A third of Irish people with Parkinson’s can’t access specialists, according to national audit

Professor Suzanne Timmons, a Parkinson’s Ireland representative has warned of a risk to services for those with Parkinson’s due to a lack of funding.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Timmons was discussing the first ever national audit of Parkinson’s disease (PD) care in Ireland, which showed both areas of good practice, along with many areas for improvement. The audit was published today for World Parkinson’s Day, which serves as an opportunity to provide a platform for individuals to raise their voices and share their lived experiences with the condition.

Roughly 15,000 people live with PD across Ireland. According to Prof. Timmons, roughly a third of these cannot access specialist healthcare.

Timmons also pointed out that PD nurse specialists post are lacking nationwide, with “half of the clinics located in Dublin”.

“It is clear that our PD services are stretched,” Timmons said, “and without a sufficient number of nurse specialist posts and access to a range of PD-trained health and social care professionals, it simply wont be feasible to improve the non-medical management of PD care.”