felt there to be a negative impact on their health, while 47 per cent are unable to achieve the access to medication they require to keep their condition under control.

The charity blames a lack of understanding about Parkinson’s among hospital staff and calls for better training throughout services, with chief executive Steve Ford commenting: “Nurses tell us they receive an hour, at most, of specialised Parkinson’s training.”

He continues: “This fundamental lack of education has resulted in people with the condition being so terrified by their previous experiences in hospital that they smuggle in their medication.”

Throughout this Awareness Week, (7–13 April) the charity is calling upon hospitals to consider their approach so that those with Parkinson’s feel more in control over their condition. Hospital trusts and health boards can show their support by signing up to the charity’s 'Get It On Time' campaign.

As Mr Ford explains: “One of the ways for the NHS to tackle this growing problem is to allow people with Parkinson’s to take their medication themselves.

“In fact around 70 per cent of hospitals and health boards across the UK have a system in place that would allow people with Parkinson’s to do just that.

“Yet it is clear that these processes simply aren’t being implemented. “We hope that our Get It On Time campaign will equip all hospital staff with the right knowledge to deliver the improvements in care people with Parkinson’s so desperately need.”

Considering that many adults with Parkinson’s are required to take up to 15 tablets a day to manage their condition, getting this right is a must for health services. Watch the following video to learn more, which contains an insight from Patricia William-Fowler, 68, who cared for her husband Ian, 74, before he died unexpectedly and suddenly in February last year: