Objective: The overall aim of the project was to demonstrate that people with Parkinson’s disease benefit from good mental health care when mental health services are integrated within the Parkinson’s Multidisciplinary Team (MDT).
The overall aims were:
To address unmet need in mental health among people with Parkinson’s disease attending our clinic
To provide timely access to a psychiatrist when needed
To improve communication between physical and mental health services for people with Parkinson’s who also have mental health problems
To improve experience of care for people with Parkinson’s and a mental health problem
To understand the financial impact of integrating mental health services with the Parkinson’s MDT and evidence whether this approach is more cost effective.

Background: Non motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease significantly affect quality of life. Psychiatric symptoms are often under recognised and under managed. People with Parkinson’s disease do not readily access mental health services.

Method: Parkinson’s UK funded a fortnightly clinic of Consultant Psychiatrist input for 1 year. Patients with mental health issues in the context of their Parkinson’s disease were seen and information was kept about emerging recurrent themes. Feedback was collected from patients and carers and staff within the clinic regarding their opinion of the offered service.

Results: The project received excellent feedback from both patients and carers and from staff within the clinic who greatly valued this service. The benefits of integrating a mental health professional into the Parkinson’s clinic were clear in terms of improving patient care, improving education of staff and improving communication between the Parkinson’s service and mental health services.  Recurrent themes arose including under diagnosis and under treatment of Parkinson’s related dementia, management of complex psychosis and management of severe anxiety and gait disorder. This highlighted the need for clear treatment pathways within the service for these issues.

Conclusion: There are clear benefits of having a mental health professional embedded within the Parkinson’s service. This approach is cost effective, helps to improve patient care and helps to identify and manage unmet need in terms of psychiatric issues in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/mental-health-matters-too-integration-of-physical-and-mental-health-in-a-multidisciplinary-parkinsons-clinic/