AFTER a decade of campaigning, the appointment of a specialist Parkinson s Disease Trust Nurse has been agreed in principle. The news was broken to the March monthly meeting of the West Herts Parkinson s Disease Society by Heather Moulder, director of nur

AFTER a decade of campaigning, the appointment of a specialist Parkinson's Disease Trust Nurse has been agreed in principle.

The news was broken to the March monthly meeting of the West Herts Parkinson's Disease Society by Heather Moulder, director of nursing at the West Herts Primary Care Trust (PCT), and was greeted by spontaneous applause from the 100 members.

It follows years of campaigning by the society which had got close to reaching an agreement with the former St Albans and Harpenden PCT before it became defunct.

The specialist nurse will be available to help the newly-diagnosed overcome the trauma of having the condition as well as monitor patients and make adjustments in medication.

He or she will also provide expert knowledge where patients are seriously disabled by the disease, assist patients to stay in their home and keep hospital staff informed about the condition and special needs of Parkinson's Disease sufferers.

Alan Naylor, vice chairman of the society, said: "This is a great day for those with Parkinson's. Parkinson's sufferers will benefit enormously from this new development. We thank the trust for listening to us and responding to our requests."

A contract still has to be finalised between the PCT and the society which will be funding the appointment for the first two years after which the PCT will take over.

A spokesperson for the PCT confirmed that agreement to the appointment of a specialist nurse had been reached in principle and they were working with the society and the local practice-based commissioning group to ensure that proper processes were completed before starting recruitment.