Pilot Parkinson's exercise programme delivers promising results across Notts

Nottingamhamshire health chiefs say a 10-week pilot programme designed to support people living with Parkinson's disease is delivering results for patients across the county.

Patients taking part in the exercise cheme have reported improvements in confidence, mobility, independence and quality of life, alongside a significant reduction in falls.

The classes were established to explore how targeted group physiotherapy sessions could help people better manage the symptoms of Parkinson's while remaining safe, active and independent.

Hasan Al-Agele, Community Physiotherapist, at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said: "The results so far have been extremely encouraging. We've seen improvements not only in balance, mobility and coordination, but also in confidence, independence and overall quality of life. Most importantly, we've seen a significant reduction in falls, which was one of the key objectives of the pilot.

"As we come to the end of the programme, we will be reviewing the full outcomes and exploring opportunities to establish these classes on a longer-term basis, expand them into other areas of Nottinghamshire and potentially offer similar programmes for people living with other neurological conditions."

The scheme sees patients participate in weekly two-hour sessions focus on improving flexibility, strength, balance and coordination, all areas commonly affected by Parkinson's disease and key factors in reducing the risk of falls.

As a pilot initiative, the programme is also helping clinicians understand how the classes can be developed further, what approaches work best for patients and how the service could potentially be expanded in the future.

The pilot programme was made possible after being successfully selected through the Trust's Innovation Pitch, a Dragon's Den-style initiative that gives colleagues the opportunity to put forward innovative ideas and secure funding and support to bring them to life.