Increase funding for people with Parkinson’s and implement the "Parky Charter"
The Parliament petitions site records 113,439 signatures for this petition, which closed on 10 September 2025. The Government responded on 29 April 2025. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 17 November 2025.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Increase funding for people with Parkinson’s and implement the "Parky Charter"
We want the government to take the decisive five steps set out in the Movers and Shakers' "Parky Charter" and to fulfil the Health Secretary’s promises.
As a priority, we want to make sure that everyone referred for a possible Parkinson’s diagnosis sees a consultant within 18 weeks and at least once a year after that.
As set out in the Parky Charter, we want:
1. Speedy specialists
2. Instant information
3. Parkinson's passport
4. Comprehensive care
5. Quest for a cure
Parkinson’s is considered the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. We think it’s time for the government to respond to our grave concerns about what we consider systematic failings in Parkinson’s care.
The measures in the Parky Charter, which are supported by the three big Parkinson’s charities, require the government to deliver on their promises, ensuring timely diagnosis, comprehensive care, and dignity for all people with Parkinson’s.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 29 April 2025; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
The Government is committed to improving health outcomes for people with neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. Funding provision is subject to Spending Review decisions.
The opening 358 words of the 811-word response:
We acknowledge the challenges that neurology services have faced, particularly regarding workforce, delays to treatment and care, and a lack of information and support for patients. Nationally, there are initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for Parkinson’s patients, including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Neurology Programme. NHS England (NHSE) has established a Neurology Transformation Programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients.
We have set up a UK-wide Neuro Forum, to bring together key stakeholders from across all four nations, to share learning, best practice examples and potential solutions.
NHSE commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within specialised centres, multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment, according to their needs.
A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we train and provide the staff the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities. This summer, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan aiming to treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it, including in neurology.
In January, NHSE published a new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by 2029. We have achieved our pledge to deliver 2 million extra elective appointments. The additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology. We have made the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment – in line with the NHS constitutional standard – by March 2029.
NICE guidance recommends that people with Parkinson's should be seen at regular intervals of 6-12 months. While NICE guidance is not mandatory, we expect commissioners to take it fully into account when designing services for their local population.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Bexhill and Battle, with 8.0 signatures per 1,000 electors (576 in all).
112,138 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,301 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bexhill and Battle | 576 | 72,198 | 8.0 |
| Twickenham | 459 | 74,980 | 6.1 |
| Lewes | 457 | 76,166 | 6.0 |
| West Dorset | 447 | 75,998 | 5.9 |
| Hastings and Rye | 417 | 75,939 | 5.5 |
| Farnham and Bordon | 409 | 75,920 | 5.4 |
| East Worthing and Shoreham | 397 | 74,738 | 5.3 |
| Hornsey and Friern Barnet | 369 | 69,885 | 5.3 |
| Richmond Park | 389 | 74,988 | 5.2 |
| Worthing West | 393 | 77,039 | 5.1 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 21,847 |
| London | 13,200 |
| South West | 12,109 |
| East of England | 11,341 |
| North West | 11,052 |
| Scotland | 8,724 |
| West Midlands | 8,331 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 7,958 |
| East Midlands | 6,815 |
| Wales | 4,660 |
| North East | 3,847 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,437 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 17 November 2025. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/713714.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
619970e6d8ebcd8a… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.