Parkinson’s Disease: Health Professions
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of healthcare professionals with specialist training in Parkinson’s disease; and whether he considers current data collection sufficient to support workforce planning for Parkinson’s services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department does not collect centralised data on the number of clinicians with specific expertise in Parkinson’s disease. This is because decisions about the staffing, skill mix, and service models required to meet local population needs are made by individual National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards. These organisations are responsible for planning and commissioning services in their areas, and they determine the level of specialist expertise needed within their multidisciplinary teams. As a result, information on specialist Parkinson’s roles is held locally rather than recorded in national workforce datasets.
However, we do hold data for the wider specialties central to Parkinson’s care. As of October 2025, there were 2,004 full‑time equivalent doctors in neurology and 6,324 in geriatric medicine working in NHS trusts and other organisations in England. These specialties include clinicians who provide care to people with Parkinson’s.
We continue to work with NHS England through programmes such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and Getting It Right First Time to support improvements in access to specialist care. The Department has also established a United Kingdom‑wide Neuro Forum, which brings together the Government, the NHS, the devolved administrations, and neurological alliances across the four nations to share best practice and address system-wide challenges, including workforce needs for conditions such as Parkinson’s.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →