A SPECIALIST Parkinson’s nurse from Cornwall was among 20 experts invited to a prestigious celebration marking three decades of dedicated Parkinson’s nursing in the UK.

Lynne Osborne, who works as a Consultant Nurse for the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, attended the event at St James’s Palace, hosted by the Duchess of Gloucester, to honour vital role specialist nurses have played in supporting people living with Parkinson’s.

“People with Parkinson’s were often overlooked in hospital. They were either there unnecessarily or not followed up,” said Lynne. “For example, some patients were having issues with constipation and not treated. Constipation stops Parkinson's medication from absorbing, meaning symptoms are not managed.”

Rosemary McGuire from Cornwall became the first specialist Parkinson’s nurse in the UK in 1989. She earned her role after consultants here identified a need. In 2000, Cornwall also became the first county in the UK to have a specialist Parkinson’s consultant nurse.

There are now more than 500 Parkinson’s nurse specialists in the UK. They all still follow the same framework developed in Cornwall.

Lynne adds: “The Duchess was keen to hear about how many people in the UK are living with Parkinson’s and she also asked questions about what the nurse specialist role involves.

Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. At the moment, there is no cure. Around 1,600 people in Cornwall and 153,000 in the country are living with the condition. Every hour, two more people in the UK will receive a diagnosis. That works out to 18,000 a year.

Lynne continued: “It was an honour to be at the event and to be part of the celebrations. The service first started in Cornwall and it has come a long way since then.

“Parkinson’s UK provide a bursary for aspiring specialist nurses. It is named after our first specialist nurse, Rosemary McGuire. Areas across the country have modelled their teams on Cornwall. This makes me immensely proud.”