Mr. Pat O'Rourke:

I want to add a supplementary comment from an awareness point of view. We really appreciate this opportunity to put forward the needs of people with Parkinson's. I wish to highlight how dependent patients are on medication and it has become quite clear that medication is essential.

A number of patients have informed us that when they go into hospitals for a routine procedure, such as to repair a broken ankle or whatever, hospital policy is to withdraw all medication, which leads to horrendous consequences. The medication regime for people with Parkinson's needs to be understood by hospitals when they treat patients for other ailments. We have launched a campaign called "Meds on Time - Every Time" and we want the policy applied to nursing homes and general hospitals. We have heard about a very disturbing case where a person went into hospital with a broken ankle but was taken off medication. Clearly, there was no understanding of the importance of the medication because the patient fell out of bed and dislocated a shoulder. This issue is about awareness, and incidents like the one I have outlined should not happen. The Parkinson's associations of Northern Ireland, here and the UK are highlighting the issue.

I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to present and to increase awareness among the Members, as legislators, about what we believe would enhance quality of life for people diagnosed with Parkinson's.