Health Professionals who can help the management of Parkinson's
General Practitioner
If you think you have Parkinson's, the first person you should see is your GP.
Your GP should refer you to a Parkinson's specialist doctor for diagnosis. The GP can also refer you to a range of other healthcare professionals, such as psychologists and physiotherapists.
General practitioners play a key role in the ongoing management and care of people with Parkinson’s
Consultant Physician with special interest in stroke and movement disorders
Dr Thomas is a Geriatrician and General physician with interest in stroke and movement disorders. Patients are referred to Dr Thomas by GPs or other specialists.
Dr Thomas does both acute general medical care of in-patients in the hospital and holds out-patient clinics at Nobles and Ramsey. New patients referred with suspected Parkinson’s disease are seen by him or his team members within 6 weeks of referral in one of these clinics. Once the diagnosis is confirmed and patients are stabilised on treatment, they are transferred to the designated Parkinson’s clinic to be followed up on a regular basis by himself or his registrar along with the Parkinson’s nurse specialist. The clinic is held at Nobles on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Thursday afternoon of each month in DATU (near Newlands).
Patients may be referred to a neurologist for a second opinion or further specialist support by the Nobles doctors. This may be either through visiting neurologists or by travelling to Walton centre, Liverpool.
GP’s and other team members are able to give you advice or escalate concerns to the hospital specialist.
Parkinson’s Nurse Specialist
Tel: +44 1624 642676 (answerphone available)
Email: susan.lawley@gov.im
The Parkinson's Nurse Specialist provides specialist nursing to people with Parkinson's disease. Patients are seen in both hospital and community settings according to their individual requirements. The service provides information, education and support to both clients and carers at any stage of their illness, and works to ensure that they receive not only optimum care but also improved quality of life. Individual medication regimes can be adjusted by the Parkinson's Nurse Specialist.
Parkinson’s Specialist Occupational Therapist
Community Adult Therapies Service
Tel: +44 1624 642511
An Occupational Therapist can help you carry on with a wide range of day-to-day tasks, so you can maintain your health and independence. They can provide help and training on new ways to carry out daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating working and learning. They can also offer advice on adapting your home or workplace to meet your needs, assessing and recommending equipment and special devices to help. They can promote your sense of wellbeing by helping you find ways to continue with hobbies and interests and provide strategies and advice on managing fatigue, anxiety and sleep problems.
Parkinson’s Specialist Physiotherapist
Neuro Outpatients
Tel: +44 1624 642158
A specialist neurological physiotherapist usually assesses and treats people in the outpatient department at Community Health Centre, Westmoreland Road. However if required the assessment can be carried out in the patient’s home. The aim is to enable people with a long term neurological condition to carry out activities of daily living that are important to them, as safely and as independently as possible.
The neurological Physiotherapists will help you to identify difficulties in your everyday life and try to find practical ways in which you can become more independent in these activities. This can be through the process of rehabilitation, provision of treatment strategies, or by advising on appropriate care.
We also support carers who are looking after adults with a physical disability or illness.
You can only be referred to this service by a GP, a neurologist, specialist nurse or other healthcare professional who knows you. Once known to this team you can refer yourself to the service by telephone.
Speech and Language Therapist
Speech and Language Therapy Department, Nobles Hospital Tel: +44 1624 650128
The speech and language therapist can assess and support people who present with swallowing and communication difficulties due to Parkinson's.
Communication:
Parkinson's can affect different aspects of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and it can vary from person to person. On the Island we offer both group and individual therapy to support people with Parkinson's to improve their communication skills. The group is a 6 week block and can be a good time to practise skills with other people and to meet others with similar difficulties.
Swallowing (dysphagia):
Parkinson's can also affect how a person might chew and/or swallow and can sometimes lead to food or liquid 'going down the wrong way'. It is important to be aware of the signs of swallowing difficulties, such as coughing when drinking. The Speech and Language Therapist can then assess your swallow and give you advice. We may need to modify your diet or drinks to make it safer for you to swallow.
A referral to Speech and Language Therapy for either of the above reasons can be through your GP or the Parkinson's Specialist Nurse or other health professional.
Social Worker
Adult Social Care (Adult Services Access Team)
Tel: +44 1624 686179
The Adult Social Care teams play a central role in protecting and safeguarding the Island’s vulnerable adults. The responsibilities of our teams are broad and include providing support, help and advice to adults with physical or learning disabilities and to other vulnerable adults and older people through a combination of social work support, guidance and signposting.
Community Pharmacist
Medication routines prescribed for Parkinson’s can vary between individuals in the types of preparation, the dosages given and the time at which they are taken. Your community pharmacist can help you get the most out of your medication.
