Frimley Health Charity Funds Innovative PKG Watch Project

Frimley Health Charity is thrilled to announce the funding for an innovative new initiative for the Neurology department at Frimley Park Hospital. The PKG watches aim to revolutionise care for the Trust’s Parkinson’s disease patients. This project introduces wearable technology that continuously monitors symptoms, enabling more personalised and effective treatment.

What is the PKG Watch?

The Personal KinetiGraph (PKG) Watch is a specialised wearable device designed specifically for Parkinson’s disease patients. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. In 2020, around 145,000 people lived with Parkinson’s in the UK. The PKG Watch captures detailed data about movement patterns, tremors, dyskinesia, and bradykinesia—key symptoms Parkinson’s patients experience throughout their day.

The watch collects data continuously, providing clinicians with a comprehensive overview of a patient’s symptom fluctuations over extended periods rather than the limited snapshot available during brief clinical appointments.

Benefits for Patients and our NHS Staff:

This technology offers numerous advantages:

• Personalised treatment plans: By tracking symptom patterns throughout the day, medication regimens can be precisely tailored to each patient’s unique needs.
• Remote monitoring: Clinicians can assess patient data between appointments, potentially reducing unnecessary hospital visits.
• Objective measurement: The watch provides quantifiable data on symptoms that are traditionally difficult to measure consistently.
• Patient empowerment: Patients gain better insights into their condition, helping them participate more actively in treatment decisions.

Frimley Health Charity’s Contribution

The funding from Frimley Health Charity represents a significant investment in improving neurological care within the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Birinder Kullar, Neurology Service Manager, commented: “This generous funding from Frimley Health Charity will transform how we manage Parkinson’s disease. The PKG Watch technology gives us insight into patients’ daily experiences that were previously impossible to capture.”

Dr Niccolini, Consultant Neurologist specialised in Parkinson’s disease said: “PKG watch has the potential to transform Parkinson’s care. People with Parkinson’s experience different symptoms that change from day to day, and even throughout each day; thus, Parkinson’s care needs to be highly personalised. This device provides real-time data on motor and non-motor symptoms and enables the clinician to make the right treatment adjustments. PKG also provides reassurance to the patients as they do not need to rely on their perception or to fill in diaries and attend multiple outpatient appointments.”