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Neurology · UK

Parkinson’s disease - treated properly, at every stage.

Parkinson’s cannot yet be cured - but it can be treated well or badly, and the difference shapes decades.

See indicative pricing
A radiographer guides a patient onto the bed of an advanced 3 Tesla MRI scanner in a London imaging suite

Indicative pricing

What private Parkinson’s care costs in the UK.

Indicative ranges across our partner neurology units.

In short

Seen by a movement-disorder neurologist within one week; consultations from £280–£450.

Service Indicative range
Movement-disorder neurologist consultation £280–£450
MRI brain (3T) £500–£900
DaTscan (dopamine transporter imaging) £1,500–£2,500
Annual multidisciplinary review package £800–£1,500
Specialist physiotherapy / speech therapy block £400–£900
Deep brain stimulation (assessment to surgery) £45,000–£70,000
Infusion therapy set-up (apomorphine / foslevodopa) £3,000–£8,000 + ongoing drugs

Medication itself is inexpensive and usually prescribed through your GP once the plan is set. The costly items - DBS and infusion therapies - are often insurer-funded when criteria are met, and are also NHS-commissioned for eligible patients; part of our job is telling you honestly which route serves you best.

The problem

The right specialist, medication that fits your day, and no dead ends.

Parkinson’s care commonly fails in three ways - diagnosis by non-specialists, medication never re-tuned, and advanced options raised years too late. We fix all three.

  • Subspecialist or nothing

    Misdiagnosis rates fall sharply when a movement-disorder neurologist makes the call.

  • Tuned to your life, twice a year

    Doses that suited you two years ago rarely suit you now. Structured six-monthly reviews are where quality of life is actually won.

  • Advanced therapy, discussed early

    DBS and infusions work best before years of severe fluctuation. We put them on the table the moment the pattern appears - not as a last resort.

When it helps

When specialist Parkinson’s care is the right step.

The situations we see most, plus the one red flag that needs emergency care rather than a clinic booking.

  • A new tremor

    A resting tremor in one hand is the classic first sign - but most tremor is not Parkinson’s. A movement-disorder examination settles it faster than any scan.

  • Slowness and stiffness

    Smaller handwriting, a dragging arm, difficulty with buttons - bradykinesia is the defining feature, and often noticed by family first.

  • Diagnosed, but never reviewed

    On the same doses for years, with wearing-off nobody has asked about. Medication tuning is where the biggest gains hide.

  • Wearing-off and dyskinesia

    Doses that fade early, or involuntary movements at peak dose - the signal to restructure medication and start the advanced-therapy conversation.

  • Falls, freezing and balance

    Freezing in doorways and unexplained falls need physiotherapy and medication review together - and a check that this is still Parkinson’s, not a mimic.

  • The non-motor burden

    Sleep disturbance, constipation, low mood, blood pressure drops - half of Parkinson’s is not tremor, and treating it transforms quality of life.

  • A second opinion

    Diagnosis uncertain, or told “nothing more can be done”? Both deserve a specialist review - the second is almost never true.

  • Red flag: medication stopped suddenly

    Stopping Parkinson’s drugs abruptly - illness, surgery, missed supply - can be dangerous. High fever, rigidity and confusion off medication is an emergency: A&E, and doses restarted.

Treatment options

From first tablet to advanced therapy - the full toolkit.

Treatment is staged over years. What matters is using each tool at the right moment - and knowing what comes next before you need it.

  • Levodopa

    The most effective drug in neurology, sixty years on. Modern practice uses it early at the lowest effective dose - the old fear of “saving it for later” is outdated.

  • Dopamine agonists

    Ropinirole, pramipexole, rotigotine patches - useful early or alongside levodopa. Impulse-control side effects (gambling, shopping) are screened for at every review.

  • MAO-B and COMT inhibitors

    Rasagiline, safinamide, entacapone, opicapone - extenders that smooth wearing-off and stretch each levodopa dose further.

  • Therapy and exercise

    Physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and vigorous exercise - the only interventions with evidence for slowing functional decline. Prescribed, not suggested.

  • Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

    Electrodes in the subthalamic nucleus, tuned wirelessly - the gold standard for motor fluctuations in the right candidate, often cutting medication substantially.

  • Infusion therapies

    Continuous apomorphine or foslevodopa subcutaneous infusion, or levodopa intestinal gel - steady drug delivery for those with severe fluctuations who are not DBS candidates.

  • MR-guided focused ultrasound

    An incisionless option for tremor-dominant disease - a focused ultrasound lesion calms tremor on one side without implanted hardware. Available at a small number of UK centres.

  • Non-motor treatment

    Sleep, mood, memory, blood pressure, bone protection and bowel care - managed deliberately at every review, because they shape daily life as much as tremor does.

Safety and recovery

Living with treatment - honestly.

Parkinson’s medication is transformative and imperfect. The honest conversation covers side effects, the long game, and the risks of surgery for those who choose it.

  • Levodopa’s honeymoon and its limits

    Early years on levodopa are often excellent. With time, doses last less long and dyskinesia can emerge - expected developments with counter-moves, not treatment failure.

  • Impulse-control disorders

    Dopamine agonists trigger gambling, spending, eating or sexual compulsions in a significant minority. We warn patients and partners up front and screen at every review - this is only a crisis when nobody asked.

  • Sleepiness and sudden-onset sleep

    Agonists in particular can cause daytime somnolence with driving implications. The DVLA must be told of a Parkinson’s diagnosis; we help with the paperwork.

  • Blood pressure and falls

    Both the condition and its drugs can drop standing blood pressure. Dizziness on standing is treatable - measured, not dismissed.

  • Hallucinations and confusion

    Usually medication-related and dose-dependent, more common in later disease. Managed by rebalancing drugs - never by simply stopping them abruptly.

  • Never stop suddenly

    Abrupt withdrawal of Parkinson’s medication risks a dangerous withdrawal syndrome. Every hospital admission needs the drug chart flagged - we give patients a card for exactly this.

  • DBS surgery risks

    Around 1–2% risk of serious bleeding or infection, and speech or balance can be affected by stimulation - weighed against dramatic motor benefit in well-chosen candidates at high-volume centres.

  • What treatment does not do

    No current therapy is proven to slow the underlying disease - exercise comes closest. Anyone selling a cure deserves your scepticism; the honest offer is decades of well-managed life.

  • Red flags

    High fever with rigidity off medication, sudden inability to move, injuries from falls, or new severe confusion need same-day emergency care - not the next routine review.

Reading your clinic letter

Your clinic letter in four parts. Read the last one first.

After every consultation the neurologist writes to you and your GP. The letters keep to the same shape.

A UK neurologist reviewing a patient’s clinic letter

A quiet reminder

Neurology letters are dense with drug names and scales - we translate them for you.

If you would like us to talk you through your clinic letter or medication plan before your next review, just ask.

  1. 01 Header

    Diagnosis, stage and current medication

    The working diagnosis, how the condition has evolved since last time, and the exact current drug regimen with timings.

  2. 02 Assessment

    Motor and non-motor findings

    Examination findings, fluctuation and dyskinesia assessment, plus the non-motor screen - sleep, mood, memory, blood pressure, bowels.

  3. 03 Findings

    Investigations and side-effect screen

    Imaging results where done, and the deliberate check for impulse-control disorders, sleepiness and hallucinations.

  4. 04 Impression

    The plan - doses, therapy, next review

    Read this first: every medication change spelt out with dates, therapy referrals, DVLA and driving notes, and when you are seen next.

Recognised by major UK insurers

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Private medical insurance routinely covers neurology consultations, MRI and DaTscan, and often covers DBS surgery when clinical criteria are met - though chronic maintenance care varies by policy.

Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about Parkinson’s treatment.

Quick answers on diagnosis, levodopa, DBS, what private care adds, and living well for decades.

  • How is Parkinson’s diagnosed - is there a test?

    The diagnosis is clinical: a movement-disorder neurologist recognises the pattern of tremor, slowness and stiffness on examination. MRI rules out mimics, and a DaTscan - which images the brain’s dopamine system - is reserved for genuinely uncertain cases such as distinguishing Parkinson’s from essential tremor. No blood test exists yet.

  • Should levodopa be delayed to “save it for later”?

    No - that idea is outdated. Current evidence and UK guidance support using levodopa when symptoms affect your life, at the lowest effective dose. Delaying it buys nothing except years of unnecessary symptoms; later complications relate to disease progression and total exposure, and are managed as they arise.

  • What is deep brain stimulation and who is it for?

    DBS places fine electrodes in a deep brain nucleus, powered by a pacemaker-like device, to smooth out motor fluctuations. The ideal candidate has clear levodopa response but troublesome wearing-off or dyskinesia despite optimised tablets, without significant cognitive problems. In the right hands it is transformative; candidate selection by an experienced MDT is everything.

  • What does private care add over NHS Parkinson’s services?

    Mostly time and continuity: a one-week route to a movement-disorder subspecialist, hour-long consultations, the same named neurologist at every visit, and reviews every six months rather than when the system allows. For advanced therapies we will tell you honestly when an NHS specialist centre is the better route - and arrange the referral.

  • Does anything slow the disease down?

    No drug is yet proven to slow the underlying process - trials continue, including on GLP-1 drugs and targeted biologics.

  • How much does private Parkinson’s care cost?

    Consultations run £280–£450, MRI £500–£900, and a DaTscan £1,500–£2,500 where needed. Ongoing specialist review with therapy support typically costs £800–£1,500 a year. DBS, for the minority who need it, is £45,000–£70,000 privately but often insurer-funded or NHS-commissioned.

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