Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 31 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether all NHS boards have assessed the needs of patients with advanced or complex Parkinson’s disease in their area and ensured that services have been designed to meet patients’ needs.
While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, it is NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally who have responsibility for both service delivery and ensuring people receive the right care for them, taking into account relevant guidance, local service needs and priorities for investment.
It is therefore for NHS Boards to determine what clinical interventions they offer, while giving regard to the considerations above.
The majority of Scottish health boards participated in the 2022 UK Parkinson’s Audit which measures the quality of Parkinson’s services against international best practice. This includes Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) data from people who use Parkinson’s services.
The 2022 Audit showed Scotland outperforming the UK in terms of future care planning, and access to essential professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.