National Charity Honours Campaigners for Commitment to Volunteering
A group of healthcare campaigners from across the UK have been recognised by national charity, Parkinson’s UK. The annual volunteering awards celebrates their commitment to championing people living with the condition.
The Healthcare Professionals with Parkinson’s Campaign volunteers are doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who all have Parkinson’s. They lent their time, energy and experience to push for change within the NHS and reach impacted communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In April, to coincide with World Parkinson’s Day, the group played a key part in bringing Parkinson’s UK’s Get It On Time campaign to life and took it to their workplaces. They were all determined to inspire their colleagues to improve healthcare information and services for people with Parkinson’s. For people just like them.
The campaign spanned social media and emails, as campaigners shared a video with CEOs of all the acute hospital trusts in England and the CEOs of health bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The video highlighted how critical it was for people with Parkinson’s to get their medication on time, and asked for a pledge of support.
Grace Ogden, Campaigns Engagement Lead at Parkinson’s UK, said:
“The Healthcare Professionals with Parkinson’s Campaign volunteers have a real pioneering spirit. We are so grateful for their passion and enthusiasm and the doors they have opened. Each of the group’s volunteers were proactive in seizing the pledges of support. They offered resources, introduced the health bodies to Parkinson’s UK and set up meetings. It was a concerted effort to find contacts and collect local data. And it worked. 50% of acute hospital trusts and boards signed up to the campaign pledge and the group have made vital inroads in new areas.
“The campaign has really got hospitals focused on improving Parkinson’s care. For example, thanks to volunteer Tincy, the hospital where she works has chosen Get It On Time as one of its quality improvement projects. Hospitals are now agreeing to share good practice, reaching out to people with Parkinson’s and healthcare professionals to see how they can help. Crucially, they’re changing things for the better.”
Group member Dr Jonny Acheson was one of the key drivers behind the campaign.
“It is only when you are diagnosed yourself and you feel the impact of a delayed or missed dose,” he said. “That’s when you realise the importance of people in hospital with Parkinson’s getting their medication when they need it. I firmly believe that NHS bodies across the UK can solve this issue by taking a whole-hospital approach in educating staff that these medications are time critical, and should be given at the very latest 30 minutes from when they are due.
“We are in the unique position to advocate for those people who can’t advocate for themselves. This is our driving force, our motivation, a simple change in practice to give them a chance to get the care they need and get them back home where they belong. Every effort must be made to keep someone with Parkinson’s at their baseline; it is critical to their quality of life.
“We were thrilled when all the Chief Nursing Officers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all pledged their support. All five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland pledged, becoming the first nation to do so. A real highlight was watching the BBC1 programme ‘Nurses’ to see a newly qualified nurse’s alarm remind her that her Parkinson’s patients needed their time-critical medication at that precise moment.
“This award is special to our group because this campaign is making a real difference and we feel that Parkinson’s is well and truly on the national agenda.”
Jonny’s achievements in volunteering led him to securing a role with the Parkinson’s Excellence Network in September. They help health and social care professionals provide better support for people with Parkinson’s every day.
Emma Cooper, Interim Director of Community and Participation at Parkinson’s UK, said:
“Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do across all areas of the charity’s work. We had almost 100 nominations this year, which shows how creative, driven and vital volunteers are to the Parkinson’s community. I’d like to thank all the Healthcare Professionals with Parkinson’s Campaign Volunteers for everything they do, in their own time, to support people affected by Parkinson’s.”
Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world and an estimated 145,000 people are currently living with the condition in the UK. With more than 40 potential symptoms, everyone’s experience of Parkinson’s is different. These symptoms, such as lack of sleep, anxiety and stiffness can be hugely debilitating and impact everyday tasks. As yet, there is no cure. But we are getting closer to a major breakthrough in research to deliver better treatments, and volunteers are helping to bring this day forward.
