The Royal College of Nursing and other leading health organizations have joined forces with the Parkinson's Disease Society, calling for better access to specialist nurses for people with long-term conditions such as Parkinson's.

A spokesperson from the charity said, “As a result of the NHS deficit crisis in 2006, many specialist roles in nursing were lost, frozen or downgraded”, adding that “support for such roles from the PDS meant the need for the service was underlined and very few Parkinson's nurses were affected”.

“We can deliver savings by enabling patients to be treated at home rather than in hospital and help people manage their condition with less support from their GP”, says RCN.

Specialist nurses caring for people with Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy could deliver savings of £220m a year, calculates Royal College of Nursing.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive and General Secretary, says, “Specialist nurses are a unique lifeline for patients and families, who are unequivocal in saying that the specialist nurse is the key factor in preserving their quality of life”.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently announced plans to provide dedicated one-to-one care by specialist nurses for everyone with cancer.

Specialist nurses focus on particular conditions like as cancer, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.