Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire is a 120-bed hospital which provides treatment and rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injuries, head injuries, amputation, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury, strokes, neurological disorders, children's disabilities and spina bifida. It also provides wheelchair and mobility aids assessment, pre-vocational and vocational training programmes involving a wide range of social, personal and work-related skills with a view to enhancing opportunities for each individual for further training, employment and educational options. There is also a 12-bed hostel to enable clients from outside the greater Dublin area to access day services in the hospital and the vocational training unit.

A new hospital is in the planning stages and once built will provide additional capacity at the hospital. This project would increase the bed capacity of the National Rehabilitation Hospital to 235 beds. I understand that a project team is working with an appointed design team to develop the brief for the new hospital and plan for the development.

The Health Service Executive has also informed the Department that a project team has just completed a needs assessment on the development of an acute medical rehabilitation unit of 25 beds which is recommended to be built at Beaumont Hospital. This unit would provide acute medical rehabilitation services and early rehabilitation for those suffering from brain injury who access the national neurosciences unit at Beaumont and who currently have to access services at the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

Plans had been prepared in some areas for regional rehabilitation facilities. The Department and the Health Service Executive are aware of the need to review the potential benefits of a regional network of rehabilitation facilities and services. The development of such a network should be considered in the context of a national strategy for rehabilitation services and the Department is currently considering this issue.

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