Hello Mervelee,
As we enter the festive period after a very busy year, we want to say a massive thank you for being part of the Campaigns Network.
Because nearly 8,000 of you took action this year, we’ve been able to put Parkinson’s on the agenda.
Here is a snapshot of what we achieved together in 2023.
Growing the Parkinson’s workforce
We launched our Can’t Wait campaign last year, to highlight how people living with Parkinson’s are not able to access the right healthcare. In March, you emailed the Health Secretary to encourage him to consult with people with Parkinson’s about the NHS workforce strategy.
These campaigners in Birmingham shared how important having the right health workforce is to keep them well. While we were pleased the government published the NHS Long Term workforce plan and that we were mentioned as a contributor, we still feel people can’t wait any longer for their care.
Thanks to our local campaigning, we also saw successes in improving health and care services:
- securing two additional Parkinson’s specialist staff in Leicester
- a new specialist nurse for the north Powys area; and
- the launch of a new specialist Physiotherapy programme in Hertfordshire for people with Parkinson’s.
Relaunching Get It On Time
In September we relaunched our Get It On Time campaign which calls on the government to ensure people with Parkinson’s in hospital get their medication on time, every time.
Hundreds of you wrote to the Minister responsible for Patient Safety in England, and over 60 of you wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Health in Scotland to call for action.
And following fantastic work by local campaigners - Barnsley and District Branch for instance, many Trusts have pledged to work with us to improve the timely administration of medicines in hospital.
Addressing the cost of living crisis
It has been a tough year, with the price of energy, food and transport rising. You've helped us continue the fight for better financial support for people with Parkinson’s.
Back in May, many of you wrote to your MP about our Nowhere Near Enough report and called for more financial support.
In September, you shared your experiences of how the cost of living is impacting you in our survey, along with over 3,000 people.
Putting Parkinson’s on the political agenda
You’ve helped us raise awareness of Parkinson’s with decision makers from across the political spectrum too:
- In March, to mark World Parkinson’s Day, we hosted a briefing for MPs to learn what they could do to help to grow and educate the health and care workforce about Parkinson’s.
- In July, we hosted a joint APPG meeting to highlight the challenges people face when applying for Personal Independence Payments. Campaigner Phil shared his experience of navigating the complicated system and argued for urgent reform.
- For Carers Rights Day in Northern Ireland, carer Elaine shared her experiences at an event in Stormont.
- In October we headed to the Labour and Conservative party conferences with volunteers Ann, Andrew, Tim, Caroline and Clive. We met over a dozen MPs to explore how they can support our work.
- We also hosted a briefing in parliament for MPs about our Every Minute Counts report.
- And last month, we handed in our open letter, signed by almost 1000 campaigners, calling for the government to fund training in Parkinson’s-related dementia for health professionals in England.
Working locally
Blue Badges have been an important issue this year. Across England, we successfully lobbied Lancashire and Norfolk Councils to improve their policies and systems to make it easier for people with Parkinson's to renew them.
And in Scotland, Edinburgh campaigners met with Transport Scotland and the City Council to explore how they can address problems that people with Parkinson's have accessing and renewing their Blue Badges.
Thank you and making our voices heard in an election year
With a general election looming it’s more important than ever that the voice of the Parkinson’s community is heard by decision makers. You can help us by becoming a campaign volunteer.
We look forward to working with you to put Parkinson’s on the political agenda in 2024.
In the meantime, the Policy and Campaigns teams wish you a relaxing break, and thank you for your continued support!
Georgina, Gini, Grace, Jack, Kim, Laura C, Laura M, Rachel, Sabah, Sam, Sarah, Tanith and Sue
