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Posted on 20 Oct 2026

This week is Community Services Week (19 to 23 October) and a fantastic opportunity to highlight a pioneering 10-week pilot programme designed to support people living with Parkinson's disease. The programme has delivered encouraging early results, with patients reporting improvements in confidence, mobility, independence and quality of life, alongside a significant reduction in falls.

The week highlights the vital role of our community teams who provide specialist care and treatment for people and their families in their own homes and local communities, helping them to remain independent. 

The pilot Parkinson's exercise classes, delivered by the Community Therapy team at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, at Park House Health and Social Care Centre in Carlton, were established to explore how targeted group physiotherapy sessions could help people better manage the symptoms of Parkinson's while remaining safe, active and independent.

Weekly two-hour sessions focus on improving flexibility, strength, balance and coordination, all areas commonly affected by Parkinson's disease and key factors in reducing the risk of falls.

As a pilot initiative, the programme is also helping clinicians understand how the classes can be developed further, what approaches work best for patients and how the service could potentially be expanded in the future.

The pilot programme was made possible after being successfully selected through the Trust's Innovation Pitch, a Dragon's Den-style initiative that gives colleagues the opportunity to put forward innovative ideas and secure funding and support to bring them to life.

Funding from the programme secured a trained therapist to develop and deliver the exercise classes, enabling the pilot to be tested and evaluated.

Early evaluation of the pilot has shown highly positive outcomes, including:

• An 87.5% reduction in reported falls, falling from 24 incidents in 2025 to just three in 2026.
• Meaningful balance improvements in 100% of participants.
• Improved quality of life reported across all participants.
• Faster walking speeds and improved mobility in 80% of participants.
• Greater independence with everyday activities for four out of five participants.
• Improved coordination and ability to manage physical and cognitive tasks simultaneously.

Hasan Al-Agele, Community Physiotherapist, at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said:

"The results so far have been extremely encouraging. We've seen improvements not only in balance, mobility and coordination, but also in confidence, independence and overall quality of life. Most importantly, we've seen a significant reduction in falls, which was one of the key objectives of the pilot.

"As we come to the end of the programme, we will be reviewing the full outcomes and exploring opportunities to establish these classes on a longer-term basis, expand them into other areas of Nottinghamshire and potentially offer similar programmes for people living with other neurological conditions."

Gellian, Assistant Practitioner at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, added:

"It's been wonderful to see the progress patients have made. Patients have embraced the exercises, and the feedback has been incredibly positive.

"Patients are telling us they feel more confident, more independent and able to do things they hadn't been able to do for some time. Seeing those improvements has been very rewarding."

Pilot providing real-life benefits

Throughout the 10 weeks, patients reported a range of practical improvements, including:

• Walking more confidently in busy public places.
• Returning to gardening independently.
• Improved speech and communication.
• Completing personal care activities, such as putting on socks, without assistance for the first time in years.

The group also recorded just one fall during the 10-week programme, which was linked to environmental factors and addressed through further assessment and support.

Case study: “I feel 100% better”

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Frances found that tremors were affecting daily life and confidence. Keen to learn more about managing the condition, they joined the Community Therapy Team's pilot exercise programme.

"Halfway through the programme, I realised the classes were making a real difference. I feel 100% better, and the improvement in my walking and physical confidence has been remarkable."

The benefits extended beyond physical health, with Frances reporting improved mood, wellbeing and confidence.

"Before the classes, my tremors often made me avoid engaging with people. Now I feel much more confident talking in social situations and taking part in conversations. I've also enjoyed meeting others living with Parkinson's and sharing experiences."

"I always leave feeling on a high and look forward to the next class. I would encourage anyone newly diagnosed with Parkinson's to find an exercise programme like this, as it can make a real difference."

Becky Sutton, Chief Operating Officer, said:

"The outcomes from this pilot have been extremely encouraging and demonstrate the difference that early intervention, specialist support and evidence-based exercise can make for people living with Parkinson's.

"We've seen improvements in mobility, confidence and independence, alongside a reduction in falls, helping people stay well and reducing the need for unnecessary hospital admissions. We are incredibly proud of the Community Therapy team for delivering this innovative pilot and look forward to exploring how its success could help shape future services across Nottinghamshire."

Following its early success, the pilot programme will now be evaluated to inform future service development. The results so far demonstrate the positive impact that targeted exercise and specialist support can have for people living with Parkinson's.

As this is a pilot project the team is not yet able to accept referrals from health and social care colleagues, however it is something they hope to be able to do in the future, depending on the results of the final evaluation and funding availability.