University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) has signed up to the Parkinson’s Pledge, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring that patients with Parkinson’s receive their medication on time, every time.
The pledge is part of a national campaign led by the NHS Professionals - Living and working with Parkinson's group, in collaboration with the Parkinson's Excellence Network to improve patient safety and experience by prioritising timely administration of medication for people living with Parkinson’s.
Delays in receiving time-critical medication can lead to severe complications, longer hospital stays for patients and increased costs to the NHS. By signing the pledge, UHMBT joins more than 110 NHS organisations across the country in taking action to address this major issue.
Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition and people living with it don't have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. Approximately 166,000 people are living with Parkinson’s in the UK. Parkinson's is on the rise and in the UK, someone is diagnosed every 20 minutes.
Lynne Wyre (pictured left), Interim Chief Nursing Officer at UHMBT, said: “We are very happy to support this pledge because timely medication is absolutely vital for people with Parkinson’s. Even short delays can have a significant impact on their health and wellbeing. This commitment reflects our dedication to improving patient safety and ensuring the best possible care for everyone who comes through our doors.”
Dr Helen Skinner (pictured right), Chief Medical Officer at UHMBT, said: “Supporting the Parkinson’s UK Pledge is an important step for our Trust. It aligns with our ongoing work to enhance medicine safety and patient experience. We know that getting medication on time can make a huge difference to recovery and quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s and we are determined to make this a priority.”
Jean Almond, Programme Manager for Time-Critical Medications at Parkinson’s UK, welcomed UHMBT’s commitment and said: “We are delighted that UHMBT has pledged its support. This is an important step in improving patient safety and reassuring people with Parkinson’s that their needs will be met promptly and effectively.”
The next stage for UHMBT will involve benchmarking its current practices against Parkinson’s UK’s 10 recommendations for hospitals, helping the Trust to celebrate successes and identify areas for improvement.
UHMBT’s pledge is shown on the interactive map on this web page.
More information about Parkinson’s is on this link.