About us
Who we are
It all started with Mali Jenkins. Mali’s sister, Sarah, had Parkinson’s. When Mali looked for information about the condition, she didn’t find anything helpful. But she didn’t give up. Mali reached out to others living with Parkinson’s to share experiences. It was the beginning of our journey.
Over 50 years later, we haven’t stopped. Today we’re a united movement of people living with Parkinson’s across the UK. We’re families, volunteers, campaigners, fundraisers, scientists and health and care workers.
Together we share one mission: to make life with Parkinson’s better, today. Campaigning for better health and care services. Funding research into groundbreaking new treatments. And building strong, supportive communities.
We will find a cure, but it’s not all we’re working for. We’re making a difference now. For every Parkinson’s journey.
Our culture and values
Guided by the Parkinson’s community, we’ve shaped our strategy for 2023 to 2026.
We know that the pandemic made life more difficult for people with Parkinson’s, families, friends and carers. We’ve heard that getting good health and care services has got harder. Symptoms may have worsened. More than ever, people want rapid improvements to services, and direct access to support, information and treatments that can help you live better with Parkinson’s, right now.
Our strategy focuses on 4 areas:
- Pushing for excellent health and care.
- Building your community of support.
- Getting you new treatments, faster.
- Becoming fit for the future.
Equality, diversity and inclusion policy
Parkinson's UK is here for everyone in the Parkinson's community.
Parkinson’s doesn’t discriminate. Anyone can get it.
Despite this, evidence suggests where you live, your income, ethnicity or gender can impact when you’re diagnosed and the support and services you can access.
We want to change that. We can and must do more. We want to remove barriers so that everyone in our community can access the right support and services, tailored to their needs.
And by having a diverse network of people involved with research, we’re more likely to make breakthroughs that change the lives of people with Parkinson’s. To do this, we also need to have a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the community we serve.
We want equity for everyone who lives with Parkinson’s, and the people in their lives, in the UK. That means everyone in the community has access to the same opportunities and support regardless of their background or where they live. So that we’re able to deliver real change, we’ve established priority areas for action based on what will have the biggest impact.
To do this, We've set out 3 equality, diversity and inclusion ambitions:
- Engage people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Race equality in the research and support we offer the Parkinson’s community.
- Attract, develop and progress our diverse talent across all protected characteristics.
These 3 ambitions are tied together by our overarching goal: to understand and address the needs of the whole Parkinson’s community.