Parkinson’s Service

Welcome to University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Parkinson service.

This website provides information for people with Parkinson’s, their carers and their health professionals. We hope that you find it useful but please do let us know if there is anything else you would like information about.

What is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition it is caused by loss of nerve cells in the brain and other parts of the nervous system. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s are slowness of movement and stiffness. Some people also experience tremor (or shaking) and balance problems. Parkinson’s can also cause symptoms that are not related to movement (non-motor symptoms) such as constipation, sleep disturbance, difficulty controlling the bladder and problems with thinking and memory.  

The number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's in the UK is about 145,000. But we know that more than 1 million people in the UK are affected, either by living with Parkinson’s, or as a friend, colleague, or family member of someone who is.

Who are we and where can we be found?

The Plymouth Parkinson’s Care team comprises doctors, nurses, assistant practitioner, administrators and data team, all with specialist training in Parkinson’s who work closely together.  We also have very close links with Parkinson’s UK local Advisers.  The regional team helps look after 1,000 people with Parkinsonian conditions living in Plymouth, West Devon and East Cornwall. Specialist Parkinson’s clinics (nurse/consultant led) are held in the areas shown on the map below:

Last updated: Jan 22