PARKINSON'S AWARENESS WEEK

That this House supports Parkinson's Awareness Week, 8th to 14th April; recognises the impact Parkinson's has on 120,000 people in the UK alongside their families, friends and carers; congratulates the Parkinson's Disease Society on raising awareness of this degenerative, debilitating condition; extends its best wishes to Tom Isaacs, a 33 year old chartered surveyor with Parkinson's and his 'Coastin' fundraising project to walk around the British coastlines and then climb the highest point in each of the home countries; notes the serious difficulties often caused by the lack of awareness of the impact of Parkinson's, particularly with regard to its prevalence in younger people, the fluctuations in symptoms and also the importance of the timing of medication; applauds the Society's education programme to deliver the essential information and advice to a wide range of professionals, organisations and individuals; calls on the Government to give priority status to neurological and other long-term conditions and promote better understanding throughout the healthcare professions; and further calls on the Government to continue to address the variation in standards and access to services across the country through the prompt development and implementation of the National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions, in close consultation with people with Parkinson's and other specialists.