Ms Magdalen Rogers:

Absolutely. The Deputy spoke about data and information being so important. In the neurorehabilitation strategy we are seeing that information and data coming onstream. Last week, the HSE published a report on inpatient beds around the country for a range of clinical areas, including orthopaedic rehabilitations but neurorehabilitation was in there as well. We now have specific figures on the number of dedicated neurorehabilitation beds around the country and there is a stark gap in the north west as regards the number of those beds. I see in CHO 1 just 13 of those dedicated neurorehabilitation beds. That is a huge gap that still exists. We have seen progress on the strategy, but in two particular areas in the north west there is that gap with inpatient neurorehabilitation beds. The community neurorehabilitation team in CHO 1 does not reach out to the Deputy's county of Sligo. It is only a team of three, so it is only serving people in County Donegal.

That is a vital service that is not available outside Donegal for the CHO 1 area. As Ms Cotter said, we have the gap in the long-term rehabilitation piece, with services of MS Ireland and other NAI member groups. In the north west, very good work has been done on implementing the neurorehabilitation strategy and we have a very good framework. We know what is needed and we have the data so we just need to put it in place.