Parkinson`s Nurse Specialists
Dedicated to helping those with Parkinson`s

We have three Parkinson`s Nurse Specialists (PNS) who operate in Fife and are based at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline and the Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy

Lead Nurse Specialist — Gillian Aldrich
Queen Margaret

•PNS —Abby Whiting
•PNS — Nicola Mercer
Victoria Hospital

They work days only and can be contacted on tel. 01592 643355 ext. 28834

The Nurses advise that when you leave a message on their answerphone they will aim to call you back in the next two working days. Please make sure that you leave your full name and telephone number so that they can contact you more easily.

If you feel that your calls are medically urgent then either seek the advice from your GP or call NHS 24 on 111. The PNS Team are not available out of hours.

Should you require non-medical advice relating to dealing with Parkinson`s please phone the Parkinson`s UK helpline and speak to an advisor. 0808 800 0303

Clinic Appointments

IN PERSON APPOINTMENTS WITH YOUR PARKINSON’S NURSE IN CLINIC HAVE RESUMED

You will receive a letter before your next clinic appointment. Covid regulations still apply and Government Guidelines must be followed.

The Role of the Parkinson’s Nurse

Parkinson’s nurses are an essential element of care for people with Parkinson’s and their families.

For more than 20 years, Parkinson’s nurses have been at the heart of delivering improved services and cost savings. They have brought care closer to home, enabled joined-up provision and empowered people with Parkinson’s and their families to live with their condition.

Parkinson’s nurses work with consultants who specialise in Parkinson’s. These consultants are based in the care of the elderly, and neurology services.

The Parkinson’s nurse is a specialist practitioner with expert knowledge of Parkinson’s symptoms and treatment. Their experience of Parkinson’s is essential to providing person-centred care, enabling them to identify and respond quickly to changing symptoms. This reduces risks to individuals and families, and helps to prevent emergency admissions.

People with Parkinson’s and their families value their Parkinson’s nurse because she or he understands the condition. Parkinson’s nurses appreciate the complex – often hidden – ways that Parkinson’s affects people. This in-depth knowledge is key to the support that a Parkinson’s nurse is able to provide.

A Parkinson’s nurse also has the following essential skills:

• clinical leadership
• case management
• education
• evaluation of care

In their working lives, most general healthcare professionals only come across a small number of people with Parkinson’s.

A typical Scottish GP will see a new case of Parkinson’s less than once every three years.

Parkinson’s nurses play an important role in educating their colleagues about the condition and how it affects people, as well as reducing risks to people with the condition.

Parkinson’s nurses can provide education and training across Scotland, including programmes for GPs, ward staff, social care and care home workers, and nursing students.

The Parkinson’s nurse can provide education to people with Parkinson’s, their families and carers. This approach enables people to understand their condition and treatment. It facilitates shared decision-making and self-management. They are ideally placed to advise patients, both old and newly diagnosed about their local Parkinson’s groups and what they have to offer.

No one has to live with Parkinsons alone. Join our group and meet others like yourself, get support and make new friends.

Get in touch with us now