PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Health Professions: Parkinson's Disease (15 July 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are sufficient (a) physiotherapists, (b) occupational therapists, (c) speech and language therapists, (d) neurologists and (e) other health care professionals to provide care to the projected increase of people being diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Asked by:
Karin Smyth (Labour)

Individual National Health Service employers are responsible for planning local staffing levels in line with service priorities, including providing care to people living with Parkinson’s disease. The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long term workforce plan, including supply and demand projections. The conclusions of this plan will be available in due course.

We are also increasing the supply of nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs), including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, by providing all eligible students with a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Further financial support is available for childcare, accommodation and travel costs. There are currently more than 30,000 students in training to become AHPs. We are also expanding the number of postgraduate neurology training posts in England by 10 from August 2022.

From March 2010 to March 2022, the number of full-time equivalent physiotherapists working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups has increased by 24.6%, with increases of 17.4% for occupational therapists, 19.1% for speech and language therapists, and 62.9% for doctors working in the speciality of neurology. The number of professionally qualified clinical staff has increased by 21.1% over the same period.

Answered by:
Maria Caulfield (Conservative)
25 July 2022