Research News

A home-based care project which empowers people with Parkinson’s through self-care pathways has won the award for Digital Innovation in Health and Social Care at the Bright Ideas in Health Awards 2024.

Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest growing neurological condition, and the Home Based Care project supports people through user-friendly technology, such as wrist-worn sensors, and traditional care including guidance on recognising and managing symptoms and support from dedicated healthcare practitioners.

Since its launch in 2019, over 280 patients across Plymouth, West Devon, and East Cornwall have been supported through the pathway, and it has been found to have benefits for both the patients and their care teams.

The Home Based Care project represents a successful collaboration between University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP), University of Plymouth and Newcastle University, feeding into the Digital Health, Ageing Innovation and Inclusion theme of the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) to develop novel technology interventions. The project is led by Camille Carroll, Honorary Consultant Neurologist at UHP, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Plymouth and Newcastle University, member of the BRC leadership track, and Joint Clinical Director of the Parkinson’s Excellence Network.

The project received funding from the NHS Digital Health Partnership Award and is delivered at UHP by Senior Parkinson’s Nurse Nicky Stapleton and the Neurology team, as well as David Brown who is the Steering Group Chair. Also working on the project are University of Plymouth PhD student Katie Bounsall, Paras Patel, Project Manager at Newcastle Health Innovation Partners, and Precious Onyeachu, Post-Doctoral Fellow at Newcastle University.

Speaking about the award, project lead Camille said: “I am delighted that our innovation project, based within University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust’s Parkinson’s service, has received this prestigious award. This recognises our patient-centred focus and the potential impact that this forward-thinking approach to care provision will have on the lives of the many thousands of people living with Parkinson’s across the UK.”

UHP’s Nicky Stapleton attended the event and received the award on behalf of the project alongside Katie and Precious. Speaking about the impact of the project, Nicky said: “I was delighted that Home Based Care was recognised with this prestigious award.

“The project, which started in Plymouth, aligns closely with the vision for the NHS in terms of digital tools, taking care closer to home and reducing outpatient appointments. The service, created in close collaboration with patients, enables people with Parkinson’s to self-manage their condition, with timely input as they need it, and is valued enormously by the patients who use it .”

This award builds on the previous success of the service, which was also highly commended in the BMJ Award’s Digital Innovation Team of the Year category in 2021.

The next step for the Home Based Care project team is to continue to build its digital system, called SMaRT-PD (Self-Management, Remote monitoring and Timely review for Parkinson’s Disease), which will be evaluated across different Parkinson’s services.

The hope is that this will enable the team to understand whether adjustments need to be made to the service, or whether SMaRT-PD provides an effective way to deliver Parkinson’s care within the NHS, supporting its implementation into Parkinson’s services across the UK.

 

Research at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust has a well-established reputation for high quality research and our Research and Development team has been supporting research for more than 25 years. 

Patient participation in research studies is a vital part of healthcare development. It can help to provide new treatments, diagnostic aids or services which could later be adopted across the NHS to improve patient care.

Our vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of our local population by conducting high quality research, which is relevant to the needs of our communities, by embedding research as part of our core business. The Trust is well respected for its capacity to offer the widest variety of research studies in the Peninsula and continues to provide research in all clinical areas.

To find out more about research opportunities at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust either as a researcher or participant, ask your health care professional or  contact the Research and Development team .

If you are interested in taking part in research at UHP, you can find the studies we are currently running on the  Be Part of Research website .

 

About Newcastle University   

Newcastle University,  UK, is a thriving international community of more than 28,000 students from over 130 countries worldwide.  

As a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the UK, Newcastle has a world-class reputation for research excellence in the fields of medicine, science and engineering, social sciences and the humanities.  

Its academics are sharply focused on responding to the major challenges facing society today. Research and teaching are world-leading in areas as diverse as health, culture, technology and the environment.  

Newcastle is committed to providing students with excellent, research-led teaching delivered by dedicated and passionate teachers.   

Newcastle University is ranked 129th in the QS World Ranking 2025 and joint 168th in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2024. 

Newcastle University is Top 100 in the world for sustainable development in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024. 

 

About University of Plymouth

The  University of Plymouth  is renowned worldwide for its high-quality research, teaching and innovation. With a mission to Advance Knowledge and Transform Lives, the University drives the global debate in disciplines from marine and maritime to medicine, law, computing and climate action.

With a city centre campus and further state-of-the-art facilities spread across Plymouth and beyond, plus Devon and Cornwall’s stunning coast and countryside on the doorstep, the University provides a unique blend of urban and outdoor lifestyle opportunities for everyone who studies and works here. A three-time winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education – most recently in respect of its pioneering research on microplastics pollution in the ocean – Plymouth consistently ranks among the world’s leading universities for its innovation, research and teaching in relation to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Plymouth’s teaching and learning excellence is reflected in one of the highest numbers of National Teaching Fellows of any UK university. With over 18,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, plus a further 7,000 studying at partner institutions in the UK and around the world, and over 190,000 alumni pursuing their chosen careers internationally, the University of Plymouth has a growing global presence.

 

The NIHR Newcastle BRC

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) brings together world-leading researchers and clinicians to turn new scientific breakthroughs into treatments for patients.

It’s eight research themes offer significant impact to drive forward health improvements in ageing and multiple long-term conditions.

The Digital Health, Ageing Innovation and Inclusion Theme aims to support the wellbeing and function of patients, carers and the public through novel insights from three research programmes: Digital Biomarker Discovery Programme, Digital Health Interventions Programme and Digital Health Inclusion Programme.