Ms Magdalen Rogers:

The role of a neuropsychologist on community neurorehabilitation teams is critical. They would be psychologists with a specific expertise in understanding the brain. They have an expertise in understanding the synthesis between the neurological condition and, as Ms Flanagan has said, what is due to the condition and what is due to a very normal reaction to having a long-term neurological condition. Neuropsychologists understand the interplay. It is a very rare expertise in Ireland and very hard to access at the moment. Again, we need community neurorehabilitation teams to have that specialist expertise in mental health and cognitive support. Yesterday, I spoke to the Senator's researcher about this aspect and she was fantastic. She understood that those on the teams need to understand the conditions that they are dealing with. It is not just a generic counsellor or psychologist.