Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 July 2026. It was answered by Karin Smyth (Labour) on Thursday, 9 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Parkinson's Disease: Nurses

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department have made of the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses currently in post.

Answer

The Department does not hold a central estimate of the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses employed in the National Health Service in England. Specialist Parkinson’s nurse posts are not recorded as a separate workforce category within national NHS workforce datasets, and decisions about the number and deployment of specialist nurses are made locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards to meet the needs of their populations. National workforce datasets therefore do not allow the Department to identify the number of nurses specialising in Parkinson’s disease.

The Government recognises the important role that specialist Parkinson’s nurses play in supporting people with Parkinson’s disease through personalised care, medicines management, and self-management support. NHS England's service specification for specialised adult neurology services and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance support access to healthcare professionals with expertise in Parkinson’s disease.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
14675
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Nurses Parkinson's disease
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk