Parkinson's Advanced MasterClass work Project
Project
Aim
To rearrange the Parkinson’s disease (PD) service during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess the impact of changes on people with PD.
Service reorganisation
At the start of the pandemic, three members of staff were redeployed, leaving Amy and Ann to provide the core PD service to the 700-strong caseload:
- all home visits and clinic appointments were converted to phone or video
- care and nursing home outreach service was converted to phone
- patients were able to call in for crisis management
- all patients were triaged and prioritised for follow-up
- Amy and Ann extended their working days
Patient response
- The patients appreciated the support and understood the need to work differently
- Some frail, elderly patients became incredibly isolated
- The lockdown significantly impacted on patients’ mental health and appeared to compound pre-existing cognition issues
- The volume of calls into the service increased, but calls were not always appropriate
Service recovery
Since the full team were released from redeployment in May 2020:
- waiting lists have been cleared
- face-to-face consultations have resumed, though the service is also offering telephone and video appointments
- the team is reviewing its business continuity plan
- the team has submitted a business case to employ more nurses
More Parkinson's Academy COVID-19 Projects
'The things you can't get from the books'
Parkinson's Academy, our original and longest running Academy, houses 22 years of inspirational projects, resources, and evidence for improving outcomes for people with Parkinson's. Led by co-founder and educational director Dr Peter Fletcher, the Academy has a truly collegiate feel and prides itself on delivering 'the things you can't get from books' - a practical learning model which inspires all Neurology Academy courses.