Ms Magdalen Rogers:

The number of consultant neurologists is well below the number we require. We would constantly highlight the need for recruitment. In 2015, the Neurological Alliance of Ireland carried out an audit of neurology services in the neurology clinical programme. The results still stand. In fact, they have worsened if anything. We found that none of the 11 neurology centres had a full multidisciplinary team, even the national neuroscience centres in Cork and Dublin.

Depending on the neurology service, it is a patchwork solution to see more people without putting the personnel required in place. An increase in the number of neurologists is critically needed. These conditions will grow as the population ages. We are not going to see a decline in the number of people with neurological diseases but an increase. To deal with early diagnosis and intervention, we will need the people on the ground and not just neurologists but also members of the multidisciplinary teams.