The number of Irish people with Parkinson's disease is expected to double over the next two decades, however Ireland is already ‘miles behind' in services and supports for patients and is at risk of becoming a ‘backwater nation' in terms of disease treatment , a consultant has warned.

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological disease, the symptoms of which include tremors, stiffness and slow movement. An estimated six to seven thousand people in Ireland are affected and there is no cure.

According to Dr Sean O'Sullivan, a consultant neurologist at Cork University Hospital, Ireland's inadequate response to this fast growing disease is putting patients at risk and is placing major pressure on an already over-stretched service.

"Due to our ageing population, the number of people with Parkinson's in Ireland is expected to double over the next 20 years. The problem is that even now we are miles behind best practise in terms of patient supports and services, let alone ready for the dramatic increase that is coming down the road very quickly," he commented.

Dr O'Sullivan explained that as there is no cure for Parkinson's, treatment focuses on controlling the symptoms of the condition. However, Ireland is ‘in danger of becoming a backwater nation when it comes to this'.

"We have nowhere near the number of neurologists required. The US standard, for example, is to have one neurologist for every 25,000 people, with many European countries having a similar ratio. Despite recent improvements in Ireland, we are still closer to one neurologist for every 125,000 people. That means we simply cannot even get near giving patients the level of attention we would want to or they would deserve," he said.

He noted that the ‘primary need' of Parkinson's services right now is for the employment of more Parkinson's disease nurse specialists, but again, Ireland is ‘way behind international best practice'.

"In the UK, they are working towards having a nurse specialist for every 500 people with the disease. Here, at best at the moment, our ratio is one nurse specialist to 1,600 patients. We have five Parkinson's disease nurse specialists in Ireland and there are five in Northern Ireland alone, which has less than half of our population," Dr O'Sullivan explained.

He pointed out that Cork is a ‘prime example' of how the service is failing patients. There are an estimated 1,000 people in Cork with Parkinson's, but it has no nurse specialist.

"The nearest nurse specialist to Cork is in Limerick and then you have to go to either Dublin or Galway, which is a haul that many Parkinson's patients simply cannot undertake. So unfortunately they have to do without," he said.

He explained that the symptoms and treatment of Parkinson's become more complex as the condition progresses.

"People often require very complex oral drug regimens, or even the use of infusion pumps or neurosurgical procedures in some cases. It therefore becomes increasingly difficult for the person's GP to manage without the specialist knowledge that a Parkinson's nurse specialist would have," he said.

He insisted that regular specialist contact is ‘vital' in ensuring patients maintain a good quality of life in the community.

"But too often this is not available because of waiting lists to see their neurologist or care of the elderly consultants."

According to Keith Adams, CEO of the Parkinson's Association of Ireland (PAI), if these shortcomings are not addressed within the next five years, ‘we are going to be at crisis point'.

"We unfortunately find ourselves in a position where the funding simply isn't available from the HSE or government for what we need. It's a bad place to be in but we are where we are. We have to go out and raise the money ourselves.

"It's not easy in the current climate and if it wasn't for the trojan work our volunteer branches do in raising funds to support local services, as well as the support we get at a national level from both the public and pharmaceutical companies, we would not even be able to provide our current range of services," he explained.

He said that the PAI, along with consultants and those with Parkinson's, ‘are leading the charge', but even at that are ‘only scraping the surface'.

"In terms of nurse specialists, our short-term goal is to double the number we currently have, but in real terms we need to triple the current number and within 20 years, double that again to cater for the large increase in people being diagnosed with the disease," Mr Adams said.

He noted that currently, there is no nurse specialist for the north west, the midlands, the south east and Kerry. Meanwhile Dublin requires another one.

"That alone is going to cost a minimum of €350,000 per annum so for an organisation like us that's a huge amount. The scary thing is that the need is so much more than just for nurse specialists. We need to continue to develop the range of supports and services at a local level so that people with Parkinson's, no matter where they are in the country, can access these," he added.

For more information on Parkinson's, including how to raise funds, click here or call the PAI helpline at 1800 359 359.