Parkinson’s self-administration pilot expands to additional wards at SVUH

23rd June 2026

Following the successful launch of St. Vincent’s University Hospital’s Self-Administration of Medication (SAM) pilot for people with Parkinson’s, the programme has now expanded to additional inpatient wards across the hospital.

The pilot, which launched earlier this year in the Emergency Department and Our Lady’s Ward, supports eligible patients to self-administer certain time-critical Parkinson’s medicines while in hospital, helping to reduce delays and improve medication safety.

Parkinson’s medication must be taken at specific times throughout the day. Even short delays can lead to worsening symptoms, mobility difficulties and significant distress for patients. The pilot enables suitable patients who normally manage their own medication at home to continue doing so in hospital, while remaining under full clinical oversight.

As part of Phase 2, the pilot has now expanded to:

• Acute Orthopaedic Unit
• St. Agnes’ Ward
• St. Olivia’s Ward
• St. Laurence’s Ward
• St. Vincent’s Ward

These wards join the Emergency Department and Our Lady’s Ward, where the pilot was first introduced.

Dr Tom MacMahon, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at SVUH, welcomed the expansion.

“The positive engagement from patients and staff during the initial phase of the pilot has allowed us to expand the programme to additional wards. Ensuring people with Parkinson’s receive their medication on time remains the central focus of this work.”

Niamh O’Hanlon, Chief II Pharmacist at SVUH, said:

“This expansion represents an important next step for the programme. By supporting appropriate self-administration of time-critical Parkinson’s medicines, we can continue to reduce the risk of delayed or omitted doses while maintaining strong clinical governance and patient safety.”

Patients participating in the pilot are individually assessed to ensure self-administration is safe and appropriate. Only certain time-critical Parkinson’s medicines are included and all other medicines continue to be administered by nursing staff.

The expansion reflects the ongoing collaboration between Emergency Medicine, Care of the Older Person, Nursing, Pharmacy and specialist Parkinson’s services, with a shared focus on improving the hospital experience for people living with Parkinson’s.